Given that no other organization but OXM seems to have be able to post a review, and that OXM's was a GLOWING "9.5", I can pretty much go ahead and pee in OXM's open mouths. THEIR OPEN MOUTHS.

I'm not really bothered by it as much as I was thrown for a loop (the rapping Cobain is pretty uh...yeah). But I know it's not forced on the player, so no biggie. As far as Tool, I was more bothered to Quickplay other songs and have that venue pop up in all of it's distracting weirdness. But I get that it'd be more work to lock these things than not.

Its these types of decisions that turn me off more and more to GH. They seem to be making a game for themselves. I don't know any fan that wants to play as or with a virtual Cobain. I don't know anyone clamoring to play onstage with a virtual J.Cash. Seeing Hendrix come out onstage in WT was just strange to me.

As far as locking the Tool arena to Tool only songs, how much more work would that have been really?

IF SONG NOT EQUAL TO TOOLSONG
THEN ARENA=(ALLARENAS-TOOLARENAS)

Or something like that.

Again, probably one of those differences between a casual fan of the genre and those that love it. The "hardcore" music genre fans don't want stupid gimmicks like this and just want accurate gameplay and good music, but I imagine having real life characters is still an appeal to the miscellaneous folks that notice the game on the shelf and see a famous artist.

This might be an actual review:

http://www.gamingtrend.com/Reviews/r...?ReviewID=1292

I have seen this mentioned twice but I have yet to see actual proof that they gave the game this score. Nothing on their website and no review in the newest OXM which was just released last week.

I'm going to pick up the game at BB right now.

Ok so those of you doing the GH4 download... how exactly do the other songs fit into the new game? Are they just added to the quickplay list?

I wouldn't mind it if it was done with some respect or in some unique way.

Say you get to play in historic settings or arenas where these rock legends play. Or you are transported back in time as a fan, and then they pull you onstage to play. But to have them 'appear' from the dead while you play onstage is not right somehow.

To have them play around in modern day stages or rapping about and be actual playable characters, is just weird.

Did you watch that video to see how off-putting it is?

Whatever, I don't care about Cobain, I don't care about this game, and I don't care about the developer or publisher.

I only care in that what it represents, as I said, about a larger disrespect for the source material and artists. It's a joke.

That's obvious from the fact you have a real person, an Xbox 360 Avatar, a skeleton, and a traditional GH character on the stage at the same time that it's all just absurd.

If I was an artist and I saw this and I saw TB:RB, there would be no contest who I wanted my likeness to be handled by. Hopefully, Harmonix will continue to NOT use real people in their games unless it is absolutely justified.

Yeah. With Neversoft, it's a video game first and a musical experience second. With Harmonix, it's all about the music. Personally, I prefer the Harmonix approach, but I'm sure some people prefer the goofy, game-y, cartoonish way that Neversoft has chosen.

You can really sum up the different approaches by watching that Cobain video and any video from Beatles: Rock Band. Different strokes for different folks, but the Neversoft approach really rubs me the wrong way.

You seem to care a lot with 41 posts in this thread about the game, from the developer, and released by the publisher.

Yeah, I agree. Nothing wrong with taking a sillier approach to it versus Rock Band's seriousness. It doesn't appeal to many people here, but obviously there's an audience for it else the last 2 games wouldn't have sold decently. I actually like Nirvana a lot and that video doesn't bother me. Just makes me chuckle.

Yeah, I share news and I get excited for potential. I said in WT they shouldn't be doing this with "real" people. They just need to reign it in.

As more and more songs appear in Rock Band, I care less and less. That's been pretty much weekly since the start of this thread.

As far as silliness vs seriousness. I don't think RB is "serious". Their characters are just as silly as the GH characters. If they put Avatar support in RB3, I'll eat it up.

It's just the mixing of real world personas in this cartoonish world. I don't like it and I wouldn't stand for it if it were me or my dead husband wife.

Leave the skeleton out of this, he was badass. Who wouldn't want him on the skins?

Some of it is just seeing Cobain himself used like this. I know some may disagree but the guy was so anti-establishment in life. Now in death, him being used like a Looney Tunes character is a little bothersome for people like myself who were knee deep in Nirvana's music from beginning to end.

But as someone else said, the kids nowadays don't give a shit who he was. And it's not like it bothers me to see Johnny Cash banging away on the drums, though it would probably bug my Dad.

But it is a choice in the game and if you don't want to see Cobain rapping or singing Bon Jovi (shudder), then you don't have to luckily.

That's quite a bit different from saying boldly that you don't care at all about the game, developer, or publisher.

Seems to be a natural progression from what they've shown me

Gamepro Magazine says 4.5/5.

IGN will score it at least a 9/10.

http://musichub.ign.com/

Not to hate, but I'm glad I canceled my order. I started Smash Hits last night and it's so 'meh. I can't really put my finger on what the problem is though. The redone songs as masters is awesome but, I dunno, there's something about it that just screams mediocrity.

I guess I'm just to the point a lot of you were earlier in the year. I think I'm done buying this franchise. I'll still rent to check them out, but I have no desire to play through multiple careers/modes/etc. like I do in Rock Band. I'm just sitting there playing/staring at the screen thinking how great it would be if all the songs were in Rock Band instead.

Amen brother.

I wouldn't have bought this one if it weren't for the Van Halen deal.

Me too. And many others as well, I imagine.

My Release Day Relivery tracking shows as follows:
August 31, 2009 08:58:00 PM SPARKS NV US Delay in delivery due to external factors
Does "external factors" mean Amazon's fault or UPS'? Either way, I'm not too happy.

With the VAN HALEN deal and the buy one, get 50% off Xbox sale at Best Buy, I figured it was worth the shekels. I'm not overly crazy about the setlist, but it's not a turnoff either. A lot of these songs will end up on RB anyhow, and that's where my true interest lies. But for $90 (incl. tax using $5 RZ coupon), I'm getting GH5, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and GH:VH. That's a lot of entertainment!