Gearfuse

Hmmm. LEGO Rock Band. Seems like a good idea, given the plethora of other LEGO-based video games available, right? Maybe. Joystiq spent some quality hands-on time with the new Rock Band title and had this to say about it:

It’s tempting to just take a review of Rock Band 2 and stick it under here and label it Lego Rock Band, because that’s pretty much what it is, albeit with a few family-friendly tweaks. They’re mostly aesthetic, and Harmonix is working with Lego, who has approval over all of the songs in the game, to make sure it’s an experience that little kids can enjoy with adults. It might be a bit jarring to see Suzie, age 6, gyrating along to “Sex Bomb,” for instance.

Makes sense. A kid-friendly game with kid-friendly tunes. The problem is, Harmonix is getting lazy. Instead of just spewing out new titles with different themes and different songs, I’d like to see it innovate and bring all new features and devices to its popular franchise. Add a keyboard player to Rock Band and then I’ll get excited about your upcoming games.

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How the Tony Hawk video game franchise keeps chugging along is beyond me, especially with the release of Skate 2. So to keep things fresh, the latest incarnation of the franchise, titled Tony Hawk RIDE, will feature an actual skateboard controller. See it down there? With all the buttons on the side? How the fuck is this thing going to work? I’m curious to find out. Look for it to hit the PS3, 360 and Wii sometime this year.

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While World of Warcraft is the king of the MMORPG world and Starcraft is busy keeping people in Korea busy, sometimes a little change can be good. According to the Internets, Blizz is working on a brand new franchise that will be released in MMO-form. Looking for details or a release date? Don’t hold your breath. They’ve still got Starcraft II and Diablo III in the works.

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Today, we point out the obvious: a series that tries so desperately to make money that it ruins the artistic vision of the game. These are the franchises that I admire for their enjoyable originals and also loathe for what they’ve become. Let’s face it, The Godfather: Part III sucked. That’s where these games are going.

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Sources are reporting that Electronic Arts Inc. has sold the movie rights of best-selling game series, “The Sims”, to 20th Century Fox. The Sims franchise has sold more than 85 million units since its debut 7 years ago.

“The Sims has done an interactive version of an old story, which is what it’s like to have infinite power and how do you deal with it,” says Rod Humble, head of The Sims Studio at EA. The thought of a Sim movie seems pretty cheesy to think about. Could it really be decent? We guess if it’s handled right. — Andrew Dobrow

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