Well, well. Looks like Rolling Stone magazine wants a piece of the music and rhythm action. The venerable rock and roll publication has teamed up with videogame publisher 505 Games (
IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey,
Hotel for Dogs) to put out
Rolling Stone: Drum King for the Wii. And while the Wii has no shortage of plastic peripherals, they're still keeping themselves removed from musical instruments by relying on the system's remote and nunchuck for some air drumming action.
The three screenshots try putting their best foot forward with a menu screen (seriously?), a gameplay shot showing off a very dull yet still slightly confusing note slider, and one of the venues stacked sky high with amplifiers.
But before you see those, here's the full 30-song list of "top-quality cover tracks" -- not the original recordings, but the ones they have to preface the band's name with "inspired by" (read as karaoke):
- All Star - Inspired by Smash Mouth
- Banquet - Inspired by Bloc Party
- Be My Baby - Inspired by The Ronettes
- Blister in the Sun - Inspired by Violent Femmes
- Born to Be Wild - Inspired by Steppenwolf
- By the Way - Inspired by Offcuts
- Can't Get Enough - Inspired by Bad Company
- Can't Stand Losing You - Inspired by The Police
- Cissy Strut (instrumental) - Inspired by The Meters
- Click Click Boom - Inspired by Saliva
- Direction - Inspired by Starting Line
- Feel Good Inc. - Inspired by Gorillaz
- Fight the Good Fight - Inspired by Triumph
- I Fought the Law - Inspired by The Clash
- In Too Deep - Inspired by Sum 41
- Let There Be Drums - Inspired by The Ventures
- Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous - Inspired by Good Charlotte
- Mickey - Inspired by Toni Basil
- No One Knows - Inspired by Queens of the Stone Age
- On Top of the World - Inspired by Boys Like Girls
- Pull Me Under - Inspired by Dream Theatre
- Saturday Superhouse - Inspired by Biffy Clyro
- She Sells Sanctuary - Inspired by The Cult
- Song 2 - Inspired by Blur
- Soundgarden - Inspired by Spoonman
- Stay With Me - Inspired by Faces
- The Take Over, The Breaks Over - Inspired by Fall Out Boy
- The Final Countdown - Inspired by Europe
- We Will Rock You - Inspired by Queen
505 GAMES AND ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE UNVEIL
ROLLING STONE: DRUM KING FOR NINTENDO Wii™
New Music Rhythm Game Brings Air Drumming
to Nintendo Wii Consoles This Spring
LOS ANGELES (May 19, 2009) --- Global videogame publisher 505 Games (U.S.) and Rolling Stone magazine today announced a new music and rhythm game, Rolling Stone: Drum King for Nintendo Wii™. Available at retailers nationwide this spring, Rolling Stone: Drum King allows gamers to utilize the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk controller to rock out like some of the greatest drummers of all time.
"For more than 40 years, Rolling Stone has been a staple in the voice of American music culture and entertainment and we are pleased to collaborate with 505 Games as we venture into video games for the first time," said Will Schenck, Publisher of Rolling Stone magazine. "With more people playing console video games than ever before, this was a natural next step for the Rolling Stone brand."
"We're thrilled to be working with a music and entertainment pop culture icon to bring some of the greatest music in rock 'n' roll history to this game," said Adam Kline, president of 505 Games. "This partnership with Rolling Stone puts 505 Games at the forefront of the growing crossover between music and video games on one of the hottest gaming platforms available today."
In Rolling Stone: Drum King, players can rock out in single-player mode or duel against a friend in multiplayer mode by swinging the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller to the beat of the music. Gamers can enhance their experience with a customizable avatar complete with a rock 'n' roll drummer personality and put their dashboard drumming skills to the test with a wide range of drumming styles and music. Aspiring drummers and gamers alike will be able to perfect their drumming skills with 30 top-quality cover tracks inspired by artists like Queen, Fall Out Boy, The Clash, Gorillaz and The Police as they go on tour and take the stage at numerous performance venues.
Here is the full list of hit songs featured on the game:
All Star - Inspired by Smash Mouth
Banquet - Inspired by Bloc Party
Be My Baby - Inspired by The Ronettes
Blister in the Sun - Inspired by Violent Femmes
Born to Be Wild - Inspired by Steppenwolf
By the Way - Inspired by Offcuts
Can't Get Enough - Inspired by Bad Company
Can't Stand Losing You - Inspired by The Police
Cissy Strut (instrumental) - Inspired by The Meters
Click Click Boom - Inspired by Saliva
Direction - Inspired by Starting Line
Feel Good Inc. - Inspired by Gorillaz
Fight the Good Fight - Inspired by Triumph
I Fought the Law - Inspired by The Clash
In Too Deep - Inspired by Sum 41
Let There Be Drums - Inspired by The Ventures
Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous - Inspired by Good Charlotte
Mickey - Inspired by Toni Basil
No One Knows - Inspired by Queens of the Stone Age
On Top of the World - Inspired by Boys Like Girls
Pull Me Under - Inspired by Dream Theatre
Saturday Superhouse - Inspired by Biffy Clyro
She Sells Sanctuary - Inspired by The Cult
Song 2 - Inspired by Blur
Soundgarden - Inspired by Spoonman
Stay With Me - Inspired by Faces
The Take Over, The Breaks Over - Inspired by Fall Out Boy
The Final Countdown - Inspired by Europe
We Will Rock You - Inspired by Queen
For more information and assets, please visit our press site at http://bhimpact.gamespress.com/client_page.asp?i=167.
About 505 GAMES (U.S.)
Based in Los Angeles, CA, 505 Games (U.S.) is the North American division of 505 Games, a global videogame publisher. The U.S. operations launched in May, 2008 to bring quality interactive entertainment to North America on all game platforms including Microsoft Xbox 360™, Sony PlayStation® 2, PlayStation® 3, PSP, Nintendo Wii™ and DS, as well as PC, online, and mobile. The company's management team hails from the leaders in global entertainment including major motion picture studios, videogame publishers and leading game development studios. With the company's deep experience and proven success in interactive entertainment worldwide, 505 Games is looking to drive the industry forward with innovative game experiences that integrate next generation game play, immersive stories and integrated brands that can take the business to a new level. The company offers a broad selection of videogame titles in all genres for players of all ages.
About Rolling Stone Magazine
Rolling Stone has been the leading voice of music and popular culture since its inception over 40 years ago. The magazine features the latest in music reviews, in-depth interviews, hard-hitting political commentary and award-winning investigative journalism. Rolling Stone provides all the news that fits to 12.5 million readers every two weeks.
