E3 2012: Hands On with BandFuse Rock legends

It seems like players have a love hate relationship with music games, dance games have become the new craze, while other band oriented games have been somewhat silent this year. But BandFuse: Rock Legends can be a game changer for the interactive music genre. BandFuse uses a real guitar and teaches you how to play songs for real.

Let’s be honest with ourselves, just because you may be a Guitar Hero god, that doesn’t mean the skills transfer over to an actual musical instrument. As a guitar player myself, I find that the controllers make some songs more difficult to play then they really are. Bandfuse teaches you how to play songs using the tab theory which is numbers assigned to frets. It’s a fairly simple and quick thing to learn.

With Bandfuse, you plug in your real electric guitar and your game console becomes the amp. Whether you are putting a guitar in your hands for the first time or an experienced virtuoso, the game adjusts to your skill level. I’ve been playing guitar for about ten years, and the game was able to match my skill level perfectly. You can easily transition between novice and expert with just a click of a button, and the game will actually give you more notes to hit as you build up a hit streak. For some added encouragement, players can watch real demos and videos from famous rock legends like Zack Wylde and Nancy Wilson.

The game was developed by actual musicians who have been playing for years. It was designed to help aspiring guitar players have an easy and fun way to learn. It’s also an excellent practice tool. But the biggest draw will no doubt be the in game studio. You can record your own guitar riffs and upload them for DLC. It’s a feature that Guitar Hero: World Tour had, but with an actual guitar it’s much easier to record exactly what you want. Not only can you pug in a guitar, but also bass and vocals. You can even do a guitar/vocals combo.

The track list is a mix of rock genres ranging from new to classic tracks. The game developers, Realta Entertainment Group, plan on bringing new DLC tracks as well.

The game is currently slated for a winter release date as an Xbox 360 exclusive.

The growing tack list for Bandfuse:

• “You Oughta Know” (Alanis Morissette)
• “Jessica” (The Allman Brothers Band)
• “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” (Fallout Boy)
• “Hemorrhage” (Fuel)
• “Barracuda” (Heart)
• “Drive” (Incubus)
• “I’m Broken” (Pantera)
• “Jessie’s Girl” (Rick Springfield)
• “Limelight” (Rush)
• “Should I Stay or Should I Go” (The Clash)
• “Stellar Revival” (The Crazy Ones)
• “Roundabout” (Yes)
•  “No Rain” (Blind Melon)
• “Godzilla” (Blue Oyster Cult)
• “Yellow” (Coldplay)
• “The Bleeding” (Five Finger Death Punch)
• “Breaking the Law” (Judas Priest)
• “Cult of Personality” (Living Colour)
• “Sweet HomeAlabama” (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
• “Harder to Breathe” (Maroon 5)
• “Alive” (Pearl Jam)
• “Back From Cali” (Slash)
• “Reptilia” (The Strokes)