Rock Band 2 Drum Kit gets cymbals.

Friday, July 11th, 2008
by DoubleB

GameSpot News has reported that MTV’s Rock Band game is trying to “one up” Guitar Hero with adding cymbals to the existing drum kit. Here is an excerpt from the article.

“The term “battle of the bands” has come to epitomize the competitive one-upmanship of Activision’s Guitar Hero series and MTV Games’ Rock Band franchise. While the first Harmonix-developed rhythm game under the MTV Games label won superior critical approbation thanks to the addition of drums and a karaoke element, the Guitar Hero brand name and a lower price point pushed the Neversoft-made Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock to the top of the billboard sales charts.

This year, the two franchises are again crossing axes with Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2, and the musical arms race is heating up. Earlier this year, Activision hit its first power chord, announcing it would hop on the musical quartet wagon, adding in a five-pad (plus kick pedal) drum kit and a karaoke mic, among other substantially new features.

Today, MTV Games and Harmonix have struck back. As revealed in the latest Game Informer, the new drum kit will have more than just squishy, velocity-sensitive pads. While the standard-issue new drum kit will retain the four-pad setup of its predecessor, drumming enthusiasts will be able to purchase an additional cymbal pack. The pack includes crash, ride, and high-hat add-ons that can be plugged into the new kit and will be associated with existing colors. Because the cymbal pack will plug into expansion slots, Rock Band’s original drum set will remain compatible with the game’s follow-up.”

Well being a drummer myself I was more than excited about the new drum kit from Guitar Hero: World Tour. But now I can have a hi-hat, crash and ride? w00t! pwns! Well, maybe depends on the cost.