If imitation really is the most sincere form of flattery, Rock Band should be extremely flattered right about now. Not only is the Guitar Hero franchise adding drums and a microphone to its next installment, but now Konami wants in on the action as well. Yesterday at Konami Gamers’ Night 08, they officially announced Rock Revolution for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and DS.

Rock Revolution will feature drums and guitars, but strangely, only the DS version will implement vocals. Each console version will have different attributes, and the game will use a new drum kit with six pads and a pedal. MTV Multiplayer got a good look at the drums, as seen below, as well as some hands-on time with the game. Konami also stated that the game would come with 40 songs, with DLC for 360 and PS3 down the road. The MTV blog listed Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi” as one of the demo songs, which for me is a solid reason to stay as far away from this game as possible.



I see a couple of problems with Rock Revolution. First of all, the drum kit doesn’t actually look all that fun, but I could be wrong. More importantly, are people going to want to buy this if they already have Rock Band? I know I certainly don’t need another drum peripheral in my living room. What is the incentive to buy this over Rock Band or Guitar Hero IV, franchises that have already been established, especially with Rock Band having so much downloadable content readily available? Also, did I mention Avril Lavigne? That’s definitely two or three strikes against Rock Revolution right there. We’ll just have to wait and see whether or not Konami can make this game stand on its own, and not look like just another Rock Band clone. Check the full press release below for more details.

KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT, INC. REDEFINES THE RHYTHM GENRE WITH ROCK REVOLUTION

Industry Leader Turns Up the Volume With New Music-Based Franchise for the PLAYSTATION®3 system, Xbox 360TM, WiiTM and Nintendo DSTM

Authentic Drum Peripheral Delivers Unparalleled Music Game Experience

EL SEGUNDO, CA - May 15, 2008 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced Rock Revolution, an unprecedented, authentic music-based video game that will re-define the rhythm genre. Brought to market by the company that created the music video game category, with breakthrough titles such as DanceDanceRevolution®, Karaoke Revolution®, Beatmania and Guitar Freaks, Rock Revolution provides an unmatched rock experience. Breaking new ground with its definitive drum experience, Rock Revolution also gives players a chance to rock out on the bass and lead guitar. Designed by musicians, Rock Revolution will be available with the most realistic drum peripheral on the market at launch for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

"Rock Revolution will be the most innovative and realistic rock game to hit the market, that will provide a quality drum peripheral and music that players will appreciate," said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "As the originator of music-based games, we are dedicated to bringing fans a truly preeminent music experience. With Rock Revolution, we put the emphasis on the drum kit, delivering an experience unlike any other."

Rock Revolution features an extensive music selection on the game disc, along with a wide variety of downloadable songs available at launch for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system versions of the game. Additionally, title offers a variety of innovative single-player and multi-player modes.

A unique aspect of the Wii version is the interactive use of the controls with the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk for an air-drum and air-guitar experience. Rock out anywhere with the Nintendo DS version, using the stylus for intense rhythm matching sessions.

Rock Revolution is scheduled to launch this Fall for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 system and the Wii™ and DS™ video game systems from Nintendo. For more information, please visit www.konami.com.

About Konami
Konami is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties. Konami's titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid®, Silent Hill®, DanceDanceRevolution® and Castlevania®, among other top sellers. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. KONAMI CORPORATION is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. KONAMI CORPORATION is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by Konami can be found at www.konami.com.

"PlayStation", "PLAYSTATION" and "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Wii and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo.

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