IGN has an interview with the CEO of Harmonix, Alex Rigopulos, about their up coming game Rock Band. There is a lot of info in here. So, it will probably be a good idea for you to check it out for yourself. I will try to hit some highlights.

IGN: Will each instrument part be developed enough to stand alone as a game for people that only want to play that part? More to the point, how will the guitar part hold up against the Guitar Hero franchise?

Alex Rigopulos: In addition to the multi-instrument band game, Rock Band will have a full suite of play modes for each of the individual instruments as well. As for your question about the guitar in particular, I can’t speak to what Activision has planned for future versions of Guitar Hero, but what I can say is that Rock Band’s guitar game alone will be more substantial than any of the prior Guitar Hero releases. PLUS, there’s the complete drum game that’s just as large. PLUS, there’s the complete singing game. PLUS, there’s the co-operative band game that ties them all together. Basically, it’s four complete games on one disc. The thing is really huge!

IGN: If you’re playing the game by yourself, how do the other three parts work?

Alex Rigopulos: If you’re playing solo, the rest of your band is on auto-pilot.

IGN: Will you need to play all four parts to unlock everything or could you, for example, just play bass and get everything there is in the game?

Alex Rigopulos: Any one instrument will get you to all of the music and most of the other assets you can achieve in the game. There are a few “special rewards” per instrument, though.

IGN: What genres of music are you targeting for Rock Band?

Alex Rigopulos: The game will include a broad spectrum of rock, everything from classic to modern, punk, metal, alternative, Southern rock, you name it. We’ve also secured a lot of original multi-track master recordings. Being able to listen to these has been incredible.

IGN: What will the instruments be like for Rock Band?

Alex Rigopulos: It was crucial to the staff at Harmonix, many of whom are musicians in real rock bands of their own, that the Rock Band instruments have a more authentic and realistic look and feel to them than we’d seen with prior music games. As announced previously, we’ve partnered with Fender and modeled the guitar controller after the Stratocaster. Beyond that, all I can say now is that we’re really pleased with how the peripherals are turning out. They’re really gorgeous pieces of hardware.

IGN: How does the drum controller work? Is there a foot pedal, cymbals, etc?

Alex Rigopulos: Sorry, again that’s something I can’t talk about yet in any detail. I’ll just say that I’m a drummer myself, so it was a priority for me that the drum controller be a real piece of hardware.

There is so much more news! Check it out at the Link! Remember Rock Band Hasn’t official been anounced for Wii yet. There has been so reliable sources that say it will be. I hope So!!

Link