In this interview we discuss JAM Live Music Arcade's competition and what makes this title stand out above all of the rest.
BIOGAMER GIRL: JAM Live Music Arcade is due out next week for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Can you tell us a bit about what this new game is like?
Ted Lange: JAM Live Music Arcade is unlike every game you’ve ever seen in the music genre. It puts the player front and center as the musician. You can select a wide variety of songs that are broken down into specific instruments. Each of the instruments is broken into five different sections that are at the player’s control. The player can use a standard controller or break out their guitar controller and start making music on the fly. You will be amazed at how you can play the same song again and again and have a completely new experience.
BIOGAMER GIRL: Rockband and Rocksmith are possibly your biggest competitors in the industry right now. So, tell us what makes JAM Live Music Arcade so much different from other music titles out now and why people should pick up and play JAM Live Music Arcade instead of these other games.
Ted Lange: JAM Live Music Arcade is a completely new experience in the music genre. Rockband and Rocksmith put you in the seat of being a musician by having you follow along with a preset gameplay structure. JAM makes you the musician by giving you a wide variety of options in how you want to play each song. The key to standing out is to be innovative and JAM truly is that.
BIOGAMER GIRL: JAM Live Music Arcade will have more downloadable music coming down the road as DLC. How often will new downloadable music be released for the game, and what type of bands can we expect to see released on the game in the future?
Ted Lange: At this time we cannot say how often DLC will be coming, but we can definitely say we have some big plans for supporting the title. With any music game, DLC is a very important component and we plan to make sure that fans of the game are given plenty of music to keep jamming. We plan to have a great variety of music from some well-known artists. I think everyone will be really excited as we start to reveal the songs that are coming.
BIOGAMER GIRL: Reverb Publishing has helped put out numerous music games in the past including Guitar Hero 2 and nearly the entire Rock Band franchise. Do you find it any more difficult to publish music games in today's industry than compared to only a few years back when your company was publishing those older titles?
Ted Lange: Yes and no. The music genre as a whole has definitely been on a decline, but I believe that it really comes down to innovation. Guitar Hero was great, but after the 4th or 5th iteration that initial excitement starts to fade. The key to publishing a new title is to offer something that is new to the genre. The reason we are publishing JAM is that it is a completely new music experience and we feel strongly that once players get it in their hands they will have a blast.
BIOGAMER GIRL: Reverb Publishing has worked on many great games since being created in 2007. Which game would you say was your favorite to publish and promote and why?
Ted Lange: For me working on Guitar Hero was a pure joy. Guitar Hero really changed the music genre and the entire industry. It made peripheral based games mainstream and captured the dream so many people have of being a rock star. The team at Harmonix was great to work with and the positive feedback we got from consumers was amazing. Working on a title that completely changes the way a genre is viewed was a great experience.
BIOGAMER GIRL: Reverb Publishing is constantly working on new projects, and this work ethic makes you guys one of the most respected publishing companies in the gaming industry. So, are there any other new or upcoming games from Reverb Publishing you would like to tell us about?
Ted Lange: We have several titles that we are extremely excited about. One of which is Primal Carnage, a first and third person shooter that puts you in control of a team of humans or an array of dinosaurs. This title is going to be a must have and we cannot wait to speak more about it and even more can’t wait to get it in the hands of the players. We’re also excited to be working with Digital Reality and publishing the XBLA version of Black Knight Sword, a dark and twisted platforming throwback that puts the classic fairy-tale story and turns it on its head. And we recently announced we’ll be publishing Coffee Stain Studios’ Sanctum 2, the sequel to the exceedingly popular Sanctum which expertly blended the first-person shooter and tower defense genres to much acclaim.
To learn more about JAM Live Music Arcade then visit the official website.
Also visit the Reverb Publishing website to learn about their projects and upcoming titles.
