UPDATE: I just got an email from MadCatz, offering a replacement dongle, in response to an email I sent them last week. Great job, MC!
This week, I spent too much time NOT playing games. Honest, I tried. Last week, I spent some time with Enslaved and found it to be not as bad as I thought when I had first put it into my PS3 console. This week, I figured I’d move on to RockBand 3, using the keyboard as my main instrument. I’ve always favored the drums on RockBand, working up from Easy to Hard – but not expert or pro, yet. I’ve been able to transfer the skills I’ve gained in the three main volumes of RockBand (as well as from playing through The Beatles RockBand and some of GreenDay RockBand) to the actual drums. I can keep a beat.
So it was with relish that I got RockBand 3 when it came out, only minimally disappointed that they weren’t selling an instrument bundle. I wanted to upgrade my sad wired RockBand 1 drums to a shiny new set. I settled for purchasing the Keyboard unit, instead, rather than waiting for an eventual release of a MIDI controller so I could use one of the three MIDI keyboards I own. But I digress.
This game continues to reside in my stack of shame, since I’ve really not put the amount of miles on it that I have on its previous two incarnations. I’m not sure if it’s the song list, which to me is a bit disappointing, or if it’s my own burn out on the music genre. I’ve played and reviewed plenty of plastic instrument games for Games Are Evil over the past several years, and I do get a little tired of the same old thing. RockBand 3 came out at a time when I was perhaps too glutted with music/rhythm games in my own games cabinet to overcome the few disappointments I had with the game.
Until this week, when I cleaned up all my camping gear from the long weekend and was prepared to settle in for a long keyboard-fueled RockBand 3 session. I put in the disk, grabbed the keyboard peripheral, turned it on, and watched the little red lights flash. And flash. And…flash. Oh, wait! I needed the little connector dongle. Right? Where is that dongle? Um…hang on…it’s GOT to be here somewhere. Right? Right?
Wrong. It’s gone. Misplaced or lost in my recent move. Dammit! Several searched boxes and bags later, and I still cannot find this CRUCIAL piece of equipment. I have an $80 display piece without it. I have dongles for my guitars, and for the DJ Hero games. Neither make the keyboard work. Grr. A quick Google search shows me some forums that tell me there is no hope, other than craigslist or eBay. There is no way to buy just the dongle from Madcatz, or anywhere retail whatsoever. My local used game store doesn’t keep peripherals like this, claiming they take up too much space. I’m reduced to trolling online classified ads or buying an entirely new keyboard.
Which has led me to a common conundrum: I’m feeling the pull of a NGP. Not Sony’s new portable device, no. But the New Game Purchase. It’s sexy, it’s delicious, it’s the anticipation similar to that of a romantic hunt. New games are EVERYWHERE I LOOK. Steam games are plentiful and many are inexpensive. The Mac App Store is chock full of games I would LOVE to play, at affordable prices. A walk into Best Buy for a backup hard drive turns into a walk by the used game section. Ooh! Lego games for $20! No, no, you need to be true to your column, man. Full disclosure: I did purchase Lego Indiana Jones 2 for some kiddos in my life. But I haven’t played it, nor have I stayed in the room while they did.
Twitter! Facebook! My job here! My job at 148Apps! All! Talking! About! New! Games! It’s relentless. My inboxes are full of pitches, trailers, screenshot galleries, offers of review copies, etc. My office co-worker says, “Hey did you see that new game…” at least once per day, if not more. The NGP, man, it’s a hell of a pull. I’m hard pressed to avoid it, but avoid it I have this whole week. I’m not sure how any gamer can avoid purchasing more and more and more and more. The gaming industry, more so than the film industry, really, has found a solid way to keep our money flowing from us and to them. It’s the height of capitalism and an “open” market, feeding into every human habit we have to accumulate and experience newness.
Is this necessarily a good thing? I think not. While I’m not selling all my things and moving into a yurt in the middle of the Alaskan bush, I try to keep a sense of balance in my life, even when it comes to pure luxury items, like games and gaming ephemera. If anything, this week has shown me how easy it is to get caught up in the cry of the retailer. I’m tempted, but staying strong for you, dear readers.
Next week? I’m thinking something totally not up my alley – Resistance 2. No dongle required.
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