dropmix

Want to Learn More About Fuser? Info Regarding Harmonix’s Next Game Are Hidden Right Here!

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Harmonix’s new game Fuser isn’t set for release until the fall of 2020. We don’t have much in the way of concrete information about the game, but I bet we can deduce a lot about it from their 2017 hybrid video game/board game/card game DropMix!

As soon as Harmonix unveiled the game, I knew I had to make a video about Fuser and its connection to DropMix. Besides being able to speak to a subject I’m passionate about, it gave me the opportunity to play more DropMix for b-roll! In case you missed it the first time around, listen to the mix here!

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It’s a Bop? DropMix Freestyle Test Mix!

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I’m in the process of making a video about a pair of DJ-centric Harmonix games: Fuser and DropMix. Part of that video involves B-roll of me playing the latter.

This was an opportunity to test out a bunch of stuff, from my new weighted base camera rig, to mobile screen capture, to YouTube’s copyright limits. If you’re seeing this post, the video sneaked through! Please don’t snitch!

Anyway, here’s a freestyle mix I whipped up while working on that project. Certainly mot the cleanest run, but it has its moments. If I do come back to DropMix video content, I think it’ll be through rehearsed mixes. Enjoy the beats!

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[Purchasing through this Amazon affiliate link gives me a small commission without adding any extra cost or effort to you. Thanks for your support!]

What We Can Learn About Harmonix’s New Game Fuser From its Hybrid Card Game DropMix

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Harmonix’s next game will put players behind the wheels of steel. Fuser will give players access to over 100 songs and the ability to mix-and-match elements of each to create your own mash-ups. The game is set for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in the fall of 2020.

In the wake of the game’s announcement, we’ve gotten a pretty decent look at how the game will work thanks to preview coverage from gaming outlets. I’m not one of the lucky few whose gotten to play the game, but I have a ton of experience with Harmonix’s card game that provides the foundation that Fuser is built upon: DropMix.

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Some of My Favourite DropMix Cards in the Base Set

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DropMix comes with 60 cards to get your adventure into card-based DJ-ing started. Part of the game’s magic is that everything seemingly mixes together perfect. That said, I definitely have a few go-to cards that I use heavily in my mixes.

This list only covers cards in the base game. I own a few expansions as well, so maybe I’ll spotlight those at some point as well!

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Hip-Hop Week | Hip-Hop vs. Game Design: How Game Designers Incorporate the Freestyle Elements of Hip-Hop into Hip-Hop Themed Video Games

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Hip-Hop Week concludes with this post on In Third Person! For the grand finale, I look at the point where the elements of hip-hop freestyle collide with game structure. Has any game ever found the right balance? Thank you for joining me on this adventure!

The element of improvisation is a foundational block of hip-hop music and culture. In the beginning, the scene started with DJs, rappers, and breakdancers making things up as they went. Though hip-hop music and culture has been mainstream for quite some time, the ethos of what freestyle means still permeates.

Translating that freeform nature of hip-hop has been a challenge in the world of video games. By virtue of being a game, the “game” part needs some sort of quantifiable benchmark to define success. This flies in the face of the freeform nature of the culture.

Let’s look at a few ways in which developers have tried to provide structure for the purposes of making a fun game, while trying to maintain the freestyle nature of the activity its emulating.

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Anatomy of a Great DropMix Song

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Playing DropMix over the last few weeks has gotten me to think about music in a new way. This card game with digital elements allows players to mix bits and pieces of songs together by simply placing instrument cards on the board. Want Ed Sheeran to sing over the bass line of LMFAO’s “Sexy And I Know It”, the synth strings from Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe”, and the drums from Rick James’ “Super Freak” while all mixing together in perfect harmony? Simply play the four cards and watch DropMix work its magic.

Having said that, not all DropMix cards or DropMix songs are created equally. In one of the expansion packs we bought, there’s a Beethoven card that’s seemingly impossible to work with. Certain other cards, such as the drums from “Radioactive”, seemingly work with everything. This got me thinking: going beyond personal preferences such as artist and genre, what elements make for a great song in DropMix?

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DropMix Review

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Always at the forefront of music and rhythm games, Harmonix teams up with Hasbro for DropMix. This innovative card game aims to give you unprecedented control over music, allowing you to mix-and-match bits of different songs in order to create intricate mashups and mixes without any prerequisite skill in music. Beyond its free-form mixing mode, DropMix comes equipped with multiple game modes that provide structure to the experience.

Does its music-mixing tech work as advertised? Do its modes of play add value to the experience? And should you take the plunge for DropMix and its expansions?

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