Phantom of the Rock Band, or Joseph the Amazing Technicolor Guitar Hero

January 14, 2009 9:50 AM

Andrew Lloyd-Webber's Really Useful Group is looking to create a range of games based on his range of musical stage shows. The one video game company mentioned in the article is Electronic Arts. (via, by way of)

Lord Lloyd-Webber's group started this move towards more things digital when Douglas Glen left BBC for Really Useful Group, where he got things going with a company website redesign and a YouTube Channel with clips from stage productions. Really Useful is looking towards games spanning consoles, PCs and mobile, following the foray of musical games and the increasing number of female gamers.

posted by filthy light thief (32 comments total)

I, for one, am looking forward to happy hardcore remixes of the entire Lloyd-Webber library for newly branded DDR games.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:56 AM on January 14, 2009

Ooh, I can't *wait* to play the game where I rollerskate around the room singing stupid songs about an anthropomorphic train!
posted by mudpuppie at 9:57 AM on January 14, 2009

Jesus Christ Multikill
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:02 AM on January 14, 2009 [4 favorites]

Jesus Christ Supermario
posted by WPW at 10:02 AM on January 14, 2009 [3 favorites]

Starcraft Express.
posted by ColdChef at 10:06 AM on January 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

Magical Mr. MistoffeWii
posted by ColdChef at 10:08 AM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I would pay good money to play a game called "50 Cent and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."
posted by yeti at 10:13 AM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I so can't wait for Evita 2010, Evita 2011 and Evita 2012.
posted by Spatch at 10:18 AM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Catsamari Damacy
posted by DU at 10:22 AM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

It's too bad it is the middle of the night in Australia; someone should really call Yahtzee to tell him the glorious news.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:22 AM on January 14, 2009

Call him anyway. The resulting ire will just add to the fun.
posted by Spatch at 10:25 AM on January 14, 2009

Mr. Mystoffelees.
posted by benzenedream at 10:29 AM on January 14, 2009

Catsamari Damacy would be amazing. I'm not sure if I want to roll the cats up into my life, or have the cats rolling the ball.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:36 AM on January 14, 2009

Achievement Unlocked: Son of God
posted by minifigs at 10:44 AM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

My favorite Viz magazine quote (from Spoilt Bastard): "Mother, if you have a baby at your age it'll come out looking like Andrew Lloyd-Webber!"
posted by benzenedream at 10:49 AM on January 14, 2009

Are they trying to kill Charlie Booker?
posted by srboisvert at 10:50 AM on January 14, 2009

yeti, they're going with a different name, but as far as i can tell, this is the game you're looking for. i think the plots are pretty similar, anyway.
posted by jermsplan at 11:01 AM on January 14, 2009

jermsplan - that trailer was amazing. 50 Cent doesn't need to use cover or stealth, the muvva just guns down all in his path. I just wish the trailer didn't start with the cinematic Sierra logo - I was really hoping 50 Cent would start his journeys in some mountainous region, perhaps learning Tuvan throat singing in the process.

Indeed, 50 Cent is the Joseph of the rap game. Everybody envies him and tries to keep him down, but nothing can stop him. His coat is his skill, his siblings are other rappers, he can and interpret dreams through song.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:29 AM on January 14, 2009

Famicom of the Opera?
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 11:44 AM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

In pipes he warped to me, and stomped goombas
Threw lots of fireballs, to stop Koopas

King Bowser’s flipping out
On Koopa Beach
The Plumber of the Overworld is here – to rescue Peach.

Sometimes he’s a raccoon, sometimes a frog
Our king has been transformed, into a dog.

Sometimes he sits inside
A giant shoe…
The Plumber of the Overworld is here – Luigi too.
posted by SpiffyRob at 12:10 PM on January 14, 2009 [4 favorites]

SpiffyRob, if I had that version on my ipod, I would listen to it every day.
posted by zorrine at 12:59 PM on January 14, 2009

Could be worse. Could be Michael bloody Tippet.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 1:02 PM on January 14, 2009

Please, lord, ANYTHING to keep Lord Lloyd-Weber away from the musicalization of The Master And Margarita.
posted by pxe2000 at 1:50 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I can't believe Penny Arcade did that comic. Isn't this pretty much exactly the same thing that got them in legal trouble before?
posted by ODiV at 2:06 PM on January 14, 2009

Dear God, Tycho's excited about it? I thought he was the smart one.
posted by bookwo3107 at 2:14 PM on January 14, 2009

will the Starlight Express game come with rollerskate attachments?
posted by ericbop at 4:09 PM on January 14, 2009

ODiV - Strawberry Shortcake is a licensed character owned by American Greetings, and American Greetings created the legal issue which I assume you're talking about (the other one was dealing with Jack Thompson). The Phantom of the Opera is a French novel by Gaston Leroux, and Andrew Lloyd-Webber is but one of very many to adapt the work. Sure, PhantomOfTheOpera.com claims to be "The Official Website," but that's only relating to the Lloyd-Weber productions. In short, the character and story is fair play for parody.

bookwo3107 - I posted a link to the comic because that's what I first saw (the news posts usually get posted a while after the comics at PA). I thought Tycho was being sarcastic, until I read:

I am generally enraged by musicals, with few exceptions, but if you must endure one it might as well be one of his. When we lived in the hallowed Apartment 26, we would watch Jesus Christ Superstar with surprising frequency, and it was an experience about which I have nothing ironic to say. As a transposition of the Gospels into modern voice - though it is perhaps less "modern" now - it's Goddamned riveting, particularly as a lapsed believer. It gave me a sympathy for the figure of Christ that I never had as an actual disciple.

I must admit, I really like the movie and soundtrack (haven't seen Superstar as a stage play). Cats was weird, but it's going to be - it's all about cats. I missed much of the impact of Phantom because I was behind a pillar, under the balcony. Shoddy seats, very well known music.

I can't say I'll be waiting in line for the games, but it's an interesting bit of cross-media news.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:18 PM on January 14, 2009

I am generally always enraged by musicals. Fixed that for me. That 50 Cent game looked like it would be kind of enraging too, if it made a lick of sense. Which it doesn't.
posted by sneebler at 5:40 PM on January 14, 2009

filthy light thief: They're specifically parodying Lloyd-Webber's Phantom though which is surely under copyright. I guess the fact that the story is older and has been adapted muddies the issue up a bit though.
posted by ODiV at 9:16 PM on January 14, 2009

What about Elephant! ?
posted by dhartung at 10:08 PM on January 14, 2009

filthy light thief : Don't get me wrong, it certainly is interesting, but as a huge fan of both video games and musicals, I can't help but cringe a little over the thought of what may come out of this. (Hopefully it'll be more Phantoms of the Opera a la Penny Arcade then Singstar)
posted by bookwo3107 at 4:13 AM on January 15, 2009

I'd feel some sort of redemption of my soul if I could only trade in a few hours of Cats angst with a themed shooter. EA does those pretty well...
posted by Ogre Lawless at 1:06 PM on January 15, 2009