Rock Band and Dance Central developer debuts new DJ music game known as Fuser

Harmonix, best known for its work on Rock Band and Dance Central, is ready to unveil its new rhythm game, Fuser. Scheduled for release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC, Fuser replaces the dance floor with the festival stage, putting players into the shoes of a world famous DJ from the jump. After showing off the new game ahead of PAX East and launching the official debut trailer this morning, we have our first look at the new Harmonix music game and plenty of details on what to expect when it releases later this year. Head below for everything.

Fuser from Harmonix:

Fuser is a game where you play as a massively popular DJ, mixing the included tracks together to impress the crowd. Harmonix describes the game as being less about how well you can mix tracks together and more about keeping the crowd happy. Fans will DM requests for new genres or specific styles that will get increasingly more demanding and have a direct effect on your success at each show. Shows taking place in the afternoon, as opposed to the middle of the night, will require a different touch in order to keep the crowd happy, for example.

But there is some skill involved with the actual DJing part of this. You’ll still need to drop beats at the right time using the on-screen tempo to some degree. The game will include over 100 songs that players can mix and match to create sets, but you’ll also find other small flourishes and musical stems you can integrate into the songs to personalize your mixes. Grab some vocals from Lil Nas X with some drums from a classic 50 Cent track and maybe even single instrument parts from other vintage hits. In Fuser, you’ll find the usual four deck setup, but there doesn’t appear to be any restrictions on the type of audio that can be loaded up on each and hands-on reports suggest the whole thing is much more forgiving than a real DJ setup — most tracks, stems, and beats will work together in some way or other here by the sounds of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEp9Lfj6UsY&feature=emb_title

Fuser Single-Player Campaign + Multiplayer:

Fuser will also have what is being described as a “multi-hour single-player campaign,” but details on the story side of things are vague at this point. We know players start out famous, unlike other Harmonix storylines, and will be playing at massive dance festivals right out of the gate with a focus on keeping the crowd as hyped as possible. There will also me a multiplayer mode where players can collaborate plus share “mixes and headlining performances with the world!”

Fuser is set for release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC in fall 2020.

9to5Toys’ Take:

It does feel as though the DJ craze has sort of ended here, making the whole premise of this thing seem a little late to the party. However, Harmonix appears to be taking an interesting approach to creativity with Fuser, while allowing for just about anyone to create near-professional sounding mixes. Only time will tell if gamers are through with the virtual DJing thing, but at least you can play this one with the gamepad you already have and not have to fork out a heap of extra cash for a plastic DJ controller you’ll never use again.

Fuser Song List:

Here’s a list of the announced Fuser songs thus far with plenty more coming down the pipeline at a later date:

• 50 Cent “In Da Club”
• Billie Eilish “Bad Guy”
• Blue Öyster Cult “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”
• The Chainsmokers ft. Daya “Don’t Let Me Down”
• The Clash “Rock the Casbah”
• Fatboy Slim “The Rockefeller Skank”
• Imagine Dragons “Thunder”
• J. Balvin & Willy William “Mi Gente”
• Lady Gaga “Born This Way”
• Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road (Remix)”
• Lizzo “Good As Hell”
• LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock “Party Rock Anthem”
• Migos “Stir Fry”
• Post Malone “Better Now”
• Smash Mouth “All Star”
• Warren G & Nate Dogg “Regulate”

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