Rock Band - My review

[burnin_vernon]

Ok, so I've had it a week and while I haven't got a chance to play it much, I can't wait to really sink my teeth into it. I normally play Guitar Hero on Hard, if that helps anyone relate to my co-ordination. Maybe this will help you decide if the $160 is worth it to you.

Guitar : The new guitar has a "soft" feel to it. The strummer doesn't click like it used to, and almost feels like it wouldn't be accurate. However, I've been able to nail those repetitive successive notes more accurately than with other guitars. The frets are closer together than other guitars and are flush with the neck. I really like this as it makes it easier to hit the orange notes, but I do find myself hitting some buttons unintentionally on some chords. Some people say the effects switch - which isn't much more than a novelty - gets in the way (I'm a lefty so it doesn't bother me) of strumming, but the whammy bar is more manouverable than other editions. The verdict is still out fo rme on this one, and I'll have to play the GH3 one to make a decision. So far, the guitar gameplay is much easier here than it is on GH3.

Singing : Pretty cool to do karaoke to songs other than pop fluff that most games have. Screaming out to "Run to the Hills" is a hoot. The mic is very responsive and the scoring system seems accurate. I've only played on Hard a few times here, but the difficulty was apparent. I'd bet on Expert you would have to have some serious pipes to do well. I sing on medium and usually score in the 90's, so maybe it's time to move up. I'm no singer, but as long as you're not tone deaf, you should do ok. Some songs allow you to tap the mic to play a tambourine or cowbell, but this is mostly filler during a guitar solo or something.

Drums: Definitely the eye catcher of the game. Setup was easy and the set is adjustable, or can even just sit on a table top. The wire across the living room kinda sucks and I'm not sure where to put them when not in use, but no big deal.

The four pads work great and respond accordingly. The kick pedal part seems a little tough to tell if you've succesfully hit the note, but I think I'll get used to that. The pedal itself looks a little flimsy but hasn't shown any sign of breaking.

I've only stuck to easy so far as I feel like a drunk monkey using my feet rhythmatically with my hands. I think, unless you've drummed before, these will be very hard. For kicks, I put one of the slower songs on Expert (Maps) and it scared the hell out of me.

The biggest downside IMO is the sound of striking the pads. It makes a bit of noise and makes you turn the game volume up to hear everything well. If you live in a condo it could be a problem. To me , it's more annoying than really loud, but there are remedies to quiet it. Taping up the ends of the sticks; using a xylophone mallet, or placing some kind of material over the actual pads (cut-up mousepads?) would likely help. At the end of certain songs when you get to go crazy for the "Big Rock Ending", you'll want to go nuts without worrying about noise.

Gameplay: You can play solo careers on the guitar, vocals, and drum parts, but not the bass (kinda boring, I'd guess). This mode is similar to GH games where you play a few songs to unlock the next set...no encores though.

But where this game excels is band play. It is the ultimate party game with 4 people going at it. If a bandmate goes down, you can use your Energy (formally called Starpower) to bring them back in the song. Fail to bring them back, and you will eventually get booed off the stage.

The main mode of multiplayer is called the world tour, where the idea is to play/unlock as many different venues as you can, gaining cash, fans, roadies, etc. While I haven't played a lot of the world tour, and am still confused about some of the aspects, I see 2 problems with this mode.

The first is that while you move on to these new venues, you are in a new city who hasn't heard your songs before. Because of this, you are bound to repeat songs...a lot. I'm not sure how to unlock more songs in this mode, but after I started a solo career and progressed, it seemed my new unlocked songs showed up in the World tour mode. Don't quote me on all this as I am still trying to understand it.

The other problem, a major one IMO, is that the amount of fans you gain maxes out based on the difficulty levels your band is playing. So when I was playing guitar on Hard, my nephew had bass on expert, vocals were on medium, and drums were on easy; we capped out our fan base quickly because I believe your level as a band is based on your weakest instrument. So unless one of us gained powers and were able to drum on medium (at least) we could not unlock any more venues. (Fan base is a key stat in furthering your career) . To me this deters the casual players from going all the way to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame unless they invest a lot of time in the game. I don't know tons of people who even play GH and I am the best I know (only play on hard, or a tiny amount of expert!) I cannot forsee ever finishing this game because of this "cap".

Other Stuff: I don't like the gameplay screen as much as GH games. The notes aren't as dynamic looking (Little rectangles) and the hammer on/pull-offs are harder to see (rectangles are slightly smaller). When Energy is turned on it is also a little tougher to make out the notes, but then, I'm color blind.

I miss the detailed stats from the GH games that broke down your score in percentages of sections. This only shows your overall percentage. I do like that you can see how many stars you're getting as the song progresses, though.

The biggest pizz off right now is that downloadable content is NOT available in Canada. There are some real cool songs out right now (including a Metallica 3 pack) that can only be purchased in the USA. First they delay it in Canada so they can make up for the shortage in the US, then they screw us on the DLC. Rock band (and/or Microsoft) has really given Canada the finger on this game.

The character creation is really cool. If you have the time to invest, you can do a lot with clothes, make-up, tattoos, and logos/lettering etc. I made a quick Paul Stanley of Kiss but I've seen some pretty cool creations online including Reznor, Hettfield, Manson, amongst others.

Conclusion: The weaknesses of the noisy drums, spongey guitar, and suspect world band tour do not hinder the fun factor of this game. It is a blast, especially with a full band. There are times , like the Big Rock Endings when all your bandmates are going nuts on their instrumetns, that might make you feel like a rockstar. I really hope Canada gets the downloadable songs sooner than later, as the selection is good and will only add to the game.

[bigtmac19]

Someone I know that went over to the US to purchase his, says his guitar is already broken. Supposedly when he called about it, they have had a very large portion of the guitars break. They won't be able to replace his guitar until the new year.

He was also very unhappy with the drums and how they performed. A lot of missed notes, even when hitting the drums correctly, the notes hit weren't registered.

[zukes]

My buddy bought two while in the States. He was going to sell the other one on E-Bay but after his surprise 30th last weekend where at least 15 people were around the TV all night, I am buying his other one.

I am also pretty sure that he has the downloaded Metallica songs and we live in London, Ontario.

[Gugstanley]

I just picked this up today. Thinking before I rap it up and give it as a gift I better play it a few times.

Do GH guitars work for this game?

[foofighter15]

how does the singing work. Is it similar to the way you have to hit specific notes with the guitar?
I'm a singer myself and have no interest in it in the game, and guitar I've done in guitar hero and I'd rather play my guitar. The drums are the only thing calling my name.

[McG]

thanks very much for the detailed write up.

i have mine on preorder so hoping i get it this go-round...i really don't want to wait until the new year.

official xbox mag gave this game a 9.5.

[Jiggy_12]

Thanks for the review. As a fan of Guitar Hero, I am not sure how much I will like Rock Band. Sounds pretty similar, but better for multiple players. I might have to consider purchasing this...although I still have a feeling it might feel kind of cheesy despite your review.

You seem to really like it though eh?

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by burnin_vernon

The pedal itself looks a little flimsy but hasn't shown any sign of breaking.

I don't own the game, but have read a few reviews and almost universally they've said that this pedal breaks extremely easily.

[MissKat]

im just getting the game only, i have no use for all the extra stuff.

I hope stores get them by xmas.

[SarichFan]

I would most certainly have to be drunk to play this game.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by MissKat

im just getting the game only, i have no use for all the extra stuff.

I hope stores get them by xmas.

By "extra stuff" do you mean the guitars, drums, and mic. ie: the stuff that's essential to play the game???

[MissKat]

Originally Posted by flameswin

By "extra stuff" do you mean the guitars, drums, and mic. ie: the stuff that's essential to play the game???

Ya, mic, drums, bass. I already have a guitar hero guitar so was just gonna use that. besides I hear the instruments are pretty cheap quality haha.

[CMPunk]

Originally Posted by MissKat

Ya, mic, drums, bass. I already have a guitar hero guitar so was just gonna use that. besides I hear the instruments are pretty cheap quality haha.

They don't sell them seperate..hence why it costs $180 to buy.

And if you have no intrest in the instruments, why not stick with GH3?

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by CMPunk

They don't sell them seperate..hence why it costs $180 to buy.

They will be but not until around February. But with the amount that they cost seperately you might as well just buy the bundle.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by burnin_vernon

I really hope Canada gets the downloadable songs sooner than later, as the selection is good and will only add to the game.

They are already downloadable off live. I have downloaded 1 pack in anticipation of purchasing it

[zukes]

Bought my buddy's second copy that he was going to put on eBay. The wife and I started a band last night called "Languishing Atrophy". She pounded the drums and I rocked the guitar. Played until 2:00am after the Flames game. Great fun for multi-player and just as good as Guitar Hero though I only played that a couple times.

[MissKat]

Originally Posted by CMPunk

They don't sell them seperate..hence why it costs $180 to buy.

And if you have no intrest in the instruments, why not stick with GH3?

You can buy the game only, will be $60. I like the soundtrack on RB better than GH3...plus I hear its a lot easier on the hardest settings.

[LeftWing]

I gotta say I *really* enjoy GH (even though I play guitar - I seem to be odd in that respect), but for me the drums are the best part of the game. Maybe it's the novelty factor and it will wear off, but right now wailing away is just too fun. I've only been playing on Medium (tried hard once, but my coordination just isn't there yet), but I haven't had any trouble with the timing. I also didn't realize that the peddle was flimsy, but I'll be careful now that I've read the thread.

Great game - I think if you're a fan of the genre it's well worth the expense.

[bigtmac19]

Originally Posted by MissKat

You can buy the game only, will be $60. I like the soundtrack on RB better than GH3...plus I hear its a lot easier on the hardest settings.

I don't get this either, why bother. The point of it is to play as a band.

[Hemi-Cuda]

here's the drums for "And Justice For All" played on expert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ9XLiMfBRo