mynintendobroke

I’m a big fan of Guitar Hero, but had never delved into the land of video games that require multiple instruments… until today. Rock Band takes Guitar Hero to another level, but only kind of, as you’ll see in my review.

First thing’s first. The Rock Band guitar definitely felt a little foreign and clunky compared to the guitar from Guitar Hero. I found it more difficult to hit notes quickly, and there’s apparently another set of buttons that are used for something else I’m not even sure of yet (strumming quickly, possibly?) The tilt sensor for activating Rock Band’s version of “Star Power” also sucks, as many times you can tilt the guitar and nothing will happen. I was definitely not a fan of the guitar.

As for the other instruments. The concept behind the drums is cool. You’ve got your four notes to hit, plus a fifth note that is activate through the use of a foot pedal. It is insanely hard though, and probably impossible to beat for people who don’t have a good feel for rhythm. Singing is less difficult, but still no cakewalk, as you’ve got to hit the pitches to pass songs. The tone-deaf need not apply.

Time to find three friends who are least somewhat musically inclined and coordinated.

One thing I was really happy with concerning Rock Band was their song selection. A lot of songs that were probably deemed too “indie” for Guitar Hero were prominent in Rock Band, including songs by OK Go, Flyleaf, and Coheed and Cambria. It had a good mix of old and new songs, and from what I’m told, also has a solid selection available for download. Time to get that X-Box Live up and cranking!

In short, the ability to play different instruments is innovative, but in terms of comparing guitar play with Guitar Hero, Rock Band doesn’t compare. I like the fact that when playing as a band, you can have your band mates “save” each other if one guy fails his part by playing really well and getting his part back in the song, and it seems like the career mode is a little less linear than that of Guitar Hero (you get fans, you can play at different venues, etc.), but push comes to shove, I still prefer Guitar Hero.

Rating: 7 of 10

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