"So you wanna be a superstar? Kid I'll make your dreams come true"

I remember hearing about this game a while back either in a game magazine or online and thought the concept would be really cool. Becoming the manager of a wanna be rock group and cultivating their talent, and making them a success.
I happened to see this title in the bargain section at a local store and figured for $10 even if it was horrible I really wouldn’t loose anything.
Rock superstar is a very decent game as far as micro management and is a really original and entertaining concept.

Game Play:
Game play is pretty simple and straight forward, your job is to (depending on the scenario) Create a group, buy the rights to a song, record the song, market it, and advertise it (in magazines, radio, TV, news papers and street promotions). On top of all of that you have to schedule concerts at local bars, clubs and concert halls and major world tours; and on top of all of that you have to “Baby-sit” your band and keep them happy by training them or getting them back in to better spirits bribe all of your partners in media.

Overall it’s a great concept that’s tons of fun but has a few short comings.
9 of 10

Story:
There isn’t a major story line in the game, you play several mini storylines and everything varies by the scenario.
I will still give a high mark on story because the scenario stories were quite entertaining.
8 of 10

Graphics:
This game in no way needs the use of a super advanced high end video card.
The visuals were well done, using a western style super deformed character look, the animations were done well, and the extras like the art work for your album cover and the concert stage setup were a nice touch
8 of 10

Audio:
The audio was very well done from the characters responses/expressions to the musical sound tracks. The musical soundtracks are horribly done (on purpose) and the songs are catchy made up jingles (similar to a made up song you would hear on a show like South Park or the Simpsons).
8 of 10

Controls:
The controls were standard, my only complaint was there was no short cut menu if you wanted to enter one set up screen from another, or a pause button for that matter. The reason this is a problem is because time keeps ticking as soon as you go to the main play menu; and there will be several times you’ll want to multitask and schedule several things at once. Not a huge hindrance but a noticeable pest considering some Venus you have to go to are two screens away.
7 of 10

Fun factor
This game is overall pretty fun but some scenarios are more work than fun so it can get a little tedious at times.
7 of 10

Re-playability
This game honestly took me a few hours to beat it, at the end you can play the game straight with no scenarios and that is a plus, however for some people it may become a little booing after a few times.
6 of 10

Good/Bad/Ugly

-Good: Very original, solid title.
-Bad: very short, game navigation could’ve been better
-ugly: some of the words that come outta these guys mouths

Buy/Rent
You can’t rent a PC game, but for a game that’s $20 or less it’s worth purchasing.

Overall
I found this to be a very good game and was really entertaining.
It had it’s downsides but overall impressed me enough to give it a thumbs up
(8) 7.5 of 10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/15/04