Rock Band

"My favorite game; the most fun party game out there, but not the "best game ever.""

I'm going to throw this out here now; I love Rock Band to death. It's easily my favorite game, and has been for months.

I'm also going to put this out there now; if you don't eventually plan on reaching Expert Mode (along with all your bandmates), don't expect to truly complete this game. I play on Expert Guitar (and, by proxy, Bass), Hard Drums, and Hard/Expert Vocals. I'll get back to this later.

Peripherals: 9/10
The mike is easily the best made of the peripherals, due to the fact that it's a standard USB microphone with a ROCK BAND logo on it and the mike symbol on a box on the cord. If you already own a USB microphone, you have your peripheral and don't need to worry about that. Also, if you don't want to buy the microphone, the standard Xbox Live headset works almost as well; however, the sometimes enjoyable (and sometimes not) yet totally optional percussion parts of being a singer is much more difficult without a microphone. Also, as opposed to feeling like a rock singer, you'll feel more like a pop star (unless you're playing two instruments at once.)

The Fender Stratocaster is most definitely well made, and I don't understand quite what the complaint is anymore. At launch, the bundled instruments often came only semi-functional (my drums AND guitar experienced this fate...got new drums, but have been using Guitar Hero guitars since), but I still loved using the Strat. People complain about the strum bar; at first, it's a little difficult to get used to not hearing the clicks, but most of the double-strumming sections of the game are designed for easy double-strumming on the Rock Band guitar. Guitar Hero guitars work very well for Rock Band on the 360, and are what I've been using since my Strat broke. They've apparently fixed all the launch issues now, so these instruments should be being sold bug-free at this point. Also, the ability to add effects definitely appeals to some players (I know guitarists who wouldn't play using the Strat without turning on Wah-Wah or Echo), but I find it improves the song quality to just leave it alone.

The drums are an absolute dream. They are easily my favorite new peripheral, along with everyone else's. Adjusting the drums is a cinch; there's a height adjuster on the drums themselves to allow the drummer to change the height, and there's even a method suggested by the game that involves just putting the drums on a table if you're running low on room. You can replace the foot pedal with a real metal foot pedal if you want to; apparently, some people have broken their footpedals by playing too hard. I still don't see how; in order to improve my precision, I literally stomp down regularly, and it also didn't lead to problems when playing with shoes on. Very confusing.

These three peripherals are all wired; the guitar and drums work as controllers, and the singer connects a standard Xbox controller to navigate the menu. Remind your drummer to avoid constantly doing drum rolls when navigating the menues, for his part is most likely to screw up your selections.

The only complaints I have about the peripherals are that the drums will move on the harder difficulties using the stomping method for the foot pedal due to the fact the drum set itself just doesn't have enough weight to support it, and the fact that the game doesn't come with a second guitar. These problems can easily be avoided by bringing a heavy box and putting it in front of the drum set and bringing in a wireless Strat or Guitar Hero controller.

Graphics: 9/10
Customization is awesome. With the 360 version, we have the ability to create our own rockers for each instrument (with their own instruments, I might add.) However, the customization is still somewhat limited, making it difficult to emulate some of our favorite characters. For example, I've been trying to create a guitarist based on Yuki Nagato of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. However, I can't seem to get the hair or face right, and the clothes just aren't available.

It's also sad to see Gibson go to Guitar Hero, mostly because it limits Rock Band's customization to only have Fender guitars (along with the classic wacky guitars, such as a goat's head and a nuclear weapon.) However, you still have a near-unlimited number of colors to select for your guitar, and you can plaster art onto all the instruments (minus the mic) as well. Drummers are still very customizable, and singers can change the color of the microphone.

One of the coolest things I've seen added to the game that's a very, very minor detail is the fact that your band's name will appear at every venue, and the fact that your logos will appear on your drum set and very own album cover. Some of the logos I've seen are very, very cool.

With the loading screens, although they take time, about 50% of the screens are a board with a statement on it. These are either actual tips on the game that would not be obvious before (for example, the most important notes to the audience on the drums are reds and foot pedal) or goofy statements (such as the fact that OK Go has an imaginary robot named Jorge.) The other half of these screens are stock screenshots where they take a specific still (such as the band playing cards in a limousine) and replace each member of the band with the appropriate character you are playing as. These actually lead to some cool shots.

I'm currently under the impression that each individual song actually has its own music video in the game, meaning that every time you play a specific song, as opposed to playing random stock footage, it actually will play the exact same video. This fact I haven't assured myself to be true yet, but I am positive that certain songs have a video they are to follow. Even if this weren't the case, it's still fun to watch your people on stage, and the art style is very cool. The note tracks are also easy to follow, and seem to be more responsive to hitting early rather than late. A/V lag is still a possible issue, but it's unlikely so long as you know your TV.

Music: 10/10
I don't think that people got that the goal of Rock Band wasn't to load it up with every song you like. The goal of the game was to make a soundtrack that has at least a few songs that appeal to everyone. The only genre that truly seems to be missing from the game entirely is 90's Punk, but that's not a horribly missed loss to most (I still would like to see Fat Lip and Kryptonite in the game.) However, no matter who you are, you'll like a good number of the songs if you're buying Rock Band. From "(Don't) Fear The Reaper" to "Dani California" to "Enter Sandman" to "Foreplay/Long Time", you'll find something that appeals to you. And there's certain songs that seem to just appeal to the whole band; "Here It Goes Again", "Creep", and "Dirty Little Secret" just get more fun every time you play them with your band. There really are no dead ringers on this disc, with the exclusion of possibly the song by Vagiant. Ugh. "Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld" is this game's "Trogdor", and it's funnier than the dragon ever was.

Speaking of "Dirty Little Secret", I haven't even really mentioned DLC. Most people would claim it's not part of the game, but at this point where the game finally has its first downloadable album (Screaming for Vengeance by Judas Priest), I consider it a very integral part of the game. The 360 and PS3 are the only consoles to have DLC, and without DLC, the game loses a lot of its punch. Don't get me wrong, though; the music on the disc is great, and I went a good month before downloading even a few DLC tracks. However, with the DLC, you can customize the game to truly match your tastes.

For example, my friend Jeff and I really really really like Boston. Now, to have loaded up the disc with a full Boston album would have annoyed many fans (trust me, especially vocalists. I have no idea how I can hit those falsetto soprano notes). So, as opposed to selling it on the disc, they put one song on the album on the disc (the opener, "Foreplay/Long Time") and added the rest as optional DLC later (a Boston pack containing six songs, including "Peace of Mind", "Rock and Roll Band", and their best song ever, "More Than A Feeling") to appease Boston fans.

New DLC is being added every week, so in case you didn't realize this by now, your spending is probably NOT going to end with just buying the game and the instruments. I know people who have done so, however, and although they are doing themselves a disservice, they are still very much enjoying the game. To get the full soundtrack, I suggest looking up one of the various guides here.

Guitar-9/10
If you're looking up this game, you know well that the guitar gameplay is almost the same as it is in Guitar Hero.

This game is not made for the solo shredder in all of us. If you're into really flourished solos and songs that really show off the guitarist, you will find more in Guitar Hero than in Rock Band. Note the names. In Guitar Hero, you're the only instrument playing, hence, you're the only one that truly matters. However, in Rock Band, you have to learn that not every song is about you.

There's still a lot of great guitar tracks, including a lot of the DLC, "Timmy and the LotU", "(Don't) Fear the Reaper", "Enter Sandman", and many more. Those of you who like lots of hammer-ons and pull-offs, in this game they are identified by the "smaller notes." These notes are about half the size of the normal note bar, and they still work as well as they did in GHII and III. However, they're less common in Rock Band; you see, in a real rock band, you're probably going to end up playing more chords than wicked solos. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; I've always been a fan of chord progression, so Rock Band has worked out well for me in the world of being a shredder.

This game is a bit more difficult than Rocks the 80's and a bit less than Guitar Hero II. If you want the true experience on the guitar, you really do have to play on Expert mode.

Bass-8/10
Ah, the bassist. Always ignored, the invisible man who everyone knows, but can't remember the name. A bassist does get his share in Rock Band, though. They share an instrument with the guitarist, but they get their share. The bassist is the only band member who can achieve a 6x multiplier, can load up on plenty of Overdrive in case his other bandmates are in danger, and just gets some really cool moments. The bass parts in a lot of the songs are pretty dry, but sometimes they're actually cooler than the guitar (here I speak of "The Hand That Feeds", "Dani California", and "N.I.B.".

Also, the bassist gets a lot less chords, and is basically a really good way to get someone started on the game who feels inadequate. However, the bassist can still definitely make or break a song.

Bassist doesn't get a solo career which is kinda weird. Guess they felt it wasn't necessary or something...moving on.

Vocals-10/10
The mike works great. The songs really all have at least a part of them that's fun to sing (excluding Vagiant), and it's really cool to have the game be a voice coach for you. The gameplay is similar to Kareoke Revolution (made by Harmonix, by the way), and it seems to be improved in comparison.

In order to prepare yourself for the vocals, either get your hands on every song on the disc or that you intend to download and listen to them for one full month before the purchase, or play through one of the other careers first. Only one of my friends can go into a song and sight-read her entire way through the song, and it's a very impressive talent. This is coming from someone who's in the Advanced Mixed Choir at the local high school. I know good singing when I hear it, and I can learn a song relatively quickly, but it still took a long time to learn all the songs.

The DLC songs are a blast to sing. "More Than A Feeling", "Dirty Little Secret", "Move Along", "Saints of Los Angeles" (a new release by Motley Cruë on the game), "Message in a Bottle", "Sprode", and especially the currently-free "Still Alive" have all proven great fun on the vocals.

The percussion parts that come up are completely optional, but yield a score bonus on completion, so you'll find yourself still performing completely inane tamborine and cowbell sections (although most of the cowbell is used tastefully, as in where it's actually in the song!).

On harder difficulty levels, the strictness about pitch becomes more and more hardcore, and Expert mode can be very difficult. The game is a great coach, and as a singer, I've found playing the vocal part of the game has actually improved my voice and control exponentially. Trying to beat this game on hard or expert mode may kill an annoying vibrato forever.

Drums-10+/10
I never get to use these anymore. Why, you ask? Because whenever I play, someone else wants to be using them. The drums are easily the most popular (and most difficult) part of the game. None of the songs have a truly bad drum part; some are just incredibly hard to figure out or difficult. I'm finding myself very frustrated, because I still can't beat freakin' "Run to the Hills" on Hard mode.

However, these are easily the best new feature. They're very strict; the drummer in Styx complains about the game because it "can't be played one-handed." Although my friend has disproved this rule, it's still very difficult due to the low amount of time a certain note can be played in. You'll find yourself cursing the foot pedal early on, for it's very tiring to use until you get used to it.

Your drums are your friends. I can't even explain the greatness of the drums. You'll just see it when you get the game. Or not. I mean, when your friends are over to play with you, you're probably going to end up on lead guitar or vocals (if you're a singer.)

Band Play- 10/10
Playing with your band is awesome. Getting four people into a room and performing this music feels almost like doing it live; you never get the thought saying "this is lame, I should be out doing this for real" while playing this game. Instead, it's easily the most fun you'll have in any party game out at the time.

Band Quickplay is necessary, but I wish a band practice mode had been included.

The real shining spot on Band Play is the Band World Tour. With Band World Tour, you create your own band (with up to four members and fill-ins), give them a name, a hometown, and (optional) a logo and quote. You then slowly but surely rise to the top of the music world, eventually playing in Moscow with over a million fans trying to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That is, if your band can reach Expert Mode. To get there though, you'll need certain requirements to get into larger gigs, whether this be by earning enough stars in cities, finding yourself a manager, getting a PR guy, earning a certain number of fans, or the like.

The game caps out your number of fans at each difficulty level. Once you've earned a certain number of fans on Easy, you need to move up to Medium, and after you cap out on Medium, you need to move up to Hard, and from Hard to Expert. At Expert Mode, there is no fan cap. The only true way to play Band World Tour is eventually to have every band member play on Expert Mode. Whether you do this by thinning down the members of your band so that you become only a guitarist and bassist (with fill-ins playing drums and singing) or if you actually get every member to do this (the real way), you'll find yourself surprisingly quickly capping out your fan count at your current difficulty level (unless you actually start on Hard mode, in which case it'll take a while).

Each gig's difficulty level is measured by the lowest difficulty in the band. For example, say you have two Expert members, a Hard mode member, and a Medium member. Your difficulty rating for a particular gig is on Medium. To earn fans on a higher difficulty, all you have to do is play a gig at the higher difficulty. Hence, you'll never earn any fans if one of your members sits on Easy while the rest of you are playing Expert mode.

However, you never need more fans to play any venue than you can unlock on Medium difficulty. However, you'll find yourself constantly irritated by the fact you're never earning any fans. You can get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and never play a gig on Hard mode, but it's really just cheating yourself. Don't start the Band World Tour and plan on finishing without planning to reach Expert Mode.

You can take the experience online and play Band Quickplay online with others, but you cannot play Band Wrld Tour.

All the same, Band Play will truly emulate the music making experience, especially playing concert to concert as you tour around the world. It's a hell of a lot of fun.

Competitive Play-9/10
Competitive play is what it is in Guitar Hero, only for every instrument and minus the Battle Mode that appeared in Guitar Hero III. Probably won't be doing it often, though.

Story-2/10
At least this game has some actual structure to its Band World Tour mode that could possibly be seen as a story. However, the Solo Tour is just moving from gig to gig playing song after song. Once this game develops a story, I can see it being a true emulation of the music business.

The most recent issue of Game Informer talked about what different game developers would do if they got their hands on a certain franchise. Ted Price, Insomniac Games' big cheese, received Rock Band as his franchise. His suggestions were things that really should be in the game to emulate the music business, but aren't.

One thing he brings up is the fact that these performers should be being fleshed out more. It'd be nice to see our singers and guitarists become real people, and it'd be nice to let us make some decisions that affect their career.

"For example, I get a groupie pregnant. What do I do? Do I marry her or do I let my manager pay her off since I'm worried about my sex appeal decreasing? Or I hear a rumor that my manager is using hired muscle to pressure venue owners into letting my band play-but at the same time he's been setting up amazing gigs. Do I confront him or let it ride, hoping that his actions don't reflect on me down the road? Or I find myself in a five-star suite. Should I trash it? I'll pay a hefty fine but at the same time I'll earn excellent bad boy PR. And so on. No decision would ever be the "right" one but each decision would have obvious consequences in terms of the opportunities that pop up." (Price, 37.)

Another thing he brings up is "RPG-like stats". Below is the explanation.

"A high 'solo skill' could get you extra multipliers for your solos. A solid 'consistency' stat would forgive you a few missed notes on each song. Good 'sex appeal' stats (earned from your wardrobe choices) would give you higher quality groupies-some of whom could provide you with special opportunities. For example, one of your groupies is an heiress who convinces her father to pay you a few hundred thousand to play her 18th birthday bash. (Oh yeah, and you have to sleep with her to get that gig- she's got a bad rep, so [by sleeping with her] you run the risk of losing fans). Good 'PR' stats (earned from your non-concert activities) would give you better bandmates whose presence would get you more fans with each gig. This could go on and on." (Price, 37.)

I definitely approve of both of these ideas. Meanwhile, although this is the last real category, there's one thing I'd like to add that he suggested also.

Suggestions-
Price's suggestion: "Let's let the bands record original tracks. Maybe a deluxe version of the game could include some sweet samplers-drums, bass and guitar. Assuming you had support for input from real guitars you could give the player to do multitrack recording and some rudimentary editing. Even if the quality wasn't that hot, uploading your finished songs to Rock Band central for others to check out would rule...Rock Band would never take the place of Pro Tools and real instruments. But if it gave people a really, really easy way to collaborate and record some stuff together, damn, I'd buy it."

Definitely agreed. Also, a few suggestions of mine.
Customization: Add a lot more possible outfits, and along to set colors, allow us to use the classic RGB scale to create what we want. Pleeeeease? It'll give character creation so much more possibility. Possibly add some outfits by DLC.

Multicultural Rock Band: I'd really like to see some Jrock, or Japanese Rock, such as "God Knows" from the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, "Ready Steady Go" or "New World" by L~Arc~en~Ciel and Jmetal (particularly "What's Up People?" and "Zetsubou Billy" by Maximum the Hormone) in Rock Band. Although I understand the percepted popularity is low, if you sampled these tracks, I believe a lot of people would buy them. And even if not necessarily Japanese stuff, we could use some Asian rock or some Spanish lyrics in the game. Performing Jrock in the Tokyo venue or Spanish songs in the Rio de Janeiro level would be awesome.

The Manager: This is a suggestion to improve the story. Let's say you play a five song set, and your bassist, guitarist, and you, the vocalist, all perform a five-star show. Your drummer, however, stumbles through it and without your help would have failed the song. I believe the manager should approach the rest of the band "in private" (appearing on screen, with your drummer (of course) in the room watching this occur) and suggest that the band get a new drummer because he's pulling you down. Now, the friend in all of us says that we would fire the manager for that comment and find another manager who doesn't say things like that and instead just tries to improve the current drummer. But some people may agree with the manager and fire their drummer...creating a problem not just in the game, but in reality.

People don't seem to understand the difference between a game that is really, really fun and really, really good. Super Smash Brothers, Call of Duty, Halo, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band are some of my favorite franchises, and they're an absolute blast to play, but I know better than to say these are "good games". A good game has a message, and a good game truly emulates the feelings and experience of whatever you happen to be playing.

BioShock is a good game. Assassin's Creed is a good game. Even Dead Rising on Infinity Mode is a good game. But until Rock Band truly becomes a band simulator (leading to bands breaking up, virtual groupies getting pregnant, corrupt managers and the beauty that is virtual rehab), Rock Band will not be what I consider a good game. Even if it is my favorite game right now.

The story is absolutely nonexistant in Rock Band, and in some games is most definitely secondary. When Rock Band develops its story, it'll be what I call a good game that's an absolute blast to play; perfection in the music genre, right.

Let's total it up...
Peripherals: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Music: 10/10
Guitar: 9/10
Bass: 8/10
Vocals: 10/10
Drums: 10+/10
Band Play: 10/10
Competitive Play: 9/10
Story: 2/10
Suggestions: +4
Total: 90/100
Rock Band receives an A- in actual quality, but it's an A+ in entertainment. If you don't care about how much money you'll be spending on this, do NOT pass it up.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/24/08

Game Release: Rock Band (US, 11/20/07)