Bits and Bytes: Upgrading to Rock Band is worth it
Rock Band for the Xbox 360
I love Guitar Hero so much that I was going to buy this game even if it didn't potentially come with some cool other stuff because I just love to play songs with my buds (and those online) in this fashion.
Suffice to say, I'm one of the lucky ones who actually scored a Rock Band bundle in December (thanks to a great Christmas present from my girlfriend) and got to experience Rock Band how it should be experienced: with a bunch of friends who each take a role as a member of my fake band!
If you've been living under a rock, Rock Band comes with a Fender style guitar, a microphone and a drum set. The Fender guitar is a little bit larger on the fretboard than the latest GH3 guitars, so you may need to get used to a new comfort zone if this is the only guitar you have. You also have to get used to the strum bar. It's quieter and slightly looser than the GH3 guitars that I have for my 360.
Lastly, the new guitar has an additional five buttons near the body of the guitar at the high end of the neck. These buttons let you conquer the solos in the game just by tapping the buttons - no strumming involved. The buttons also help you rack up big points during the explosive finales of some songs.
The mic is pretty solid. I've had no problem with the mic picking up tones, but I will say that if you have a surround sound system, make sure that you play with the in game mic settings so you don't blow your middle channel. The one thing that boggles my mind about the mic is that you need to turn on one of the Xbox controllers and log in as a player in order for the mic to register. If you're playing solo as a singer, you need the controller right beside you to select songs or options.
The drum set is actually the best part for me. As a drummer, it's really cool to jam out with songs that I ordinarily wouldn't be jamming on with a band (and also because I don't have a band to jam with at the moment). People getting into the game on the drums will find the easiest mode very forgiving. The difficulty does get harder as you go up. If you're a good drummer, starting on hard is ok, but if you're used to how songs are played, note for note, you're going to hit the pads or the foot pedal to hit stuff you hear in the song but aren't mapped out in the game...I did.
The song-list is actually pretty good. I think I still like GH3's track listing as a whole better, but with Rock Band's downloadable content killing what GH3 has been doing (and coming in cheaper), this game's list is getting better all the time. Hell, the first thing I did was download the Metallica pack that features “And Justice for All,” “Blackened,” and “Ride the Lightning.”
As your band or solo artist (that you create with lots of options) gets more fans and more money, an extensive catalogue of clothing, accessories and instruments are available for purchase and customization. I bet Activision will be adding this amount of player customization into their next game.
If you have the 360, your GH3 guitars will work so you can have your guitarist, bassist, singer and drummer all set when they come over. Sorry PS3 owners, corporate greed is preventing the same thrill for you! If you like to play solo or online, there are many modes to keep you busy.
I love Guitar Hero so much that I was going to buy this game even if it didn't potentially come with some cool other stuff because I just love to play songs with my buds (and those online) in this fashion.
Suffice to say, I'm one of the lucky ones who actually scored a Rock Band bundle in December (thanks to a great Christmas present from my girlfriend) and got to experience Rock Band how it should be experienced: with a bunch of friends who each take a role as a member of my fake band!
If you've been living under a rock, Rock Band comes with a Fender style guitar, a microphone and a drum set. The Fender guitar is a little bit larger on the fretboard than the latest GH3 guitars, so you may need to get used to a new comfort zone if this is the only guitar you have. You also have to get used to the strum bar. It's quieter and slightly looser than the GH3 guitars that I have for my 360.
Lastly, the new guitar has an additional five buttons near the body of the guitar at the high end of the neck. These buttons let you conquer the solos in the game just by tapping the buttons - no strumming involved. The buttons also help you rack up big points during the explosive finales of some songs.
The mic is pretty solid. I've had no problem with the mic picking up tones, but I will say that if you have a surround sound system, make sure that you play with the in game mic settings so you don't blow your middle channel. The one thing that boggles my mind about the mic is that you need to turn on one of the Xbox controllers and log in as a player in order for the mic to register. If you're playing solo as a singer, you need the controller right beside you to select songs or options.
The drum set is actually the best part for me. As a drummer, it's really cool to jam out with songs that I ordinarily wouldn't be jamming on with a band (and also because I don't have a band to jam with at the moment). People getting into the game on the drums will find the easiest mode very forgiving. The difficulty does get harder as you go up. If you're a good drummer, starting on hard is ok, but if you're used to how songs are played, note for note, you're going to hit the pads or the foot pedal to hit stuff you hear in the song but aren't mapped out in the game...I did.
The song-list is actually pretty good. I think I still like GH3's track listing as a whole better, but with Rock Band's downloadable content killing what GH3 has been doing (and coming in cheaper), this game's list is getting better all the time. Hell, the first thing I did was download the Metallica pack that features “And Justice for All,” “Blackened,” and “Ride the Lightning.”
As your band or solo artist (that you create with lots of options) gets more fans and more money, an extensive catalogue of clothing, accessories and instruments are available for purchase and customization. I bet Activision will be adding this amount of player customization into their next game.
If you have the 360, your GH3 guitars will work so you can have your guitarist, bassist, singer and drummer all set when they come over. Sorry PS3 owners, corporate greed is preventing the same thrill for you! If you like to play solo or online, there are many modes to keep you busy.
