A Review About the Most Amazing Music Game Created... Rock Band

So, you've probably heard of Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero 2, (Guitar Hero 3 was developed by a different company, so I won't talk about it much) but now Harmonix has come back with a new, better music game. It's called... Rock Band. Rock Band was announced on April 1st. It was to take the premise of the Guitar Hero series and expand it tenfold. They weren't lying.

As you may know, the Guitar Hero games allow you to play the guitar and rock out at different venues. While that is fun, when you compare it to what you do in Rock Band, it doesn't count for much. In Rock Band, they provide you with the opportunity to play FOUR instruments. You can still play the guitar and bass, but you can also play the drums, and sing. Also, instead of just having a normal career mode and a versus mode, like in the Guitar Heroes, you can play Band World Tour, a career mode for each instrument (no bass career, though), a variety of versus, and to take it further, being able to play online.

I'll explain a little bit about each game mode. Band World Tour is where you'll enjoy yourself the most, but sadly, this game mode can not be played online. What you can do, is awesome. Four people can play cooperatively; each person using one of the four instruments. You can play pre-made setlists, create your own setlist, or just play random setlists. There's also an endless setlist, which takes around 3 hours to complete, or so I've heard. I've yet to play that. Completing setlists earns you fans and money. While failing setlists causes you to lose fans. You, generally, lose more fans if you fail, then the amount you'll gain if you complete a setlist. You can use the money to buy clothes for your characters. Another cool thing is the fully customizable characters. You're no longer limited to the pre-made characters, like you were in the Guitar Hero games. Gaining more fans and completing setlists gives you the option to play at new venues. Certain setlists will allow you to get a van, then a bus, and eventually, a jet. Getting these opens much more venues for you, along with a lot more gigs. Now, on to the career mode. The career mode is just like the Guitar Hero career mode. You play your instrument through certain venues and the songs increase in difficulty. Now, what has changed, is the way you get unlockable songs. You no longer buy them from the store. You have to play through each one to unlock the next. It's almost like it's own venue. There's Tug of War, which is like the face-off mode in the Guitar Heroes. There's a Score Duel, which is like the Pro Face-off mode in the Guitar Heroes. Of course, there's also just a band quickplay, as well as, a solo quickplay. Online allows you to play any of these game modes, except for Band World Tour, which is quite a shame. However, I have heard they might release an update that allows you to. You'll probably find yourself playing Band World Tour the most. You will need at least 2 players to do that, or use a headset as the mic, so that you can sing and play an instrument at the same time.

The price is a bit of a problem. If you want to buy the bundle of this game, you'll have to fork out a hefty price of $170.00 dollars. The bundle comes with one guitar, the drum set, drumsticks, and a mic. If you've got the Xbox 360 version, it will also include a USB hub, because the instruments are wired and there are only two USB ports for controllers. If you've got a different USB mic, (or a headset) a Guitar Hero 2 or 3 guitar, you can use those and just buy the game, by itself. Of course, you'll have to sacrafice the enjoyment of the drums. Which brings me to talking about the instruments.

The microphone is like any microphone. It has a long, USB cord, and the mic has the Rock Band logo on there. Nothing too special. The guitar is modeled after the Fender Stratocaster. The lightness and shape of this guitar is very nice. It has an effects switcher, a improved whammy bar (improved over the Guitar Hero 2 and 3 guitars, I mean), and 5 extra fret buttons for tapping solos. However, there is a flaw. The strummer. While the strummer doesn't make that annoying clicking noise, you'll find it feels very weak and not too responsive. My friend broke mine from strumming too hard, so I'll have to send it back. There is a 60 day warranty on all instruments EA will send you a new one, (you've got to send your broken one back) free of charge. The drums are extremely fun to play. If you're playing on the Expert difficulty to a song, like Metallica's "Enter Sandman," you'll probably feel like you're actually playing. The drums are definitely my favorite. But again, the drum pads are not extremely responsive, unless you're hitting quite hard. They also make an annoying sound when struck by the drumsticks.

The songs they chose weren't really the best choice, in my opinion. Guitar Hero 3 definitely took some good ones. There are still a few good ones, like "Enter Sandman," "Epic," or "Creep." If you really have a problem with them, there's always the option to download more, for a price. The difficulty for the guitar and bass is much easier than Guitar Hero 2 and 3. Experts will find themselves being a bit bored. Granted, there are a few tough ones, so don't expect to be completely disappointed.

Well, I think that pretty much sums it up. If you've ever played the Guitar Hero games and enjoyed those, there's no doubt you'll enjoy Rock Band. It's better, in almost every way. So, go out and buy it!