Rock Band Review

As most of us know, the music-game genre has been practically monopolized by a certain guitar-wielding giant of a franchise. However, there is no "I" in "rock," a fact Harmonix is trying to prove with its latest creation, Rock Band. To be fair to snubbed bass players, Guitar Hero did have co-op and multiplayer modes, but the two instruments (lead and bass guitar) were played exactly the same. Yet Rock Band does its best to live up to its name, doubling up not only the guitar options, but also by adding vocals and drums. The addition of these two roles really gives Rock Band a unique shape, and it's the closest many of us will ever get to being part of an actual rock band.

You shouldn't be shocked or even slightly surprised by the fact that the guitar and bass are played almost exactly they way they were in Guitar Hero; after all, Harmonix did make Guitar Hero 1 and 2. Still, there's a reason those games were great, so these two instruments are as fun to rock with as always. The guitar that comes with Rock Band looks more realistic than other options out there, but it requires a slight adjustment in playing style. Fortunately, Harmonix made the money-wise decision to allow the use of Guitar Hero instruments with Rock Band, a fact that I took advantage of quite often, as I personally enjoyed using the more-familiar Guitar Hero axes.


Difficulty wise, Rock Band doesn't go overboard with cruelty, as its Expert difficulty is about level with the Hard mode from Guitar Hero 3. Keep in mind that that's just on average, though, because some songs are quite difficult (Green Grass and High Tides makes Freebird seem brief).

But enough about the axes; the drums and vocals are what make Rock Band special. The drums are realistic and play just how you think they would in a game like this: four drums correspond to the green, yellow, red and blue buttons on the guitars, and a drum pedal serves the role of the orange note. Drum sessions range from easy beats to Tom Sawyer nightmares, and overall the drums take some time to get used to, mostly because they're more difficult to play than is really necessary. In addition, the drumsticks are fragile, so taking it easy on the equipment is definitely advised. The hardest part about drum playing, though, is probably the exhaustion you'll feel from playing them. Tired feet and sore wrists are common, and you'll likely not want to play the drums on higher floors or late at night, as they can get quite noisy.