Well, you always wanted to be a rock star and Rock Band lets you live out that dream in style.
THE GOOD
-Multiplayer mode is outstanding
-Excellent selection of music
-Great party game
-Fun controls for each instrument
-Good downloadable content
THE BAD
-This game costs a fortune
OVERVIEW
Rock Band is like Guitar Hero on steroids. You have the same addicting gameplay but now singing and drums have been added to the mix. In this game you can play as the lead singer, lead guitar, bass, and/or drums and rock out to a variety of great songs. You can play by yourself or with three other people. If you play with multiple people each person can set their own difficulty, which is nice. The objective of the game is for you and your band members to become rock legends.
GAMEPLAY
Rock Band is a game that anybody can pick up and play which makes it great for parties. The controls for each instrument are not only simple to use but makes the game feel very close to being realistic. For this game you can be the lead singer, lead guitar, bass or drums. The game works a lot like the other Guitar Hero games for the guitar, bass and drums in that the notes scroll downward, in tune with the song, and you have to time the correct color button or pad with the note. Singing works very similar to any karaoke type game. During each song, players have to hit their notes and the more successful hits you get the higher you move up on the meter (located on the left of the screen). If one player messes up too much their part will end and it is the job of everyone else to play better in order to save them. If the rest of the band can't save the downed player, everybody loses and has to start over. This proves to be a great team building game.
The lead guitar and bass works the same as Guitar Hero where you just hold down the button (strings) and strum just like you would a normal guitar. The lead singer sings, into the microphone, the lyrics that scroll across the top and tries to get the right pitch and length of each word. Now one question you might have is "I'm a bass so how am I going to hit the notes of a tenor?" Well, as far as I see it, the game knows if you are singing in octaves so you don't have to have a huge singing range to play this game. Now these three parts are fun to play but the drums are my personal favorite. You have four drum pads and a bass petal and all you have to do is hit the pads with your stick in time with the notes. I will have to say that if you are not a drummer this could take a while to pick up.
Xbox Live offers plenty of downloadable content like songs and other extras which greatly increases the replay value. There are other extra things you can do in the game like unlock songs, create your own character and a few other modes of play. This makes the game challenging and keeps the gameplay fresh. Unfortunately, Rock Band will hurt your wallet. So, you might have to save up for a while or get some friends to pitch in some money.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The visuals for the game are just fine. The graphics aren't to important for a game like this.
Amazing. There is a huge library of songs to pick from with all of your favorite bands in there. The sound quality is superb for each instrument and greatly enhances the gameplay. Again, you'll real feel like a Rock Star with the high quality of sound for this game.
CONCLUSION
Rock Band is one of the best rhythm games to date. With lots of replay value and addicting gameplay you won't be disappointed with your purchase. So, what are you waiting for? Turn your crappy garage band in to the complete Rock Band!