Rock Band is one of the best music games ever made, and one of the best multi-player experiences this generation
Rock band allows players to sing, play guitar, bass, and drums. Each instrument can be played in solo tour mode where you conquer each of the game's 60 tracks one by one with your instrument of choice. Anyone familiar with karaoke video games may instantly be ready for singing. The game judges your singing by pitches and how well you execute the actual lyrics. Some sections in the song allow the singer to tap the mike to add more sound and some sections allow for freestyle singing where there are no lyrics in that particular part of the song. The guitar plays a lot that of the Guitar Hero games. The buttons are rectangular instead of a shield kind of shape from the Guitar Hero games, so it may feel a little different at first. The strumming tab no longer clicks, and may feel a bit flimsy at first for those of you who are used to Guitar Hero's guitar. The top of the guitar has five buttons that are used for executing the guitar notes in the songs. The bottom of the guitar contains 5 thinner buttons used for executing bass notes in the songs. Perhaps the most interesting instrument and the instrument with a wider learning curve is the drums. There are 4 total drum pads and a foot pedal. If you're really singing your heart out, rockin hard, groovin on bass, or annihilating the drum notes, you can really get hot on stage. To complete a song you have to make sure you are always staying high on the rock meter on the left of the screen. Some freestyle singing parts and custom drum solo parts in the songs, if executed well, will give the player playing power that will make them jump far up the rock meter and even save other members in the band that have already been booed off stage. If the crowd is unhappy for too long, the entire band will suffer and be kicked off the stage. The result will be losing some fans that your band has gained in the world tour mode. World tour mode is basically the game's co-op campaign mode. You and other band mates will travel across the globe performing songs from the game's set list. It can be a bit repetitive because you'll often have to perform the same songs within just a couple of gigs of each other. Some gigs are little gigs that get you some dough and a few new fans. Some gigs will get you cool prizes, major recognition, and the right to travel to new places and perform.
Rock Band is a very very good looking game. The character animations are fantastic on stage. The game allows you to create and customize your own character. You have hundreds of selections when it comes to shirts, shoes, pants, instruments, hairstyles, and jewelry. You also get to choose what sort of rocker your character is, which will determine how they act on stage to a certain song. The level of customization is off the charts when compared to the Guiatr Hero games. As well as the animation, graphics, and great stage effects. The crowd is also infinitely more interesting and better looking. My gripes about the game is mainly concerning the peripheral. I urge you to accept any warranties that are offered if you decide to purchase Rock Band. It may pay off in the long run. While this is a game made for rocking out, please don't get to rough with your instruments, they're fragile. Personal problems with my peripheral include the drums not registering notes that I clearly hit, a broken foot pedal, rattling sound in the guitar, guitar using star power without me even moving it, and rattling in mic. Aside from the peripheral issues, this game is worth your time and money if you like these kind of games. You'll get a better value if you have friends and family who you think would love to play as well. Or if you have Xbox Live. I do urge you to spend your money cautiously on this game and get a warranty as well. Now go out and rock.