01-07-2008, 09:40 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-07-2008, 09:45 AM by Mithrandir.)
So with about a week of Rock Band under my belt (plus many, many, many hours spent playing Guitar Hero 2 & 3), I feel pretty qualified to give my opinion on it... basically, nice try - but go back to the drawing board MTV/Harmonix.
I'll address the obvious changes from the mainstay Guitar Hero franchise first. The drums are the single best addition to the "DDR with an instrument" concept by far. The drums are a lot of fun and fairly easy to pick up (after only 2-3 days playing them on and off I could play low tier songs on hard). The singing is fairly hit-or-miss. For me it is a complete miss - I am horrible at it and no matter how anyone tries to explain the nuances of Rock Band singing I fail song after song after song... but a couple other of my friends enjoy it, so that's fine with me since that just means more time on the guitar/drums for me. Also, on an interesting note, I have found that the enthusiasm and volume that an individual sings at is directly proportional to how much alcohol they have consumed. Hmm.:)
As predicted earlier in the thread, the single largest travesty with Rock Band is the fact that in order to get a full band you have to buy a second Rock Band package in order to get the second guitar so someone can play bass (followed closely to the guitar peripheral, but I'll get to that later). Needless to say, neither I nor any of my friends is willing to shell out the $170 just for another frigging guitar. I understand that they are going to start selling individual instruments in February, but nonetheless it is very frustrating to only be able to play with 3/4ths of a true "Rock Band".
Also, I am really not a fan of the Rock Band presentation. Whenever you activate "Overdrive" (the Rock Band version of "Star Power") there is literally a blinding flash that has caused me to miss notes on occasion. Then there is junk covering up the edges of the scrolling notes (intended to indicate when you have Overdrive active) which makes it difficult to read the notes sometimes IMO. Just in general there is too much crap happening on screen at once and what should be the most important thing on the screen - the notes and the associated hammer-ons and pull-offs - just gets lost in the shuffle. The notes are way too small and it can be way too hard to tell whether a note is a hammer-on/pull-off in the heat of the moment since the only distinguishing factor is that it is slightly smaller than the already small normal notes. Quite frustrating. In another odd decision, the text the decided to use for the game is annoyingly difficult to read on anything but a high end HD TV. 1's, 2's and 3's were especially difficult to tell apart. "Is that a 2 song setlist or a 3 song setlist?" "Who knows? I suppose we have to try it out."
People seem to be going ga-ga over the "World Tour" mode (essentially what would be Guitar Hero's Career Mode 2.0), but I just don't get it. What it boils down to is that you play songs from a set list in different venues. Sounds exactly like GH3 to me... except Rock Band throws in a bunch of text about how you pick up roadies, bodyguards, a jet, etc. while not actually changing anything about the gameplay experience as you acquire things (they literally change nothing) and it is supposed to be somehow fundamentally different? Waaaht? I just don't see it. It's the same exact thing, just dressed up with extra text. Lame. The random setlists can make the game experience a little more fun, but quite often they are just annoying since you are forced to play random songs you don't like in order to gain more stars.
While the microphone and drum peripherals are completely fine, the guitar controller is a complete abomination when compared to the GH3 controller. The neck on the Rock Band guitar controller is way too long (to make room for the superfluous extra buttons at the base of the neck) and the buttons are ridiculously wide in comparison to the GH3 controllers which makes it harder to play for no good reason. In addition, the Rock Band controller buttons take much more effort to press down and tend to stick as well which, when combined with the annoyingly fat buttons, makes for a vastly less comfortable play experience in Rock Band. There is also a switch which changes the effect of the whammy bar that is completely unneeded and just gets in the way. If it was *my* copy of Rock Band and not my roommates I would have ripped or broken it off my now. Also, maybe this is nit-picky, but I really like how the GH2 & 3 strum bars clicked when you strummed them... the Rock Band guitar is 100% silent and it feels heavy and unresponsive, whereas the GH-series controllers had very light strum bars that clicked when you strummed them so that you knew exactly and how far you had to strum to play notes. The Rock Band guitar peripheral just feels heavy and unresponsive in general. I really feel like GH3 got the guitar peripheral "right" and Rock Band just really screwed the pooch on this one.
My final complaint levied against Rock Band would have to be some of the really odd song choices. Rock Band has some real strong songs which GH3 lacks (although the opposite is true as well) - Black Hole Sun, Creep, Maps, Go with the Flow, Orange Crush, Epic, Dani California, (Don't Fear) The Reaper, Suffragette City and Vasoline among them. But any song both in GH3 and Rock Band is almost invariably more fun to play in GH3 (from a guitar-peripheral-player's perspective) than in Rock Band - Sabotage, Reptilia, Cherub Rock, etc. Finally, there are just some plain horrible song choices in Rock Band... Green Grass and High Tides is horrible and I want to kill myself every time it pops up on a random setlist - my friends and I just quit out and take the penalty rather than play that one billion hour abomination. Just in general the songs are much, much longer in Rock Band and drag on and on and on and on whereas GH is more about quick fun rather than seeing who can drum the same cadence a million times the best. I don't know why they decided to include songs by Hole and Garbage, but the only guess I have been able to come up with is that they are trying to corner the market for crappy 90's bands away from Guitar Hero or something.
All that said, Rock Band is still the better party game than GH3 (if for no other reason than it offers more variety in instruments and more people playing simultaneously), but nonetheless is frustrating at how great Rock Band could have been and at how thoroughly it completely whiffed.
I'll address the obvious changes from the mainstay Guitar Hero franchise first. The drums are the single best addition to the "DDR with an instrument" concept by far. The drums are a lot of fun and fairly easy to pick up (after only 2-3 days playing them on and off I could play low tier songs on hard). The singing is fairly hit-or-miss. For me it is a complete miss - I am horrible at it and no matter how anyone tries to explain the nuances of Rock Band singing I fail song after song after song... but a couple other of my friends enjoy it, so that's fine with me since that just means more time on the guitar/drums for me. Also, on an interesting note, I have found that the enthusiasm and volume that an individual sings at is directly proportional to how much alcohol they have consumed. Hmm.:)
As predicted earlier in the thread, the single largest travesty with Rock Band is the fact that in order to get a full band you have to buy a second Rock Band package in order to get the second guitar so someone can play bass (followed closely to the guitar peripheral, but I'll get to that later). Needless to say, neither I nor any of my friends is willing to shell out the $170 just for another frigging guitar. I understand that they are going to start selling individual instruments in February, but nonetheless it is very frustrating to only be able to play with 3/4ths of a true "Rock Band".
Also, I am really not a fan of the Rock Band presentation. Whenever you activate "Overdrive" (the Rock Band version of "Star Power") there is literally a blinding flash that has caused me to miss notes on occasion. Then there is junk covering up the edges of the scrolling notes (intended to indicate when you have Overdrive active) which makes it difficult to read the notes sometimes IMO. Just in general there is too much crap happening on screen at once and what should be the most important thing on the screen - the notes and the associated hammer-ons and pull-offs - just gets lost in the shuffle. The notes are way too small and it can be way too hard to tell whether a note is a hammer-on/pull-off in the heat of the moment since the only distinguishing factor is that it is slightly smaller than the already small normal notes. Quite frustrating. In another odd decision, the text the decided to use for the game is annoyingly difficult to read on anything but a high end HD TV. 1's, 2's and 3's were especially difficult to tell apart. "Is that a 2 song setlist or a 3 song setlist?" "Who knows? I suppose we have to try it out."
People seem to be going ga-ga over the "World Tour" mode (essentially what would be Guitar Hero's Career Mode 2.0), but I just don't get it. What it boils down to is that you play songs from a set list in different venues. Sounds exactly like GH3 to me... except Rock Band throws in a bunch of text about how you pick up roadies, bodyguards, a jet, etc. while not actually changing anything about the gameplay experience as you acquire things (they literally change nothing) and it is supposed to be somehow fundamentally different? Waaaht? I just don't see it. It's the same exact thing, just dressed up with extra text. Lame. The random setlists can make the game experience a little more fun, but quite often they are just annoying since you are forced to play random songs you don't like in order to gain more stars.
While the microphone and drum peripherals are completely fine, the guitar controller is a complete abomination when compared to the GH3 controller. The neck on the Rock Band guitar controller is way too long (to make room for the superfluous extra buttons at the base of the neck) and the buttons are ridiculously wide in comparison to the GH3 controllers which makes it harder to play for no good reason. In addition, the Rock Band controller buttons take much more effort to press down and tend to stick as well which, when combined with the annoyingly fat buttons, makes for a vastly less comfortable play experience in Rock Band. There is also a switch which changes the effect of the whammy bar that is completely unneeded and just gets in the way. If it was *my* copy of Rock Band and not my roommates I would have ripped or broken it off my now. Also, maybe this is nit-picky, but I really like how the GH2 & 3 strum bars clicked when you strummed them... the Rock Band guitar is 100% silent and it feels heavy and unresponsive, whereas the GH-series controllers had very light strum bars that clicked when you strummed them so that you knew exactly and how far you had to strum to play notes. The Rock Band guitar peripheral just feels heavy and unresponsive in general. I really feel like GH3 got the guitar peripheral "right" and Rock Band just really screwed the pooch on this one.
My final complaint levied against Rock Band would have to be some of the really odd song choices. Rock Band has some real strong songs which GH3 lacks (although the opposite is true as well) - Black Hole Sun, Creep, Maps, Go with the Flow, Orange Crush, Epic, Dani California, (Don't Fear) The Reaper, Suffragette City and Vasoline among them. But any song both in GH3 and Rock Band is almost invariably more fun to play in GH3 (from a guitar-peripheral-player's perspective) than in Rock Band - Sabotage, Reptilia, Cherub Rock, etc. Finally, there are just some plain horrible song choices in Rock Band... Green Grass and High Tides is horrible and I want to kill myself every time it pops up on a random setlist - my friends and I just quit out and take the penalty rather than play that one billion hour abomination. Just in general the songs are much, much longer in Rock Band and drag on and on and on and on whereas GH is more about quick fun rather than seeing who can drum the same cadence a million times the best. I don't know why they decided to include songs by Hole and Garbage, but the only guess I have been able to come up with is that they are trying to corner the market for crappy 90's bands away from Guitar Hero or something.
All that said, Rock Band is still the better party game than GH3 (if for no other reason than it offers more variety in instruments and more people playing simultaneously), but nonetheless is frustrating at how great Rock Band could have been and at how thoroughly it completely whiffed.
--Mith
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
Jack London
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
Jack London