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Ryan Rocks Out with Rock Band
By Ryan Parsons | Image property of respective holders.
Rock Band
I know this review could have come sooner, but the more I played Rock Band the more I liked it. To be honest, I had considered sitting down and bashing it the first week, but can now say I thoroughly enjoy it.
So - the number one question on all our minds is...
Rock Band Better Than Guitar Hero III?
It's a tough question, as both videogames have their advantages. Rock Band has a competitive track list that grows at a faster rate than Guitar Hero III thanks to Xbox Live. Both have great songs but, the ones that are playable in both games, work better in Guitar Hero III. So what does that tell us?
When it comes to playing the guitar, Guitar Hero III still comes out the victor. As it should, considering that the game concentrates on this single instrument. Notes and chords seem to flow better and match the music more with GH III. For those of you who love doing hammer-ons and lift-offs, expect to be playing GH III more often than Rock Band. I don't know who thought up the idea to make the note bars smaller (instead of, let's say, glowing) for Rock Band, but that has to be one of the most frustrating aspects about the game. The ability to successfully get through hammer-ons and lift-off is much harder in Rock Band, thanks most in part to poor visibility.
But we make do.
Where Rock Band succeeds is with its fun factor. Allowing up to four people to band up has its perks. Those who love karaoke will appreciate Rock Band's realtime scoring. Rack up points by constantly singing at the right pitch and key. While the bass guitar is still not nearly as fun to play as the guitar, it is still there and makes an honest contribution to the band. Besides, would you rather be watching?
The best addition with Rock Band, however, is the drums. Besides the mic, this is the only instrument in the game where you feel like you can immediately get up, go by a real drum set and join a garage band. While those who have spent days training on GH III will have a bit of an advantage starting out on drums -- if only because they have figured out how to calibrate their rhythm and beat to what they see coming -- this instrument should still be tricky for all.
I'm currently playing the drums on hard and can't even fathom what it must be like to try expert.
Rock Band's ability to create a customized character comes as a perk, but few will give that utility too much credit.
Is Rock Band better than Guitar Hero III? The answer is yes, but only because it offers more. While I do admit that the look of the Rock Band guitar is more appeasing than that of Guitar Hero III, its buttons are sometimes problematic, as they require a significant amount of pressure to register. Which, of course, makes those hammer-ons and lift-offs even harder.
That is what they're called, right?
Ryan Parsons
Sources: Image property of respective holders.
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