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Rock Band
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So, being a solo artist isn’t outstanding, but it does serve as a good studio space for the four separate instruments, which by themselves encourage a ton of replay value. And save for the included guitar, the hardware feels durable and responsive. The microphone captures vocals with great fidelity, and the drum set feels sturdy enough to withstand several years’ worth of snare-smacks. The Fender-modeled plastic Strat is another story.

We love the extra set of buttons on the low area of the guitar’s neck (designed specifically for solos — when you’re tapping these, you don’t even have to strum), but the pickups lack the satisfying click we’re used to and the colored frets feel a little cheap and poorly spaced. The axe handles fine, but you’ll probably prefer Guitar Hero’s quality chassis (the Xbox 360 and PS2 versions are compatible) to this one.

Rock Band's durable drum set should take a beating, and does a great job of transferring the game's logic to a new peripheral.

In terms of gameplay, Rock Band’s percussion is the perfect newcomer to music games, with vocal and guitar parts being well-rounded runners-up. The drums are difficult — the four-pad set that comes with the game transfers the screen’s logic very well, but things get tricky once you’re stomping the attached bass pedal. Gamers who consider themselves coordinated should prepare for humbling: alternating between pedal and drum notes has a solid learning curve. It’s akin to patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time … except you’re keeping the beat for your band mates while a mess of colored tablature streaks down the screen. Good luck.

Vocal sections are about what you’d expect in Rock Band. Lyrics tick along the top of the screen while a line spikes up and down to measure the pitch. In between are a few “talky parts,” spoken sections where enunciation actually counts, and some token beat-keeping (a la the lead singer’s traditional tambourine) for good measure. Guitar and bass parts are just as satisfying; our only complaint may be the dumbed-down difficulty on stringed parts in some earlier songs.

Is Rock Band taking requests? If we could make a couple, it’d be having persistent bands online and beefing-up the game’s semi-skinny track list. With The Police, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Weezer, Coheed and Cambria, OK Go, Kiss, Hole, The Ramones and Queens of the Stone Age represented, 53 melodies ain’t bad, but six of them are covered in Guitar Hero III too, and Band World Tour mode has you replaying many these early riffs over and over in order to advance. Still, the sourest note is Rock Band’s downloadable content. Many $2 tracks were available online when the game released, and we’re curious why these weren’t simply included on the disc. Still, we like that whole-album sets (Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” “Who’s Next” by The Who, and a Metallica album) are planned in addition to the singles and three-song packs.

Animations could be a little livelier, but Rock Band's on-stage models succeed at conveying the gameplay's flow and excitement.

Appropriately, Rock Band throws enough bells, whistles and a tambourine or two to add some color to the play, namely a dandy character creator. Tweak a few facial characteristics and a hair-do; you’ll run to wardrobe, where a range of rock, goth, and punk-themed apparel await purchase. Get tattooed, too, or slap on some face-paint — there’s a wealth of art and options available here, and the customization makes for a great group experience while adding some welcome visual exaggeration.

Rock Band is robust. Few games offer such a dynamic group experience — yelling out “Are you ready to rock!?” to your roommate or slamming a drum solo with your friend flicking bass is karaoke on crack. Single-player mode is comparatively flatter, but the game’s Band World Tour mode is a great way to carve out a few evenings with some co-rockers from the comfort of your carpet stage.

Highs
Rock Band was meant for multiplayer, and delivers an energetic, outstanding experience when all instruments are firing away; drums are a fantastic, rewarding challenge for hardcore music gamers; Band World Tour mode adds some interesting meta-gaming (unlockable tour spots, fans, funds, creating setlists) to make for an authentic music career for two players or more; character customization is a welcome addition; instruments enable a great deal of replay value.

Lows
No online persistent bands; included guitar's quality is shaky; track list is slimmer than Guitar Hero's; guitar sections on some songs feel simplified, even on expert; downloadable content should've been included with retail release; you'll probably trip over a few cords if you don't have the PS3 version.

Final Verdict
Rock Band may be the perfect party game. Solo play doesn't stand on its own, but with a little help from your friends, getting the band back together is a blast.

90%

Nov 23, 2007

Review by Evan Lahti.