Rock Band gets reviewed, Guitar Hero trembles

We're pretty certain that quite a few of you have been (not so) patiently waiting for Rock Band to finally land at your doorstep for months now, but for those still wary about dropping 170 bones in one fell swoop for a video game, here's the critique you've been waiting for. ArsTechnica managed to get ahold of the beastly package and give everything from the build quality to the multiplayer modes a full run-through, and the long and short of it is that Rock Band, well, rocks. Despite fears of lackluster quality, every piece of the kit was reported as being sturdy and ready to handle tons of abuse, and just in case you weren't aware, the wireless Guitar Hero III controller will function with Rock Band, but the same isn't true vice versa. While rocking solo, reviewers found that Guitar Hero was the superior title, noting that there "just wasn't as big of a sense of accomplishment" with RB, but after gathering up a few pals, everything changed. The crew found themselves spending countless hours rocking away as a band and loving every minute of it, and while the bundle is pricey, it was said to be worth every penny. So if you're still straddling the fence, do yourself a favor and check out the full skinny in the read link, but don't be alarmed if you feel the urge to dye your hair and get some ink done shortly thereafter.

[Doug Blatti @ Nov 19th 2007 8:28AM]

Now hurry it up for Wii already.

[Chris @ Nov 19th 2007 9:18AM]

Yes please! Rock Band for Wii!

(but please turn on surround sound)

[Wii60 @ Nov 19th 2007 9:19AM]

And repeat after me-
Mono is unacceptable for any release date after 1993

[Wayne @ Nov 19th 2007 8:34AM]

The IGN review has been up for days. They say pretty much the same thing, except that the bass drum pedal could use some reinforcement and that it might break with time. Their pre-production pedal snapped in half.

[MDB @ Nov 19th 2007 11:43AM]

Key word in that second sentence: pre-production

[Wayne @ Nov 19th 2007 11:44AM]

They said the reinforcement of the production pedal didn't appear much, if at all, better.

[drumr @ Nov 19th 2007 8:40AM]

I'm at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff Arizona, and last week, the Rockband Tour came here on campus. It was awesome. It looked like it would cost a shit-load of money, but it is still kind of cool too.

They have a few stations of (setups) that you and some buddies can jam on, and if you want to, they can videotape you rocking out on pieces of plastic to real copywrited songs... I made 3 videos hee hee...

And you got some free stuff like plastic cards, drumsticks, hats, shirts, and bumper stickers... It was a wonderful experience... YOU ROCK... jk

[drumr @ Nov 19th 2007 8:38AM]

Also, the drum kits at the rock tour had some pads not working... like there were 5 stations total, 2 of the stations had drum pads that didn't register with the game as being struck when they were struck... someone must of beat the hell out of 'em.

[Nick @ Nov 19th 2007 12:24PM]

I just played a demo at Best Buy and the Blue drum pad must have been hit with sledge hammer or something cuz it didn't recognize anything.. and the demo guitar wouldn't recognize any down strums. So i think the "ready to handle tons of abuse" doesn't hold up with my experience. But i wont be treating my equipment that way so im not worrying too much.

[eternal critic @ Nov 19th 2007 8:51AM]

guitar hero.
rock band.

instead of playing those games with questionable (to say the least) training of the skills needed to play music, why not go out and buy a real guitar or other instrument of choice (instead of a cheap plastic instrumentSHAPED controller) and a lesson book and start playing yourself?

and if you wonder wether or not that is worth it, find a music teacher and ask for a few introductory lessons. they will supply an instrument for those lessons and/or know a music store that has rentals for just such an occasion.

Rock On!

[Dr Dave @ Nov 19th 2007 8:57AM]

Because it is a GAME! It is for fun. I also have a full custom real guitar rig and originally scoffed at G. Hero. But is is more FUN to have all you non-musician friends included. Where are you going to find a real drum kit, guitar, mic for $170 and have other musicians be ready to play in just minutes?

[Jonathan Badger @ Nov 19th 2007 8:58AM]

It's not about "training" for real world music playing; it's about having fun pretending to be a talented rock star. I suppose you oppose sports games on the same principle? Playing Tony Hawk won't make you a great skateboarder either.

[jharr @ Nov 19th 2007 9:00AM]

I have played the drums for 13 years and I am very excited for this game. A lot of people enjoy these games because they give you a sense of accomplishment while not having to devote years to learning an instrument. I don't think that your argument is valid. I think that these type of games actually bring more interest to musical instruments. Seems to me that more kids would want to learn to play the guitar or drums after playing a game like this.

[ryan @ Nov 19th 2007 9:04AM]

The only problem is that instead of a $70/$170 investment, you're looking at probably $60/month for lessons plus at least $150 for a halfway decent real instrument, anything you can get for less might too closely resemble the plastic ones. Already it's much more expensive when maybe all you really wanted was something you could get into quickly (GH and RB definitely have more friendly learning curves) and play around with your friends for a while.

[Jason Smith @ Nov 19th 2007 9:11AM]

Sure, if you want to drop hundreds or thousands of dollars you could start a band with your friends and really learn to play. And assuming everyone stuck with it, you might someday get to play covers in a bar! Woohoo! When they make a game out of that experience, I hope they make the packaging smell like stale beer, failed dreams, and day jobs.

It's a game - an experience. Playing for a few hours gives the illusion of being a rock star in front of a crowd in an arena. And after the concert, you swap discs and become space marines or race car drivers for a while, then everyone goes home. Good times for all, and without needing to dramatically change your life.

[bobbywigs @ Nov 19th 2007 2:22PM]

amen! get a cheap-but-workable guitar for much less than this and start rocking out yourself instead of being such a poser. playing actual music is much, much, much more rewarding than gaming.

[Jack @ Nov 19th 2007 9:32AM]

thats like saying "whys sit around at home playing an FPS game? get a real gun and kill people!"

[Phuong @ Nov 19th 2007 10:06AM]

It's about instant gratification. I can pick up Rock Band or Guitar Hero and immediately feel like I can play an instrument, and sound really good too. To get to sounding like that on a real guitar takes hours and hours of practice and years of experience. I think that a lot of people attempt to learn to play, but the consistency of time and money required isn't realistic for most. Also, with this game, even the most scientific minded can be artistic.

[Dude @ Nov 19th 2007 11:01AM]

This guy is just mad cause i can impress the same dumb girls that he can with his guitar - just by playing GH on medium.

[johnzilla @ Nov 19th 2007 11:26AM]

If I had a dollar for every post written by some stuck-up idiot who says "buy a real instrument and learn that" instead of realizing this is a GAME, I'd be rich.

I play guitar, bass, keys, saxophone I and can keep a mean 4/4 on the drums in an emergency. I think both Guitar Hero (I own all the versions) and Rock Band are great.

Playing music is playing music. These games aren't about training people to be musicians, these games are about KEEPING SCORE while doing something fun alone or with other people. Anyone who doesn't get that is an idiot, and anyone who gets that and still feels the need to criticize or judge others is an arrogant jerk.

The only thing better would be if someone figures out how to make a video game that lets you keep score while having sex.

[o rly @ Nov 19th 2007 11:41AM]

I thought of this when I read eternal critic's & bobbywigs' comments...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU2ZswstpGQ

Randy: [walks up to Stan] So you boys like this music, huh?
Kyle: Yeah, dude. It's Guitar Hero.
Butters: Stan and Kyle are really good at it.
Randy: Well you kids wanna see something really cool? [the boys pay attention] Check this out. [walks away and picks up an electric guitar, and plugs in the amplifier. He puts his right foot on top of the amplifier and begins to play "Wayward Son" a half-step up]

Once, I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion.
I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high.
Though my eyes could see I-

Stan: [irritated, interrupting] Dad? Dad! What are you doing?!
Randy: [brightly] I can actually play a lot of these songs on a real guitar. You want me to teach you boys how?
Cartman: Uhh, that's gay, Mr. Marsh.
Stan: Yeah, that's stupid, Dad.
Randy: But... But this is real.
Cartman: Real guitars are for old people.
Craig: Do you mind, sir? We wanna watch Stan and Kyle play. [Randy stands there a few seconds, disappointed that the boys aren't interested. He takes off the guitar, leans it against the amplifier, and walks away.]

[Jake @ Dec 9th 2007 7:25PM]

Here is what Tycho from Penny Arcade said on this issue:

In The Service of The Queen
Fri, December 07 2007 - 12:02 AM
by: Tycho

Invariably, when reasonable people are discussing Guitar Hero or Rock Band, that forum smart guy oozes in somewhere near the middle of the thread and tells people that they should be playing real instruments - presumably, like he does. Put aside that Mozart has missed the point completely (i.e., why don't you play for the real NFL, etc). The fact of the matter is that he is quite simply wrong. And not just wrong: it's that thick, unctuous kind of wrong that masquerades as erudition. He is, in fact, a yokel - and he's operating under some pretty romantic notions of what constitutes an "instrument."

I wrote about this a while ago when talking about the remix mode of Frequency, another Harmonix game, and how it made the PS2 controller a kind of instrument. That idea fascinated me. Actual instruments are not especially ergonomic, in general terms - they are not engineered for use. They need to account for crass physical laws to epitomize their function. Instruments are beautiful, let me be clear. But they are not, themselves, music.

These guitars are only toys because they are limited, at this particular moment, to playing other people's songs. This is a software problem, and not representative of some lasting defect with the device. It's already been resolved by the community many times over. When Harmonix delivers a composition suite with the next Rock Band (or the next), and people start creating and uploading their own albums, it's going to be pretty hard to maintain the fiction that people are playing with toys. Between the five keys, combinations of those keys, and the "hammer on, pull off" mechanic, you're talking about a ri-goddamn-diculous number of states - even before you expand it with pass-thru USB style devices that intermediate between the guitar and the host device. I assume I don't need to make the case for the drums: the peripheral itself, in its unmodified form, wouldn't look out of place on any stage in the 1980s.

Of course, the Rock Band guitar would need some modifications in order to be used seriously for this purpose - for example, it would need to work. As these games reach prominence, there is no question that a higher end "prosumer" option for a more robust device will be met by the market. In any case, of course some people don't like it. We're witnessing the democratization of music.

(CW)TB out.

[Wii60 @ Nov 19th 2007 8:59AM]

First off, eternal critic, kindly take your condescending rants elsewhere where people actually care.

Secondly, does my Guitar Hero II controller work in Rock band?

[john bluemke @ Nov 19th 2007 9:05AM]

Wii60...yes, the GH2 guitar works with Rock Band just fine. I have already played it that way

[Wii60 @ Nov 19th 2007 9:11AM]

Thanks John, looks like its rock band for me!

[okeygrak @ Nov 19th 2007 9:02AM]

NOTE: The PS3 GHIII Les Paul does NOT work with Rock Band.

[Prosthetic Lips @ Nov 19th 2007 9:47AM]

Wait, the summary and the article both say that the GHIII wireless guitar works. Do you know something that the reviewers don't? Have you played it, or is there another article that complains about RB not working with GH guitars?

Come on, inquiring minds want to know!

[okeygrak @ Nov 19th 2007 9:56AM]

I have the PS3 Retail copy and a GH3 Guitar. It may work on the xbox, but it does NOT work on PS3. Maybe there will be a software update this tuesday that will address it?

[Alexander @ Nov 19th 2007 9:19AM]

Aww man... This bites. It's all wired. I would pay double the price to have it all wireless. And on the Wii. But I don't think that little CPU in the Wii could handle all this.

Oh so close...

[Alexander @ Nov 19th 2007 9:22AM]

Uhh... You are spam. Try to be less blatant about it, and it will work better.

[SteveJ @ Nov 19th 2007 9:39AM]

Looks great, but I don't have room for it. Actually I only just started playing Guitar Hero (1) yesterday. It's definitely a really fun game, in fact more fun then I thought it was going to be. It's also, however, a bit painful physically. I guess you get use to the hand positions eventually?

[MDB @ Nov 19th 2007 11:49AM]

No. You never get used to the hand positions. Ever.

[Goatee Man @ Nov 19th 2007 7:02PM]

It's surprisingly hard to get the feel for, but yeah, you get used to it after a while. Sometimes your fingers hurt after a particularly long song or fast section (curse you, Dragonforce!) but for the most part it's not too painful.

[joe @ Nov 19th 2007 10:14AM]

All I can say is that the gaming industry is going to break records this holiday season.

[kevjohn @ Nov 19th 2007 10:20AM]

Still waiting for Turntable Hero.

[atomsk @ Nov 19th 2007 10:53AM]

beatmania?

[Alexander @ Nov 19th 2007 11:28AM]

PWND!

[skeedawg @ Nov 19th 2007 10:55AM]

The only thing i see missing: COWBELL!

What are you going to do when the king of producers 'The Bruce Dickinson' calls for more cowbell in Don't Fear the Reaper!

MORE COWBELL!! FTW!

[Jack @ Nov 19th 2007 11:07AM]

actually...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlqLLZQLNiA
:D

[Volite @ Nov 19th 2007 1:51PM]

Thank you... this is why I love Engadget (that youtube vid. is hilar)

[keggoid @ Nov 19th 2007 12:28PM]

Some excellent feedback about rock band and it is indeed, just a game.

I've been working with universities in the UK to develop a similar product but it will actually teach you how to play on your own instrument using your mobile phone or PC, http://www.splashplay.co.uk

Any feedback will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[BobW @ Nov 19th 2007 2:30PM]

loved the video orly. but sorry kiddos, I'm not an idiot so much but I just happen to think gaming is a complete waste of my time. if that makes me old, so be it. "here we are now, entertain us" and all that... i can only hope this stuff gets people interested in playing actual music. I think I'll go take a nap now.

[KOOLTEEN! @ Nov 19th 2007 5:01PM]

PLAYING MUSIC IS A WASTE OF TIME, SO IS POSTING COMMENTS ON TIHS, I'D RATHER WASTE MY TIME DOING SOMETHING EASY LIKE PLAYING FAKE INSTRUMENTS CUZ THE REAL ONES ALREADY MESSED MY HEARING UP! ITS KOOL CUZ LIKE WHEN I'M 40 AND I CAN'T PLAY REAL INSTRUMENTS ANYMORE I CAN LIKE PLAY GH AND RB AND PRENTED I'M YOUNG AGAIN! WOW POSTING COMMENTS IS LIKE TALKING TO MYSELF ABOUT MY OPINIONS!

[Goatee Man @ Nov 20th 2007 6:34PM]

Honestly, I can't tell if you're for or against Guitar Hero. Would you mind repeating that in, oh, I dunno, English?

[KOOLTEEN! @ Nov 19th 2007 11:10PM]

YES MAN WITH GOATEE! WASTED TIME!

[Murc @ Nov 20th 2007 12:01AM]

whats pathetic is that they didn't make the rockband guitar work with GH III (or II).

Hopefully Via an update...they can fix that DUMB mistake.

[umm....hello??? @ Nov 20th 2007 6:29AM]

got my copy of RockBand for the 360, just put it down so I can get some sleep before work...the GuitarHero mishap for the PS3 makes me happy that I opted for the 360 version, but my PS3 needs not to fear because Uncharted comes out today!!!

[tyler m @ Nov 28th 2007 11:01PM]

i agree. its cool and all but why not just GO BUY A REAL GUITAR OR DRUMS AND ACTUALLY ROCK instead of PRETENDING!!! i play guitar and i love it. its a hella lot better than guitar hero

[SquishyPink @ Dec 17th 2007 12:22PM]

A lot of the people who buy these games actually do play real instruments. I play guitar, and Rock Band lets me play with my friends who don't play real instruments. It's just a game, man.