When I turned 14 I received a wonderful birthday present, my very first guitar. Ironically, much like the Fender Strat included with Rock Band, my shiny new black guitar (of unknown make) was also ¾ scale. That guitar would propel me into a life of music that would last for the next eleven years. During that time I learned to play seven other instruments, went on one small tour, played in dozens of shady bars and had one massive realization that I probably didn’t have what it took to be playing stadiums at any point in this lifetime. That was several years ago when I finally gave up and got a so called “real job”.
Enter Rock Band. Now I’m the Highway Star.
At this point you’ve probably read all the reviews from the big industry giants, so I won’t waste your time telling you how awesome this game is. It is, by the way. But anyway, since I’ve had the game for a few weeks now I’ll just share my experiences and let you come up with your own conclusions. Hit the jump and follow along with our ‘Band’: The Drunken Guppies.
Bass: Jeff (Sinnix)
Vocals: Maranda (HotelQueen)
Guitar: Lisa
Drums: Rich (CF FHB X – Note: used different gamertag for our session so RB won’t show on his profile)
That’s where we started but we all traded around for most of the evening. Both Maranda and myself played all four positions while Lisa and Rich avoided the vocals like it was the plague. Obviously next time I’ll have to stock some liquid courage.
We kicked into the game and selected the same difficulties we would have if we were playing a Guitar Hero game. After we five starred the song with everyone above 90% it became readily apparent that Rock Band developer Harmonix was targeting a different, more user-friendly play style. This was a welcome change after Guitar Hero 3 was obviously geared to significantly more hardcore players. We bumped up the difficulty and kept on rocking.
For the first little while, we pretty much played the same songs over and over again as it was slow to unlock new tunes. It was a minor annoyance but at the same time it allowed everyone to play different instruments on songs they already knew (always a key to success when playing rhythm games). It wasn’t until a few days later that we learned it was significantly faster to unlock songs in single player, and then they’ll be available in World Tour mode for random and build-your-own playlists.
Speaking of songs, just today it was announced that you can download new tracks off the marketplace. That’s pretty cool and it’s only going to get better as Harmonix is promising new content every week for a whole year! Oh, and I should also mention that it’s priced cheaper than Guitar Hero content at 440pts per three song pack or 160pts per song. Nice!
So how was the experience? Well let me tell you, the first time we hit our “Big Finish” and actually managed to land the bonus score an instant cheer of celebration broke out. The team work involved in the game is both subtle and demanding and shows that Harmonix truly is the master of the music game genre. By the end of the night everyone had a great time and I can safely say that it was one of the single best gaming experiences I’ve ever had.
Hardware
Now that we’ve got the experience out of the way, lets chat about the hardware. Like I previously mentioned I’ve played the real life versions of this stuff before so I’ll try to pass along any tips for mastering each instrument.
I’d love to give a glowing review of the guitar, but mine broke within two hours of pulling it out of the box. I have an advance copy of the game so it’s still possible that I have one of the first run productions. Regardless, a week later my replacement guitar arrived just in time for a second gathering of our alternate band ‘The Accolade’. Lucky for Canada, Rock Band developer Harmonix has gone on the record and said that the issues were only for the first US shipment. If everything goes as planned your guitars should be up to par day one (but let me know if they’re not). Overall, it seems to be rather hit or miss. While I love the Rock Band Stratocaster it appears that I may be the only one in my band. In fact, most people are utterly convinced that the thing is broken the first few times they play with it because they’re missing notes all over the place. For me, I prefer it because it feels a lot closer to a real guitar. The strum bar is considerably more loose and actually feels a lot like real picking when you’re going through some of the fast sections. Here’s your Rock Band guitar mastery lesson:
Mastering the guitar technique is pretty simple as it only involves mastering two things: switch picking and hammer ons / pull offs. Learn to strum the bar both up and down, this ensures that those 16th notes will pass by with ease and you won’t kill your guitar or hand trying to jam the strummer in one direction. For hammer ons and pull offs watch for the small notes. That indicates this technique is possible and you can finger your way through some tricky licks. By far the most challenging thing you’re going to need to learn is how to move up and down the fret board. That pesky orange button can seem like real trouble early on in your Hard career but if you learn to move your whole hand up (closer to you) on the fret board you find your agility with your fingers increases. Being able to find your way around the fret board means you can play hard sections with your three most powerful fingers instead of relying on your pinky for those really tough sections.
The microphone is solid and of decent quality. It picks up your voice and, along with tapping out the occasional beat, does what it’s supposed to. The weight is good and it fits well into my industry standard microphone stand. There was several times when it would come un-synched from the controller it was tied to, but turning the gamepad off and on again cleared up the issue. Singing was something that I was always horrible at, so I can’t really share any lessons. I’ve asked my friend Natalie, an accomplished vocalist, to share some tips and she kindly agreed.
- Breath from the lowest part of your body that you can (stomach area), you’ll get more power.
- Avoid singing from your throat, you’ll be in pain the next day
- Concentrate on your breathing while you’re singing
The drum kit is impressively sturdy. I’ve had a range of age groups beat the hell out of it (5 to 31) and it’s taken everything in stride. This thing even makes navigating the menus fun. Assembly is straightforward and easy enough for a five year old to do (and, in my case, that’s exactly how it was accomplished). The only complaint I have is that the layout is sort of funny but I suppose if you’ve never played a real kit before you don’t know that the typical drummer crosses their arms when they play with the high-hat on the left and the snare between their legs. Myself, I also position my primary crash cymbal up and to the left of my snare so that reach in Rock Band to the far lower-right screws me up every time. This is really nit-picking though, I completely understand why Harmonix did it this way but if you do ever sit at a real kit you’re going to be in for a surprise. Time for a handy lesson!
First of all, those sticks you’re holding? Those are real drum sticks and that means more than you know. Sticks are to drummers what individual guitars are to guitar players. They come in all sorts of shapes, thicknesses and sizes and everyone has different tastes and preferences. If you’re really serious about mastering the drum kit why not head on down to your local music store and trying out different brands. While you’re there have a look at the drum stools too. If your couch is anything like mine it’s far too low to comfortably play the drums. Optimally you want your knees to angle somewhere between 80 to 110 degrees. Most importantly of all though is that you’re going to want to leave your foot depressed after a hit only raising it when you need to make another. Don’t leave your foot hovering as you’ll quickly start to feel the burn.
In the end it’s hard to go wrong with Rock Band. It’s a game designed for everyone to play, the music is varied and fun, and it really does give you a tiny, little taste of what it’s like to play a kick-ass gig. If we can get these broken guitars issues resolved before the game’s Canadian launch then we’ll be doing great and you’ll be enjoying what is, in my humble opinion, the best casual multiplayer game of all time. If you love Guitar Hero for the challenge, it’s true that this game may not be what you’re looking for but for those seeking out that infamous thing called fun can do no better this holiday season.
RSS
ur so lucky!! i’ve got mine pre-ordered i hope it arrives soon!
Great review but do you know when it’s coming out in Canada?
I can honestly say that the date I was given has already come and gone. I’ve had the 24th of December thrown my way from a couple of sources now though, so maybe that’s the magic number.
Just got the new comic in an email from Xbox Canada.
Looks awesome! 
I got my copy! YEEEAAAAH! Drums are really hard!
i got the call from EB Games on December 29th, and i picked it up on the 30th. i played it non-stop the whole week, and now i work, so i cant. but this game is so much fun, especially multiplayer!. i even played with 3 friends (all instruments) in a car, although i wouldnt recomend it! i think multiplayer beats competitive anyday. take that, activision, and GH III!
What a great review/experience/explanation!
I got to play the game the other day, and I’m buying it tomorrow.
360…
Thanks. I gave a link of this letter in my blog….
[...] They do send me random stuff every once in a while. When they do, I will review it to the best of my ability. [...]
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