Flashback Review: Music Game Feature

Music Game Feature
By Dan Bate

So with the split of Red Octane and Harmonix by Activision and MTV respectively, Red Octane to go on and make GH: World Tour and all following GH games and Harmonix to go to Rock Band with its sequel and the continuing series.
As a huge metal and heavy rock geek I will be reviewing all of these music games from now on. Excluding of course Red Octane’s pathetic attempt of reaching the “other side” with DJ Hero (spits).
First in this reviewing series is Rock Band. Unlike the early GH games the vast majority of songs on the set list are the original studio recordings from the artists supplied by the record labels. This gives for a much more realistic experience, hearing the artists sing along with you or playing an amazing riff with you.
Its real feature is of course being able to play multiple instruments at the same time, having a drummer, bassist, lead guitarist and vocals, meaning all of your friends can now have a role each in playing all of the fantastic songs.

Guitar Hero

Being a massive fan of the guitar element side of these games (all completed on expert *flicks shoulders*) I was eager to give this new addition to the metal menagerie a thorough thrashing. Before you can get in there and kill out career mode you have to make yourself an avatar, your own personal character to represent you in your rise to rock godliness. I thought that this would be a cheap, laborious process, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Not only can you buy hundreds of different items of clothing, accessories, hats, gloves, tattoos even face paints, you can change all of the colours for edging and themes. This gives you literally thousands of combinations to make your rocker or rockette completely your own and original.
After spending a satisfying 5- 15 minutes making your character you get straight into the career mode. Very similar layout to Guitar Hero, playing through varying set list sections of increasing difficulty, with Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert difficulties. There are some really great songs on this game from old classics like Paranoid, Run to the hills and Won’t get fooled again to more modern, and in some cases better, songs like Go with the flow, Learn to fly and Reptillia.
Playing the game feels a little different to GH as the layout of the screen is slightly changed. You still have the “rock-o-meter” monitoring your progress, and the fret board with added “overdrive” filling in for the star power of GH. However instead of the round gems, there are now rectangular gems although they still work in the same manner. Strum the bar whilst pressing the appropriate coloured key, hold down for sustained notes and hammer on’s and pull offs are still in play. An added extra (and awesome fun), is the big rock finish. This is a 10-20 secondish free for all at the end of certain songs, strum and bash away as fast as you can to gain some extra points and just look really awesome!

One feature that I really liked wasn’t the game play but everything else that was happening on the screen. Everything just feels really clean and precise and generally a lot more professionally done. The camera shots will alternate between band members as well as effects, backgrounds and lighting. If you pay attention in GH, especially GH: WT, the camera angles and shots will be exactly the same every time you play the song. When this also applies to the actions of the band members, it gets very monotonous and annoying. Rock Band even has the crowd sing along with you when you’re at the high end of the rock-o-meter, as sad as it sounds; it makes you feel a lot better about the game and like you’re at a real performance.
As fun as career mode is, the best part of this game is the multi-player element. Have a few of your friends around and put them to shame, have your ass handed to you in the tug of war and head to head battles, or just rock out and enjoy this game for all its worth.

Rock Band

No friends? You don’t need them! Now you can make a band online, if you’re a great drummer or singer head online and gather band members to take on the world. You can play the additional world tour mode, with this you build up your cash as well as fans. Unlock new clothes and guitars to add to your styles as well as tour around some fantastic locations in specially themed arenas.
Whilst I’m trying to be as unbiased and objective as possible, I honestly cannot think of one fault with this game. Everything just seems to be, well perfect. Amazing songs, complete originality, customizable everything, phenomenal online and multi-player play, hundreds of downloadable songs, engaging and focus drawing even for those not playing, gamerscores to give great bragging rights, even the opening movie is just cool!
If you like any form of band music, you will love this game. Great for parties and playing by yourself this is a must have game, even just the solus with a GH controller or XBL headset will bring hours upon hours of joy unbounded.
Too many hours of my life I have dedicated to this game, was it worth

You bet your ass it was, ROCK ON!
Complete and utter 10/10


Tweet