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Rockband is TOO MUCH FUN!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: November 26, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this game as a way to get the entire family playing a game together (and by that, I don't mean SHOOTING at each other, although that can have it's rewards depending on my mood)
We have 3 children who are 11, 9 & 8. I figured it would be just me and the kids but my husband has even joined in.
I have "played" every instrument (bass, lead, singing and drums). Drumming is HARD, but the most fun for me. My boys prefer the guitars, and my daughter likes to sing.
Our first guitar controller was defective. We are on our second controller, we'll see how it goes. The GHIII wireless controller works fine, and is actually easier to use, so we end up fighting for that one. If this next one breaks, I'll probably just get another GH guitar.
I only have a couple of negatives; That you can't play multiple instruments in the same band. As a result, we have about 7 bands going on because everyone likes to switch instruments.
Also, for the younger set it would be great if you could go all the way through on EASY, because it's going to take a LOOOONG time for my youngest to play reliably at Medium level. As a result, we are stuck doing the same gigs at that same locations playing the same songs. Yawn.... I didn't think it was possible, but I'm beginning to hate Nirvana simply because I play IN BLOOM so often.
Overall, however, the game is superb. It's fun, addictive, and something the entire family can play. I can't wait to have a party and see what some of my adult friends think of it!

The most important thing a game can hope to be: FUN.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Video game reviewers have lost track of their priorities. Since when do graphic capabilities matter on equal footing as game play? Why are we listening to hype from producers that constantly over promise and under deliver and then reviewing games based on our expectations? Thankfully, once in a while a game comes around that manages to deliver on everything they promised, and what Rock Band promises was one simple thing: fun.

For those of you living under a rock, Rock Band gives everyone the feeling that regardless of your skill level that you can be a rock star. Isn't that what it's all about when you play a video game? A feeling of empowerment, an escape from reality, having fun with friends? You can sing (this works surprisingly well, as I almost expected this aspect to be totally unrealistic and trite), play guitar, bass, or perhaps most interesting (and realistic), drums.

Rock Band was the dream game behind the original creators of Guitar Hero 1 and 2 (3 was made by another developer). They've managed to find a great home at MTV, which is 100% dedicated to providing a new experience via downloadable content well after you've burned through all of the included tracks. Most tracks are masters rather than covers, which is nice, and the difficulty is easier than that of Guitar Hero 3, which became hard for the sake of being hard (when you can play a song with a real guitar easier than a fake one, you've got a problem). My only complaints so far have been the generally questionable quality of the instruments (some people have gotten guitars that have their down strum die in a matter of hours, or drums that don't register hits properly) as well as song quantity and quality (I believe Rock Band has less tracks than all of Guitar Hero out of the box, sans "Rock the 80s"). I'm a metal fan and miss the heavier stuff found in Guitar Hero, but I hope that can be rectified in downloadable content.

This game is fun by yourself, but it really shines when you have a few friends over and decide to get the band together. You don't need to be a "hardcore" gamer for this, as anyone with any sort of rhythm and a passion for music can enjoy it. Trust me, I'm as rhythmically challenged as you can get. :)

The Game That Rocks.. Band..

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Rock Band takes the Guitar Hero formula and improves upon it like crazy. The point of the game (if you're not already familiar with the GH series) is to play an instrument or sing based on button presses and notes from on-screen cues. This review will reference Guitar Hero a lot since that series is the current king of rhythm/party games.

While some people may look at the game like it's simply a rip-off of Guitar Hero, Rock Band is far better in almost every way. First and most obviously, it adds drums and a mic. Not just a simple drum track and karaoke, these modes are genuinely challenging and well thought out. Then you've got the improvements in the actual gameplay. Guitar and bass hammer ons and tap offs are easier to spot. Bass has the multiplier go up to 6X instead of capping out at 4X like Guitar Hero. Also it adds a cool "Bass Groove" effect once you get past 5X so at least you get a little eye candy through the slow parts. Rock Band also allows custom characters. While Guitar Hero's Grim Reaper was neat the first few times, Rock Band allows a deeper character customization with semi-realistic characters. You can also buy clothes with money earned in-game and further your character's individuality. Another big improvement is the background camera work and character sync'ing. You may not have a lot of time to notice it while you're playing, but your audience (people waiting their turn) will appreciate the video effects and more realistic characters. They actually look like they're playing and singing and the camera work moves around like it's really being interacted with by the band instead of behaving like some strange electronic Ashley Simpson SNL performance (is that too dated? How about.. Milli Vanilli?). There are a few other minor features of the game that really rocked, so play it to see.

Though the game is spectactular for the most part, there are a few small disappointments. The single player mode isn't too exciting and pretty linear. You get to unlock clothes and earn money for your character, but other than that... it's not too compelling to play other than practice. Multiplayer mode is where it's at, but i can see problems coming from reaching a limit with a full group with a couple members that can't play on higher difficulties since the game sets caps e.g. the "medium" difficulty caps your max number of fans at 260,000 limiting the venues you can play. The drums can be pretty difficult. Multiplayer progression might be the easiest with the minimum of two instruments (a guitar and a bass). Also the additional songs available for download seem a bit expensive. You get 3 songs in a bundle for 5 bucks which could add up, but those familiar with the Xbox Live Marketplace are used to that i guess. The difficulty for the instruments scales a little differently with certain songs being strangely easy and then latter songs becoming oddly difficult. So selecting random setlists later in the game can screw you over with the difficulty. Another extreme annoyance was with having to create new characters for every position. For instance, if you create a character named Frank on guitar attached to your Xbox login, you can't use him to play drums. You have to make a whole new character. Same with singing. Add in the different Xbox logins and you could end up with 7+ characters if you and your friends want to switch around positions and earn money for their own characters. Loading and "communicating with the rock central server" messages also take up a huge chunk of time inbetween sets.

Overall, i highly recommend this game. The small quibbles with the game do not detract from the game's fun at all. The price may be a bit much, but the special edition package comes with quite a bit and makes it a value for rhythm gamers. It's all wired so that might be annoying, but the guitar and drum controllers feel solid (you can also use your Xbox 360 Guitar Hero controllers with Rock Band). Rock Band is awesome. Sorry, Guitar Hero, you've just been de-throned.

Awesome game, questionable hardware.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: January 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is probably the most fun I have ever had with a video game. The single player mode isn't as fun as Guitar Hero III, but this isn't really made for single player play. A riot at parties and a great step forward from the Guitar Hero concept.
The bad... The controllers for this game are very cheaply made. The guitar broke on me within the first day of playing. Guitar Hero controllers use nice tactile switches for the strum bar, while this guitar uses a cheap leaf switch with foam as the "feeling" for the contact. I disassembled a wii guitar and used the strum bar from it in the strat. I do like the fretboard on the strat, but I fear the poor quality continues throughout the guitar.
The drums appear to use a similar switch, but it seems to work alright.
The microphone is just a logitech USB microphone.
Overall, a very fun game, but if there isn't an improvement to the new guitar, plan on replacing it.

Great Fun but....

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: January 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

My family loves this! We have a blast playing it. However, the guitar broke in the first week and the microphone did not work at all when we got. It seems they are aware of this as it was no problem them sending us a box for replacement. We'll see how long it takes to get the new guitar and how long it last. Again, great family enternment. a bit pricey for quality.

Gameplay Is Fun, Unit Sucks!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: February 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is a really fun game to play, if you get working units that is.

I had to RMA 3 drum sets and STILL did not get a working unit!

I returned it because I never got to play the game, I was always waiting for not-broken parts!

Fun that could be funner

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: February 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Rock band
Pros: Being an Air guitarist with realtime feedback
Enjoying some great old songs and learning some cool new ones.
Doing something fun with my kids that's not too exhausting.
Cons: Flimsy instruments. The guitar doesn't strum fast enough for what they ask of you in the game. (I can't get past medium difficulty because of it) After some of the songs my hands starts to seize up with all the repetitious strumming and finger position changes.
There's not enough fun songs and am forced to play songs I don't like in order to achieve a level.
I would like to see more pop songs which tend to have a happier sound. I'm not into punk or death metal or songs that have a dark mood.

Rock On - Rock out - Rock Band

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: March 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Awesome game, we purchased this game new for our xbox 360. My son, my grandson and myself all played it on the same system and later with friends online. The 6 year old (my grandson) became a drummer and a singer and played the guitar and we had a blast "rockin out". To include a decent set of drums and a solid guitar, plus a mic (all very durable)and a game disc for the money is awesome, just a fantastic value. I think the game may have had early issues but by the time we purchased it (Feb. 15th 2008) they obviously fixed whatever minor problems they had. If you love music, regardless if you think you have rhythm or not, get this game and practice. They also come out with new music every tuesday for download for 1.99 per song. I'm not sure how much money they make on the sale of the game but they will profit from this aspect of the game, you will find yourself downloading songs as there is a variety of music from the 60's - 70's and so on. Rock on!

Harmonix: The Worst Gaming Company Around

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: April 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Don't buy this box set:

1. The peripherals are of poor quality (The Stratocaster is missing a couple of parts and due to this the strum bar is terrible and will need to be sent in for repairs. The microphone is too sensitive to use and has a 50/50 chance of being broken out of the box. The foot pedal for the drums and two of the drum pads break after a few months of use.)

2. The company itself. I've never had such a hard time with a company before. For starters, they made a lot of bogus claims involving album packs and other features to sell more copies of the game, but haven't delivered and refuse to answer questions about them. They also ban people from their official forums (where the developers themselves are mods) for giving negative opinions, or sometimes for no reason at all.

3. Unless you live with Rock Band fans or live next door to Rock Band fans, you can't do Band World Tour. You can only do solo or online multiplayer, although there isn't a leaderboard for the latter.

If you want to get into Rock Band, wait.
First, buy the game itself.
Buy the drums seperate (the drums that are sold seperately are -much- better.)
Buy a seperate microphone
And for guitars, either go with a Guitar Hero guitar (I personally love the GH2 explorer, but the GH3 guitar is also very nice) or wait for the 3rd party Rock Band guitars.

Just a way to make money

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 26
Date: December 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Okay, so Im going to try and touch on things I haven't heard on these reviews. Yeah the game is fun, great with friends. I could talk about their choice in songs. Some are amazing choices and some (I.E. Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, Clash, many others) they chose crap songs over many other better, more well known choices. They also picked some terrible new bands like Fall Out Boy to be in there. That's fine, but there is very much a division of good songs, and crap to fill space. Okay so the equipment is a MAJOR issue with this thing. Yeah, drum petals break, mic is picky about when it works (also, when you are doing rhythm with the mic, if you are cupping your hand, or it is in anyway a non-flat surface you are tapping the mic head with, like a palm or fingers, then there is a second delay in the response causing fails) and the SINGAL guitar (yeah that's right, a four-player game they only give you 3 controllers for. For some reason they don't tell you about that, or that they don't sell individual instruments yet. Xbox 360 can use a patch to use the guitar hero controller, but PS3 users are S.O.L. until April.) has issue with it buttons sticking, breaking, and having delay problems. I've had this game three days and already ALL of these things have happened. The single player part of the game is a JOKE! It's literally 4 songs and whatever songs you downloaded, in the 4 stages of difficulty. But it's the SAME songs for every level of difficulty. And speaking of repetitive songs, the first 10 or so multi-song gigs you do in multi-player mode will ALWAY start with Say it Aint so and In Bloom. It gets REALLY damn old after the third time, even when switching instruments around. I can get over the fact you can't play there four-player game with four players until April, that's absolutely ridiculous and money-grubbing but whatever. They want to make a statement saying they don't give a crap about their customers, they just want you to fork over 170 bucks for 3 of the controllers and then I'm sure at least another 50 for the single guitar next year. So all in all, yeah the game is fun. The songs are alright, some are good, but a lot are not fun, crap songs you never want to hear again. I thought we left Learn to Fly in the 90's where is belonged. It was awful then, and no it's just fermented into a terrible piece of crap, and Foo Fighters WORSE song. Its fun to set up a band, get it ready, even though one member wont be able to join and unlock money/cloths/etc until April. All in all, yeah it enjoyable, but Id wait it out until MTV and EA pulls its head from its @$$ and release better, fixed controllers, offers ALL of the controllers you need for the FOUR PLAYERS it says you can play with, and when the get some better songs to download, yeah the Police, and Queens of the Stoneage bundles are cool, but there really isn't that much they offer. All and all, this things pretty over-rated, but still very fun.

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