- Reviewed on: Xbox 360 (Viewed on a 42-inch HP-PL4200N plasma television set to 720p)
- Also available for: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2
- The Good: Has the unbelievable power to turn a ragtag bunch of geeky thumb twiddlers into a group of finely tuned virtual rock idols
- The Bad: EA's holding back the Canadian release until just days before Christmas
- The Verdict: An amazingly addictive musical experience sure to round the corners off square gamers everywhere
The Rock Band Special Edition box, which includes a drum kit, guitar, and microphone, is big, heavy, and awkward to lug around. When it hits Canadian stores in a few weeks, its inevitable popularity will make it one of the hardest items to find in your local game shop. And in the unlikely event that you happen to run across a copy that hasn't been snapped up, it will leave a crater $170 deep in your wallet, should you choose to make it yours.
But, for heaven's sake, if you can get your hands on Rock Band, buy it. It's just about the most fun you and up to three of your friends can have in front of a television.
I roll with the band
Rock Band's moniker is among the most simple and accurate game names of all time, describing, as it does, exactly what you will do once you bring it home: Play rock music in a band.
Make no mistake, this is a party game designed for two to four players (i.e. your band). Of course, there is a solo career, and it plays a lot like the single-player mode in Guitar Hero, providing new venues and songs at regular intervals (the two games share the same development studio). However, while playing by yourself is a good way to acquaint yourself with the game's 50-odd tracks, you probably won't continue to play the single-player career once you've finished it.
That's because it's so much more scintillating to play in a group.
Somehow, when played with a few friends, Rock Band makes you feel like you're in a real band. It might be because you get to do things like make up your own band name. Or that you get to watch the musicians you create physically transform into rock idols as you add tattoos and buy more stylish duds. Or that you earn more fans and better touring vehicles as time goes on. Or that the crowd starts to sing along with you when you're performing well.
Maybe. But probably not.
The real reason you feel like you're in a band is that you really are in a band. When you play Rock Band with your friends, you become part of a team, relying on the drummer to keep a strong beat, the bassist to lay down a funky vibe, the lead guitarist to carry the melody, and the singer to belt out crowd-pleasing anthems. It's the closest most of us will ever get to feeling the sort of musical connection experienced by musicians playing as a group. And it's addictive.
Drummer: Not disposable
Pay attention: When singing, it doesn't matter if you don't know the words or melodies of any songs. Lyrics are provided, and all you have to do is lower or raise the pitch of your warbling in accordance with a line that scrolls across the screen. On the easiest setting even William Hung would be able to score top marks on Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun."
Nor does it matter if, like me, you are a terribly inexperienced — or terrible and inexperienced — guitarist. Keep the difficulty at low or medium and just about anyone can shred Black Sabbath's Paranoid by following the on-screen cues for pressing fret buttons. (If worse comes to worst, you can just assume bass duties and prop your stony faced, shades-wearing butt in the corner as you pluck out even simpler sets of notes).
Drummers, on the other hand, are key — or at least not as expendable as This is Spinal Tap made them seem. You will need to be able to keep a beat. It also helps if you're an expert at rubbing your head and patting your tummy simultaneously. The seemingly simple task of co-ordinating your two hands and your right foot can be astonishingly tricky. I typically had to play each song several times over before I began to feel remotely comfortable on the skins. On the easiest setting. My band mates weren't impressed.
However, if you do flunk out of the song — which can happen if you miss too many beats or notes — your buddies can bring you back by engaging "Overdrive" mode, which is similar to Guitar Hero's "Star Power" mode. Still, the drummer is the one who keeps everyone else in rhythm, so it's best if you have someone who doesn't need to be rescued from offstage all the time. If you can find a person who plays the drums in real life, grab him and don't let go. Seriously. Have him sign a contract with your band. Offer money if necessary.
Get your roadie on
Preparing to play Rock Band is almost as complex as setting up instruments for a real live gig. First, the electronic drum kit needs to be assembled and the guitar snapped together. Then everything, including the microphone and a second guitar (you can use an old Guitar Hero axe if you have one kicking around) has to be jacked into an externally powered USB hub that connects to the console.
It sounds like a lot of work, but it only takes about fifteen minutes to get up and running. No tools required.
And it's all quality gear.
The touch sensitive, colour-coded drum skins are durable, the stand height is adjustable, and the kick pedal has a strong, sturdy spring designed to withstand even furious solos like the one in Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper.
Meanwhile, the guitar — a genuine Fender Stratocaster — is one top-notch toy instrument. Unlike guitars that shipped with Guitar Hero III, Rock Band's unit isn't wireless, but it has plenty of features that make up for its tether, including a longer handle, a solid and nicely weighted body, five extra fret buttons near the base for high pitched shredding, and a sound effects switch. Guitar Hero vets might fuss over the design of the strummer, which offers more resistance and doesn't make a clicking sound when plucked, but Rock Band's axe is undoubtedly the video game industry's most authentic guitar peripheral to date.
Rock Band's Canadian tour postponed
Unfortunately for would-be Canadian rockers, Electronic Arts has delayed Rock Band's release north of the 49th until December. While our Southern neighbours have had access to the game since the 20th of November, the Canadian release is now slated to hit store shelves on or around the 19th of December. An EA spokesperson said it was due to high demand and that the video game giant wanted to do a proper Canadian launch with adequate product. Sadly, it looks like there will be a lot of rock-less homes this holiday.
On the bright side, that means I might be the most popular fellow on my block this Christmas. Rock Band is one of those rare games that will make people invite themselves over to your house to play it — even if they don't normally play games. And seeing as how being a one-man-band hasn't been cool since Dick Van Dyke's opening performance in Mary Poppins (perhaps not even then), I'm more than happy to welcome them.
Now if only someone would make a game with a keyboard, the one instrument I actually know how to play....
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