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EmailWii, Meet RockBand
Feb 01
Start saving: EA CEO confirms Rock Band – Nintendo Wii Fanboy
If I had enough room to set it up right and enough friends to play regularly, this would be The Next Big Thing at VandS World Headquarters. Meanwhile, I’m going back to work on Guitar Hero III’s HARD level.
Feb 03, 2008 @ 13:03:35
Oh no question, get ROCK BAND. I was skeptical (and a loyal GH devotee, having played through I-III as well as Rocks the 80s) but once I played at a friend’s house I was hooked and we got the game the next day.
The gameplay is sensational. The customization of characters allows you to truly “own” your player, rather than choosing from one of 8 or 9 in GH. There’s a greater variety of downloadable songs (as compared to GH). The multiple player aspect of it makes it the perfect party game. The World Band Tour mode offers a lot of fun challenges — my gf and I atttempted (and completed) the Endless Set List yesterday, 5 hours of exhausting work but damn if that wasn’t fun. God we’re nerds. The drums are SUPER fun (if tricky) to play. And if anything, the guitar-work is a lot easier than Rock Band; I’ve often said that “Hard” in Rock Band is simply “Medium” from Guitar Hero with the orange button thrown in.
I love the Rock Band guitar controller, but with a caveat. The buttons aren’t raised pegs like the GH guitar, but recessed into the fretboard. THe result is a smoother feel that allows you to hit notes faster and transpose with greater ease. The problem is, the first wave of guitars were dreck. Issues with the strummer, as well as problems getting the guitar to go into “star power”. I had to send for a replacement (which, to EA’s credit, came in two days with free packagine to replace the old guitar) and the strumming issue is fine, but the star power (while MUCH improved) isn’t quite up to GH levels.
Still, this is as close to a no-brainer as I could possibly imagine. The GH games are wildly addictive and fun. Rock Band takes things to the next level. Great stuff.
Feb 04, 2008 @ 22:09:16
It looks and sounds like a lot of fun, but about the only time I ever have for playing video games is after the wife goes to bed and I have an hour free. I would love to imagine having regular video game parties, but I just don’t see it happening.
I’d LOVE to play the drums this way, though. The thing is, I just don’t have the space where we live right now. Perhaps we would when we eventually move into a bigger place later this year, but then would we be able to afford it? It’s a big fat Catch 22 of reality, I suppose. GH3 will have to hold me over.
Right now, I’d most like to see GH2 ported to the Wii, so I have a fresh supply of songs to play. =)