William BagleyGuitar Hero vs Rock Band Round 3
November 21st 2007 11:54
Well here we go, folks. The first reviews for Rock Band are slowly making their way out, and the earliest cab off the ranks are those loveable critters over at IGN. The result? Rock band is good ... really good.
The 'exclusive' review (how exclusive, we'll never know) explains a number of key advantages and disadvantages over its main rival, one Guitar Hero III. The most obvious, of course, is the fact that Rock Band is a multiplayer experience, unlike Guitar Hero's generally single player design. There's a little more strategy involved too, with the Overdrive feature which works similarly to a general score multiplayer, but if stacked together, the scores fly up northward. And if someone struggles with a particular area, you can substitute an Overdrive to save them. Certainly a nice choice if the moment were to ever arise.
Being a complete band experience, the music has been chosen to give every player a chance to make their mark, so there won't be as many big guitar solo's as you may be used to. Still, as a multiplayer experience, this certainly looks the goods.
The major gripes, so far, come down to affordability and longevity. The instruments, as a set, will cost closer to $200US, who knows how much it will hit once it reaches our shores. And since the experience isn't complete without the full kit, you won't be able to buy the drums separate from the guitar just yet. There are solo modes, but it just isn't the same. Still, once it does make its way out here, it'll be interesting to see the uptake in sales compared to the installed base of GH.
And the music, which of course is the most important part, is a little hit (big hit, Metallica and Nirvana to name a few) and some misses, which seems surprising. And despite 45 songs on the disk, the World Tour mode will have you repeating some songs as you go. Thank the Gods for downloadable content, then, which should clear that up nicely, if you can afford it of course.
So, now the competition really begins. Rock Band will reach Australia early next year, so it'll be some time before you see my hands on report. Meanwhile, Guitar Hero III sales are heating up the charts despite hot competition. As of last week, GHIII on PS2 and Xbox 360 came second and third respectively in the Australian all games top 10 sales charts, beaten only by my previously mentioned game of the week, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Ok, so I was one short of my prediction, but I did say PS2 would come first, so don't call me a liar just yet ... please ... pretty please ... I promise I'll be more accurate next time, honest!
The 'exclusive' review (how exclusive, we'll never know) explains a number of key advantages and disadvantages over its main rival, one Guitar Hero III. The most obvious, of course, is the fact that Rock Band is a multiplayer experience, unlike Guitar Hero's generally single player design. There's a little more strategy involved too, with the Overdrive feature which works similarly to a general score multiplayer, but if stacked together, the scores fly up northward. And if someone struggles with a particular area, you can substitute an Overdrive to save them. Certainly a nice choice if the moment were to ever arise.
Being a complete band experience, the music has been chosen to give every player a chance to make their mark, so there won't be as many big guitar solo's as you may be used to. Still, as a multiplayer experience, this certainly looks the goods.
The major gripes, so far, come down to affordability and longevity. The instruments, as a set, will cost closer to $200US, who knows how much it will hit once it reaches our shores. And since the experience isn't complete without the full kit, you won't be able to buy the drums separate from the guitar just yet. There are solo modes, but it just isn't the same. Still, once it does make its way out here, it'll be interesting to see the uptake in sales compared to the installed base of GH.
And the music, which of course is the most important part, is a little hit (big hit, Metallica and Nirvana to name a few) and some misses, which seems surprising. And despite 45 songs on the disk, the World Tour mode will have you repeating some songs as you go. Thank the Gods for downloadable content, then, which should clear that up nicely, if you can afford it of course.
So, now the competition really begins. Rock Band will reach Australia early next year, so it'll be some time before you see my hands on report. Meanwhile, Guitar Hero III sales are heating up the charts despite hot competition. As of last week, GHIII on PS2 and Xbox 360 came second and third respectively in the Australian all games top 10 sales charts, beaten only by my previously mentioned game of the week, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Ok, so I was one short of my prediction, but I did say PS2 would come first, so don't call me a liar just yet ... please ... pretty please ... I promise I'll be more accurate next time, honest!
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