Where gamers can band together
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By Eric Majkut
It's probably safe to assume that most people have, at one point or another, considered what life might be like as a rock star. Roaring crowds, voracious fans, recording contracts, and of course you can't forget the tour bus.
It all makes for a great daydream, and games makers seem to be catching on.
Gamers have been rocking out to the various iterations of Guitar Hero since its release in 2005. Combining relatively simple game mechanics and popular music from real artists with a replica guitar controller has proven to be a formula for success, as well as lots of fun.
Boasting two sequels and fans of all ages, it only seems logical that developer Harmonix Music Systems decided to take things to the next level with their newest game, Rock Band.
Rock Band puts not only you, but three of your friends into the shoes of aspiring rock stars. Unlike previous games that only featured a guitar, Rock Band lives up to its name by providing you with an entire band worth of musical instruments to jam on.
Included in the box is a replica Fender Stratocaster that can be used to play either lead guitar or bass, while the separate purchase of a second guitar (or plugging in the compatible Guitar Hero controller) will allow a second guitarist to join in.
A set of drums comes with the game as well, including wooden drumsticks and a bass pedal. Last but not least is a microphone, used for providing lead vocals and occasionally for secondary instruments such as a tambourine or cowbell.
The gameplay itself is reminiscent of Rock Band's predecessors. Colored notes scroll down the screen in time to the song that you've chosen to play, and it's your job to hit the corresponding colored buttons on your instrument as the note passes the bottom of the screen.
It's easy to catch on to and the system does an excellent job of melding the on-screen happenings with what your hands are doing, truly making you feel like you're playing your part in the band.
The instruments convincingly mimic the way one would play a real instrument of that type, for instance, a player using the guitar would hold the correct colored button on the neck of his guitar while simultaneously pressing the “strum bar”.
The drums are similar, requiring you to tap the colored pad that corresponds to the correct note on-screen. Vocals are analyzed by the software to check for pitch, and on the harder difficulty levels players are even checked to ensure that they're singing the correct lyrics, all of which appear on-screen to guide you along.
The basics of the game aren't overly difficult to pick up, and after a few songs most players should be fairly comfortable. Mastery of the many songs, especially on higher difficulty levels, is no easy task however.
Things become even more complex with the introduction of Overdrive, a special score multiplier that can be earned by playing well. Quite a bit of strategy can sometimes be involved in determining the best time to use the multiplier, especially when coordinating with other members of your band.
After rearranging your living room to make space for the new band, tailoring them to your exact tastes shouldn't be hard. Unlike Guitar Hero and others in which you were stuck with pre-made characters, Rock Band allows you to fully customize nearly every aspect of your group and offers tons of options.
Create band members and give them names, earn money from playing shows, and then spend it on things like new clothes, hairstyles, fancier instruments, extra security at your gigs, and later more extravagant purchases like tour buses or private jets.
Harmonix has even discussed plans to allow players to purchase bumper stickers, t-shirts, and other memorabilia bearing their in-game band logo from the Rock Band website.
Online connectivity rounds the package out wonderfully, providing players with the ability to challenge each other in several different modes of play. Playstation 3 and Xbox360 owners are able to extend the game's impressive 58 song tracklist by purchasing additional songs online from a catalog that receives weekly updates.
Entire albums are available for purchase, as well as individual singles. Almost all of the songs are from easily recognizable bands, featuring artists such as Blue Oyster Cult, Metallica, Foo Fighters, and David Bowie among many others.
All things considered, Rock Band manages to break a lot of new ground in an area once considered to be familiar territory.
It's perhaps the only game that allows players to feel the sense of synergy that band mates feel up on stage, and right from the comfort of their own couch.
Also of note is the particularly wide selection of systems that the game is available on, covering both the Playstation 2 and 3, Xbox360, and the Nintendo Wii.
The $170 price tag might seem a bit steep at first glance, but the instruments included are some of the most original and entertaining specialty controllers ever made for a game.
If it'll make you feel better, just consider it an investment to get yourself started down the road to becoming a rock legend. Hey, it worked for me.
