Rock Band - Impressions...

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:36 am

Played for about an hour last night. Just did 'quick play' songs and did not start a career.

Guitar:

Well, I thought I hated the new Start style from trying it at Best Buy but my experience last night was much different. I really like it but it will take some getting used to after using the GH3 Les Paul. My concerns about the strum bar are gone though.

The first few songs I played were on Expert and were definitely on the easy side but still fun. Not much to say here...plays like Guitar Hero with a couple added features like guitar effects using the toggle switch (which I really could not tell a difference with).

Drums:

There are weird for me right now. I am a drummer at heart and can play a little so I will be able to play these on Hard or Expert with some practice but last night had me a bit frustrated and at one point thinking my drums may be broken.

I tried lag calibration and it did not make a difference that I can tell, but it started to look like the issue was me. I guess the problem is that I don't play like a metronome, but the game requires you to (which is good but just not what I m used to). It's like playing to a click track, if you've never done that it can take some adjustment.

The problem is that once I get off beat a bit, it is really hard to get back on track. And it is even harder to start a song if I am not familiar with it because I do not know the tempo. My leg was also getting cramped up from the foot peddle.

Is it fun though...? Hell yeah. I just need to get more used to it but it is definitely fun and will probably be what I go through the career with.

Vocals:

I can carry a tune a bit so this aspect was actually the most fn for me in my limited time last night. It plays just like the Karoke games for PS2 it appears so not much new here.

All the instruments feel solid and while it sucks that they are not wireless, they are definitely well built.

I am going to dig into Career mode today and I can post more impressions then. I'll also go online and see how that plays.

I'd be happy to answer questions about the game too.

James_E · Post by **James_E** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:10 am

Thanks Spooky.

I'm glad to hear the drumming requires tight time-keeping, since it's so important in real drumming. I can play to a click so I should be ok for the most part. I'm no speed demon though so I imagine playing to the click on the harder levels won't be easy.

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:36 am

The mic is very nice. I was shocked at how heavy it is. That being said, I don't plan on holding it much

Played a little last night with the wife. She seemed to like the singing alot. I have not set up the drum set yet as it was late. But I will do that tonight.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 12:44 pm

Let's see some youtube videos....

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 1:21 pm

The thumping of the drums are loud. It sounds like you're banging the sticks on some cardboard boxes. Not sure how I feel about that.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 1:23 pm

My impressions are the box is heavy and a lot of kids were sad who didn't pre-order when I picked mine up.

We're gonna bust this out at lunch here at work.

Sweet!

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 3:12 pm

Danimal wrote:My impressions are the box is heavy and a lot of kids were sad who didn't pre-order when I picked mine up.

We're gonna bust this out at lunch here at work.

Sweet!

Where do you work that you can bust out Rock Band and play during lunch??!?!?!?!

(rhetorical question:))

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 3:54 pm

I bought it today but I won't get it until Christmas. It's going to be a long wait.

For those with the game there's already some DLC:

Metallica Pack 01
Queens of the Stone Age Pack 01
The Police Pack 01
"Blackened"
"...And Justice for All"
"Ride the Lightning"
"Sick, Sick, Sick"
"3's & 7's"
"Little Sister"
"Synchronicity"
"Roxanne"
"Can't Stand Losing You"
""Cherry Bomb"
"Joker & the Thief"
"My Sharona"
"Bang a Gong"
"Juke Box Hero"
"Fortunate Son"

*all packs -- 440pts
*all singles -- 160pts

I'm all over that Metallica pack on Christmas day as well as Joker & the Thief. Fortunate Son is tempting.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:02 pm

I've spent some time with all the instruments, and my thoughts right now are pretty positive about the game. Random thoughts:

-REALLY sucks that this stuff isn't wireless. If there's ever a game that needed to be wireless, this is it. Now I have cords all over the place.

-Love the new graphical look and the variety in the bands. Also enjoying dressing up my characters (you need a different one for each instrument).

-I love the neck and buttons of the new guitar. Overall the feel and weight of the guitar is excellent, but the fact that the strum bar doesn't click really throws me off. Definitely harder for me to keep time on the sections were you hit a bunch of the same note over and over again. I was also having trouble with quick double notes without being able to feel a click.

-I'm not so good at the drums. When I first picked up GH2, I was pretty much getting 5 stars on all the songs on easy right off the bat. After playing about 15 songs on the drums on easy, I am getting mostly 4 star performances with a few 3 or 5 star performances mixed in. Definitely doesn't come as naturally as I thought it would.

-I can only sing in this game when no one's around. I am dreadful. Fortunately my girlfriend wants to play this game with me and sing.

-Some nice new touches to the gameplay, such as the 'big rock' finishes were you can just go crazy on the drums or guitar. Executed very well. Not as sure about the guitar solos, but it is very cool to have those little buttons for working the frets down on the base of the neck.

There's a lot going on with this game, and I can definitely see how Harmonix refers to this as more of a 'platform' than a single game. Hard to explain, but it feels more like a sandbox rather than a normal video game that one strives to 'beat.' It gives people a robust set of tools to experience and enjoy music in a new way, which is all this game really is when you get down to it.

Leadfoot5 · Post by **Leadfoot5** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:14 pm

Picked a bundle up at Best Buy at lunch. I was tempted to go with the PS3 version as it's wireless, but I decided to go with the 360 version since I heard I can use the Wireless 360 GHIII guitar with it. (Can anyone confirm this?)

One quick question since I won't be busting it open until Thursday morning, does it come with drumsticks? It didn't mention it on the box...

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:22 pm

macsomjrr wrote:Where do you work that you can bust out Rock Band and play during lunch??!?!?!?!

(rhetorical question:))

I work for a web design company, we just played for about 90 minutes at lunch. 2 Guitars, drums, vocals. My rendition of Wanted Dead or Alive is now going to live on forever in the office.

Seriosuly this was a load of fun, so much I got the boss to Ok a copy for the office. I love my job.

I'm not sure if it will compare now when I get home and it is just me. LOL.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:32 pm

Leadfoot5 wrote:Picked a bundle up at Best Buy at lunch. I was tempted to go with the PS3 version as it's wireless, but I decided to go with the 360 version since I heard I can use the Wireless 360 GHIII guitar with it. (Can anyone confirm this?)

One quick question since I won't be busting it open until Thursday morning, does it come with drumsticks? It didn't mention it on the box...

Yes, it does come with drumsticks. I'll try the wireless GH3 guitar when I get a chance too.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:53 pm

Could someone check if the Rock Band guitar works with GH2&3?

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:08 pm

ScoopBrady wrote:Could someone check if the Rock Band guitar works with GH2&3?

I read yesterday that GH3 guitars work in RB but not the other way around.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:16 pm

bdunn13 wrote:
ScoopBrady wrote:Could someone check if the Rock Band guitar works with GH2&3?
I read yesterday that GH3 guitars work in RB but not the other way around.

I just tried every combination, and that is correct.

The GH2 wired guitar and the GH3 wireless guitar work in Rock Band, but of course they don't have the mini-buttons at the base of the neck nor the switch to change guitar effects. That won't prevent from playing normally though.

If you try to use the Rock Band guitar in GH3 you'll get a message saying an unsupported peripheral has been detected and you can't do anything.

If you try the Rock Band guitar in GH2, you can navigate the menus with it, but it won't work in the songs.

RallyMonkey · Post by **RallyMonkey** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:17 pm

Picked up my PS3 copy at 11:00am and started a solo career with the drums. While it's nice that the guitar is wireless, it would have been huge if they could have made the drums and mic wireless as well. The drum cord is just too damn short for where i play my games.

As far as gameplay, just damn fun. Played through the first 4 or 5 set lists on easy. For me, someone with no musical history, i had to start here. Sadly i also figured out very quickly that my eyes, hands, and right foot just have no coordination when attempting to use them all at the same time.

Once i got the hang of things it felt great.

Tried out the guitar quickly in quickplay mode. Been there done that with GH so nothing to report.

Tried out the mic also on a few songs. Much like others who have posted, my vocal skills are awful but it was pretty fun getting into a song (Wanted Dead or Alive was great). Best part of this was tapping the mic on my hand to play the "cow bell" portion of, you guessed it, Blue Oyster Cult's/Will Ferrell classic Don't Fear the Reaper.

I see this game being very fun as a party game. Not sure if the wife will be willing to try it out with me tonight, but with any luck i can get the band together on the holiday.

Good stuff so far.

Nozzleman_216 · Post by **Nozzleman_216** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:16 pm

I will post more later but for now, here is a quick impression.

1. My childhood dream of once wanting to play the drums in a rock band are now dashed. I also realized I will never be a virtual drummer either LOL.

2.My thought of ever thinking I could sing is now down the toilet.

3. I thought maybe I could be a real guitar player then I realized this is the only instrument not too realistic and I would suck at that too.

So there you have it, I am having a BLAST with this game, but it shows how little musical abilities I truly have

More to follo

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:32 pm

It seems that if you want to pick this before Turkey Day and Satan's Friday you can. I walked into Circuit City and they had a few out.

I'm not speding $170 on a game, when I didn't really get into GH. But for those out there on the fence, you want want to make up your mind quickly.

I venture that after friday these things will be damn near impossible to find until the new year.

RallyMonkey · Post by **RallyMonkey** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:29 pm

I'm not speding $170 on a game, when I didn't really get into GH

I've been saying this exact same thing for the last two weeks even with mine reserved, until finally this morning it hit me. I easily have more than $160 worth of party games in my house for when we have friends over. This is a game that i will get plenty of enjoyment out of on my own and with my kids, but what sold me was this is something that i can keep around for times like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or when friends come over for dinner or drinks. Unlike GH, this one has group fun written all over it.

Not at all saying this should justify a purchase for other people, it's expensive for sure. Just helped me "justify" the $170.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:48 pm

RallyMonkey wrote:
I'm not speding $170 on a game, when I didn't really get into GH
I've been saying this exact same thing for the last two weeks even with mine reserved, until finally this morning it hit me. I easily have more than $160 worth of party games in my house for when we have friends over. This is a game that i will get plenty of enjoyment out of on my own and with my kids, but what sold me was this is something that i can keep around for times like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or when friends come over for dinner or drinks. Unlike GH, this one has group fun written all over it.

Not at all saying this should justify a purchase for other people, it's expensive for sure. Just helped me "justify" the $170.

No I think as a party game you are right. Unlike GH, RB is a party game. The whole set-up screams for 3 or 4 people.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 11:52 pm

Can anyone confirm that no one else online is able to hear the singer when playing multiplayer? In other words, the vocals for everyone online that is not singing are the stock vocals and not the real online person sining. If that is the case that is a HUGE, HUGE bummer!!!

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 2:56 am

Spooky wrote:Can anyone confirm that no one else online is able to hear the singer when playing multiplayer? In other words, the vocals for everyone online that is not singing are the stock vocals and not the real online person sining. If that is the case that is a HUGE, HUGE bummer!!!

Depends on who's singing...

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 3:23 am

Rock Band gets a 9.4 from IGN and a 9.0 from Gamespot.

I am beginning to enjoy myself more. I finished the drum solo tour on easy, and it's beginning to click. I did some Band World Tour with a buddy tonight, switching off between guitar and drums, but I could drum most songs pretty well on medium difficulty. I still feel like I have to hit the drum notes too early though, and my friend I played with who was a musician and former drum-line leader agrees with me. It's not the lag as I set the game up for an LCD, and the timing is fine for guitar.

I also have a love/hate relationship with the new guitar. I love the longer neck, and the bigger buttons, but that completely new strum bar drives me nuts sometimes.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:25 am

SEMINOLE wrote:I will post more later but for now, here is a quick impression.

1. My childhood dream of once wanting to play the drums in a rock band are now dashed. I also realized I will never be a virtual drummer either LOL.

2.My thought of ever thinking I could sing is now down the toilet.

3. I thought maybe I could be a real guitar player then I realized this is the only instrument not too realistic and I would suck at that too.

So there you have it, I am having a BLAST with this game, but it shows how little musical abilities I truly have

More to follo

Just have a look at the current charts or the imbeciles on those crappy reality shows - do you think that has stopped them ?

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 10:55 am

Naples39 wrote: I still feel like I have to hit the drum notes too early though, and my friend I played with who was a musician and former drum-line leader agrees with me. It's not the lag as I set the game up for an LCD, and the timing is fine for guitar.

Completely agree. I am having a hard time finding that perfect timing with the drums and I think it is because I am a tad too slow. The problem is that once you get off track it is really hard to get back on.