Rock Band > Guitar Hero?
July 14th, 2008
I have a dream… One day I’ll be able to complete Guitar Hero III on the “Hard” difficulty setting. Not “Extreme” difficulty mind you, that’s just nuts. I’ll be quite happy reaching the, for me, lofty heights of hard.
Anyway enough of dreams, back to reality. So I’ve been playing both Guitar Hero II & III on and off over the last year or so, always returning to them at sometime or other because they successfully fuse together challenging gameplay with good old fashioned down to earth, bring a huge smile to your face: “Fun”. They’re the perfect choice when you fancy a change of pace from racing or shooting.
Both games offer a fairly decent selection of tracks and even though there are a few tracks I really just can’t stand, those that I like far outnumber those I avoid like the plague. However, even with the best will in the world boredom has eventually set-up home and I desperately needed a new challenge. I could choose to purchase some downloadable content for Guitar Hero III, but to be honest I’m not keen on the current pricing policy which forces me to buy “track packs”. I therefore decided to try my hand at Harmonix’s next project Rock Band.
Now I understand that this game “Rocks” (forgive the pun), and is at its best when playing with a bunch of mates, but I’m really just happy playing through the solo guitar career at present using my existing Guitar Hero II X-Plorer controller.
I must admit I was very tempted to get hold of the “Band in a Box” instrument set but with the recent glut of announcements concerning the updated guitar and drum controllers for Rock Band 2 (which look awesome) I felt it was more prudent to hang onto the 99 notes (pounds) that the retailer would gladly snatch from my hand given half a chance.
So far I’m very impressed with Rock Band. I’ve cruised through “Medium” and I’m now starting to make my way through “Hard” but there have been a few things that really caught my eye, and which, for me makes this the better pseudo guitar game.
Customisable Character
Unlike Guitar Hero there’s a greater variety of customisation available. Instead of just being able to choose from a stock selection of characters, which generally have a couple of different costumes each, you actually get to create a character defining generic facial features, hair style, eye colour, and can choose from a variety of different clothes, accessories, and even a vast selection of tattoos from the “Rock Shop”. It gives you that fully pimped out rocker you always wanted and ultimately means that you, the player, empathise more with your on screen rock god persona.
A “Gritty” Art Style
Overall the visuals look far grittier than those of its stable-mate with a great grainy wash used effectively throughout the game.
Fully Integrated Downloadable Content
The number of songs available to download is already amazing, but what impressed me the most was the integrated “music store” within the game. Listing all available content by songs, song packs, albums, or new releases, the store displays the album cover (if it’s an original artist), allows you to listen to a preview of the song , shows the difficulty level per instrument, but more importantly you can purchase individual tracks.
Balanced Difficulty Levels
Rock Band feels so much more balanced than Guitar Hero III. The jump up from “Medium” to “Hard” seems like it’s actually achievable and didn’t leave me completely demoralrised and frustrated. Amazingly I could actually complete some tracks on “Hard” on the first attempt, something that was just a pipe dream with Guitar Hero III.
Glados and Jonathan Coulton
The end credit score from Portal… Free…. Enough said!
So, my loyalties for the moment have switched to Rock Band. I’m intrigued by Guitar Hero: World Tour and from what I’ve read they’ve certainly stepping up to take on Rock Band head on with the inclusion of a drum kit and microphone as-well. What is assured is that there’s going to be an almighty “Battle Royale” for my affection, and my cash.
