Being a rock star is hard work. When you're not spending months on a bus or jetting across the world on tour, you're avoiding rabid fans, pushing away coked-out roadies, and cutting checks to cover the cost of demolished hotel rooms. Somewhere in there you're making music, which is what most of us wish we could do. Pick in hand, sticks ready, and microphone primed--Rock Band is giving you that chance. Harmonix has created an inventive music game that finally offers the long-desired rock star vibe. Although there are a few minor kinks to be addressed, our hands-on time with Rock Band leads us to believe that this could be the new face of music gaming.
A comparison to Guitar Hero is inevitable given that the fundamental gameplay of Rock Band shares much with its predecessor. Much of that can be attributed to the fact that Harmonix is responsible for generating both series. Extending beyond guitar-slashing however, Rock Band introduces an entire slate of instruments for play. Guitar is joined by bass, drums, and vocals to form a virtual band. It's this key evolution over the Guitar Hero formula that sets the game apart and gives it the potential to revolutionize the music-rhythm genre.
At its most basic, the game has you playing notes that scroll toward the screen's foreground. Playing on guitar, bass, or drums, your goal is to hit notes correctly as they pass on the screen. How you play these notes obviously differs among the three instruments. Strumming the guitar is done in a fashion identical to Guitar Hero; similarly, bass plays the same way. Colored notes correspond to buttons on the controller's neck. Hold these down and strum the instrument to play notes. Drumming, which utilizes a snazzy set designed specifically for the game, follows this basic mechanic albeit with each drum corresponding to a color. As notes speed down the screen, you hit the respective colored drum. It's a remarkably straightforward system, yet surprisingly challenging and addictive.
Vocals don't use the same mechanic, departing from color-coded notation in favor of lyrics and pitch. Three tracks for each of the instruments fill up the bottom portion of the screen, while a vocal track with words and intonation stream across the top. Using a microphone, you sing along to the music. Occasionally, ad lib bars appear on the screen letting you shout to the crowd to pump them up and earn extra points. USB microphones, such as those packed in with any of Sony Computer Entertainment's SingStar series, work with the game. Additionally, if you want extra guitars Rock Band does support Guitar Hero peripherals (for each respective platform).
Running four different instruments together at once not only makes Rock Band a much more social experience, it also shifts the focus away from solo showmanship to group performance. Instead of being cast into the spotlight as an individual guitarist, you're actively jamming as part of an ensemble. This creates a more comfortable atmosphere since everyone is sharing in the mistakes and fun. Solos do pop up from time to time in certain tracks, but for the most part this is about making music as a group. In fact, bonuses are awarded for unison performances in which everyone perfectly plays their part.
Rock Band is set to offer a range of modes, the most notable of which are local and online multiplayer sessions for up to four players. Additionally, the inventive World Tour mode allows you to form a band either locally and then go on tour to virtual venues across the US and Europe. You can play small and large clubs, theaters, and huge arenas in cities like Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Rome, and Stockholm. There are more than two dozen venues across eight international cities. Sadly, there online functionality for World Tour has been cut. Confirmation by Harmonix elaborates on the exclusion as a result of time constraints to make the November release.
While the most fun is likely to be had in jamming with your buddies in World Tour, you can try lighting up the stage alone in Solo Tour mode. Here you play through the game's 45 licensed songs, a majority of which are master tracks. Tunes come all the way from the sixties to modern hits with artists like the Rolling Stones, Radiohead, Hole, and Weezer. There's a little bit of everything, which means everyone can find at least something they recognize and enjoy. Joining the initial list are promised weekly downloads; Harmonix hasn't revealed specific tracks, but have mentioned the possibility of buying full albums for play.
