For months, I have been yearning to buy the $160 game of awesomeness that is Rock Band. My brother received it as a birthday gift recently (I admit I picked it out), and I finally got to try it out. It was a blast. The game is simple to pick up and play; even the video game incompetent can pick up the guitar and strum away like a pro on easy mode.
The microphone is easy to use, and it measures your pitch and how long you hold it. The meter couldn’t care less about the actual lyrics, which means someone can just hum or wail through the song and get 100%. That being said, it’s very much like Karoake Revolution, another game I have for the Xbox 360. The annoying part about being on the mic is when you have to slap it against your palm as if you’re playing the tambourine or another percussion instrument. Done repeatedly, it makes your hands sore. I must say I was utterly horrible at it, but then again, I can’t sing in real life, so it’s not a shocker. The only easy tunes I could do were Nirvana’s “In Bloom,” OK Go’s “Here It Goes Again,” and The Killers’ “When You Were Young.”
The guitar is interesting to play, but you must have nimble fingers and have the order of the colored buttons etched in your mind. Bass is much easier to play than the guitar because the combinations of notes are more simpler and repetitive. I’ve heard that the guitar is exactly like that of Guitar Hero, but I wouldn’t know so I can’t validate that statement.
Drums are the most fun instrument to play, but they are by far the most difficult. Not only do you have four buttons you must slam your sticks on, you have a foot pedal. If you choose a fast-paced song with an emphasis on drums, you must collect yourself for one of the most challenging game experiences ever. I’ve worked up quite the sweat even on some songs on medium difficulty. Though it’s hard work, the drums are really rewarding. You have to feel the beat of the music to be a drummer, and hitting a whole line of notes and ending with a bash makes you feel so connected to the song.
Overall, Rock Band is all that I thought it would be. The only downside is that there are not many songs, and you have to play on solo to unlock them. Downloading new songs is also kind of expensive. However, this game is perfect for multiplayer situations, and it never gets old. I have to give a disclaimer though: Rock Band can do freaky things to your mental and physical health. Symptoms include raw palms from hitting the mic, blisters from holding the drumsticks, the image of the rolling button track stuck in your mind when you’re trying to sleep, and the so-called “Haunted Mansion” syndrome in which the TV appears to expand in all directions, and it feels as if you’re shrinking. This has happened to my brother several times, but I not to me. I guess the game is just that intense. A-
