The Observer, October 19, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 8
Rock Band hits Case campus with amplified bang
Whether you're into video games or not, you've probably at least heard of Guitar Hero. Harmonix, the company that created the first two installments of the series, has set its sights on a slightly different form of gameplay in its newest release, Rock Band. Rock Band has set the stage, if you will, for some serious multiplayer action. You and up to three friends can play guitar, bass, drums, and sing vocals on the same song, hopefully successfully piecing together a personalized top hit. Forty-five songs are available, ranging from the Rolling Stones to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and even including recent Springfest-ers, OK Go.
Harmonix's manager of community development, Sean Baptiste, hopes that, similar to Guitar Hero, Rock Band will open up even more opportunities to people who wouldn't typically play video games or a real instrument. "The music genre over the last few years has blossomed and expanded outwards," says Baptiste, expressing high hopes for the game to bring together people of all ages to change the way they look at music and video games.
The game embarked on a pre-release tour on Sept. 15, offering people around the nation a hands-on demo of the game. The North Residential Village was privileged to host the Rock Band RV on Oct. 11. Despite the rainy weather, there was still a decent turnout of students. Consisting of three stations with widescreen TVs and Xbox 360s, their trailer provided relatively wait-free access to Rock Band. My friends and I were more than happy to take over a station for a few songs.
The game is very easy for veterans and newbies alike to pick up and play. "Overdrive" (a modified Star Power, for those Guitar Hero-ers) and quicker multipliers are just two of the many updates you'll notice. Beautiful graphics and visual transitions bring this game to life, and you'll be immersed in the song before you know it. Rock Band incorporates the same difficulty levels as Guitar Hero, so differently skilled players can easily play together. A big new feature is the ending bonus in select songs, which allows players to get in some freestyle jamming at the end of a song for a serious point boost. But therein lies the catch. The ending bonus is only added to your score if everyone plays the last few notes perfectly. Freshman Ty Taylor, who played along with my 'band,' really enjoyed this new feature, and says that it makes Rock Band better than Guitar Hero.
Starting with the guitar, the biggest change you'll notice is the amount of new features and buttons on the controller. While Baptiste assures us that Rock Band is backwards compatible with all older guitars, the new controllers have a second series of frets on the neck, which are used to tap out solos to rack up some serious points. Other new controls include an effects switch to change the way your guitar sounds in the song. Some of the improvements made on the guitar design include a much quieter strum bar and improved fret buttons. Expert Guitar Hero players will appreciate the softened middle yellow fret because it doesn't rip flesh off your fingers during quick chord changes.
The drums were the instrument that I found most impressive. Being someone who has never sat at a drum set before, I was easily able to get started behind a pair of drumsticks. The 'easy' difficulty allows new drummers to really get into a song without holding them back with controls and coordination. The drumset consists of four pads plus a kick pedal. Taylor, who alluded to his experience behind the drums, noted that the Rock Band drums play like a real instrument. It's easy to get caught closing your eyes and pretending to be a real rock star, even if you do keep playing the same two notes.
Lastly, the microphone adds a whole new aspect to the game. While some may be intimidated by singing aloud to a song, Taylor did not admit to any embarrassment. He claimed that the first thing that went through his head as he sung was, "Holy crap, I'm really good at this!" The actual vocalist sings along with the player, also helping to alleviate potential embarrassment.
Whether or not you got the opportunity to play a song or two when the tour came to campus, look out for it on Nov. 23 when it comes out for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, priced at $169.99. If you don't have a newer console yet, the Playstation 2 version comes out two-and-a-half weeks later for $159.99. The only downside to the expensive bundle is that it comes with only one guitar; if you want two guitars for the maximum Rock Band experience, you'll have to purchase an extra one. But, the microphone and drum set are included. So until the release, brush up on your guitar skills and get ready for the drums, because Rock Band has a lot of potential to be an awesome social event.
