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Thursday 6 March, 2008
GAMEPLAY
The second hour of play proved to be more emotionally attaching than the first. Our band is getting very into the game, and as our fan base grows, it is increasingly important that we do not lose fans from a poor show. The game fosters a large amount of social interaction, not so much during play, as players are concentrating on hitting the right notes, but after play, as players brag or argue about who performed the best, etc. Also, people who happen to be in the room tend to gravitate towards watching us play. I would imagine this is because all the songs are very well known, and the game is much more entertaining to watch than someone just pressing buttons on a controller. Plus, people probably wonder why someone with such a bad voice is holding a microphone!
Rock Band, though it does not have a huge storyline, flows well. Moving from gig to gig feels smooth, and it does not seem like just going from one level to the next. The addition of different virtual vehicles to transport the band adds to the flow of the game.
The game can be very rewarding and upsetting at different times, which is a good sign. Overall, the physical performance aspects of the game and the good tunes make for a very interesting gameplay experience.
DESIGN
Though it may seem at first to be a knock off of Guitar Hero, which to some extent it is, Rock Band is very innovative and brings a lot of new elements to the table. The band players create is highly customizable. Players can dress their avatars and pick appearances, and a band logo can be made.
Rather than complete predetermined lists of songs, like in Guitar Hero, performances consist of single songs, multiple song sets, "make your own" setlists, and mystery setlists. There is also the occasional "risk vs reward" decision, in which bands need to choose which sized venue they perform at carefully, as a poor performance at a larger venue poses a greater threat of the band losing fans. Similar to betting, players can accept an all-or-nothing style option, where a five star performace yields high reward.
The venues in the game are very well developed, as they are inspired from real life venues and display local art styles from their respective cities. Player rewards include band managers, roadies, security personnel, and sound guys, as well as a recording deal with a record label.
Rock Band offerer many different modes aside from Band World Tour mode. Solo Tour mode allows for single player fun, solo quickplay and band quickplay allow for players to get out a few quick songs without sacrificing their band's reputation. Another big social aspect of the game is the online play, which has more modes of its own.
Perhaps the best design element of Rock Band is the instruments. One complaint I have is with the guitar that comes included with the game. Frankly, it doesn't compare to the guitar hero controllers. Thankfully, a Guitar Hero controller can be used as well, so I recommend just substituting out the stock guitar right away. The drums are quite difficult to play, but they are a lot of fun. The foot pedal is tricky but adds a large amount of realism. The microphone is also of fairly high quality build, and it gets the job done. Rock Band does a great job of offering alternatives to classic controller gameplay.
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