Rock Band seemed like a neat idea ever since I heard about it, and I enjoyed my first brief experience with it. I liked the concept of being able to assemble your own band. Whether you play alone or with others, you can gain a new appreciation for music by focusing on an instrument you don’t normally listen to, especially bass and drums.

I don’t own Rock Band (and probably won’t for a while due to limited space), but I do enjoy playing it. I have found that it’s fun to play with one other person, but the more people, the better. I like being able to cheer my friends on and work together as a team of four. It’s unique to have a game these days that allows for up to four players in a co-op mode.

When I was playing in a group of three, I often ended up singing vocals. The vocal part is really strange because all you have to do is match the tone. It doesn’t make a difference what words you sing. Songs can be really hard if you’ve never heard them before, but the lax policy (just tone-matching) makes it easier. For drums, it seemed that many songs had similar patterns that would repeat. Even if there were a few tricky parts involving the pedal, the pattern would greatly reduce the difficulty. The guitar part was fun, but my other friends often played it since they were better at it from playing Guitar Hero. It tended to hurt my hand (likely due to inefficient techniques) and tended to be finicky. The guitar controller looks cooler than that for Guitar Hero, but the well-known fact that they break easily greatly detracts from the aesthetic improvements.

The game itself it structured in a fun way, especially with the customizable characters. I enjoyed creating an avatar that looks like an improved version of myself. However, the game doesn’t allow you to switch your character to a different instrument. This was annoying because the people I played with often rotated instruments, so I felt silly playing as an avatar that looked like my friend while the “me” avatar was busy on another part.

I have enjoyed playing Rock Band, and I’d like to play it more. It seems best played with a group of people, so the best gameplay sessions take a little coordination. No matter how much fun I have though, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the silliness of the concept. Rock Band is a game that takes the “be a rock star” fad that began with Guitar Hero even further, but it’s ok to enjoy it as long as you remember that it’s just a game.  

I often see enormous tents and displays on campus. I usually pay little attention, as they often involve free energy drinks or activists. Fortunately, the semi parked on campus last Friday was promoting the game Rock Band. I made an exception and decided to check out the tour bus.

I spent about two hours on the Rock Band tour bus, which had been opened up to form a little stage. The time passed much more quickly when I ran into some friends. I had been playing drums, and I was happy to do so. I have spent some time with Guitar Hero, and the guitar on Rock Band seemed like the same thing. I wanted to try out the “new” instruments. I was surprised to find that there was little demand for the drums, but they were quite fun to play.

Virtual drums are rather interesting. I had thought that it would be like a practice pad, with one or two round circles to hit. Instead, the controller is structured more like a drum set, with four small circles in an arc and a foot pedal. The easy drum difficulty rarely use the foot petal, but the later difficulties become increasingly complicated (as expected). Hitting the different color-coded circles isn’t too difficult, but many people (including myself) seemed to have a lot more trouble when the foot pedal was involved. As a former flutist in high school band and orchestra, I got used to tapping my foot to the beat. I had to switch feet to tap my left foot, as the right foot controlled the pedal. When one foot is tapping and the other has to push a pedal down at certain timed cues, it becomes rather complicated. Fortunately, I played mostly on easy and medium difficulties, so it was manageable.

One of the most fun components of the Rock Band tour was the recording portion. It wasn't a part of the normal game, but was meant as a promotion on the tour. In order to get a free t-shirt, you had to play for a camera. This video is then posted online and eventually feeds into a contest. I ended up with random people, so I never expected to be any good. However, the fact that you get to see yourself on the internet in a silly little video is quite a novelty. I had a lot of fun playing on stage and rocking out in that geeky gamer way. My video is posted below.

After visiting the Rock Band tour bus, I am no closer to buying the game than I was before. I did learn that it is a lot of fun with a group of people that you know, and it can make you feel like a rock star with a little imagination.

See Video Below:

Or click the link here: My Rock Band Video