Though I must admit I’m super stoked with the base song selection, and have been doing lots of rocking the fuck out, and then downloading packs and rocking out even more. Apart from the odd quirks like calibration woes, and the bizzarro implementation of “can’t use this band because the leader is not logged into the instrument he/she was when forming the band in spite of you wanting to change up the formation so you have to make a new GD band or just quick play”‘itis, we’ve been estatic with the kit.

I’m actually kinda getting tired of guitar hero, but admittedly I’ve not given GHIII a go yet, as I still have the foul taste of the 80’s edition lingering in my mouth. Skinning GH2, adding a meager song selection, and then charging $10 more than what had become the standard PS2 title intro rate? Whiskey Tango Fuck?

I think Rock Band is my fave game played this year. I’m hoping I’ll have the opportunity to add Assassin’s Creed and Mass Effect to that list before the year’s out. Oh… and that “Portal” thing I hear those kids talking about, with the cakes and stuff.

Be careful about Assassin’s Creed and Mass Effect. Notice how Ben didn’t put them on the list of “Almost Made It”s; SPOILER ALERT I suspect they are not in his top 10 either.

“Most of them lack interesting syncopation or wailing, and that’s pretty inexcusable in a game about ROCKING THE FUCK OUT”

but this should read (having now seen all the songs in action):

“Most songs up until the last two venues lack interesting syncopation or wailing, and that’s pretty inexcusable in a game about ROCKING THE FUCK OUT; but as soon as you crank out some RUSH and some fucking BOSTON things get way better, and the last track I played actually caused me to fail THRICE before I finished it off.”

I also seem to have fixed my calibration issues and the technical songs were much more enjoyable because of this (had to go into the Xbox HUD and set my sound system to stereo speakers, and then manually calibrate Rock Band, and then play with the Guitar Hero II guitar to get the precision I desired).

Also, yeah, I’ll probably be writing about Assassin’s Creed and Mass Effect tomorrow. Along with Motorstorm. And Heavenly Sword. Guess the topic!

We’re getting another song off that first Weezer record this December. I’d probably pay $50 for the whole album…

It still won’t make my Top 10, which are pretty stable at this point (number 10 keeps coming close to dropping off the list, but then I look at its pretty little face and I can’t bear to make it cry).

I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy doing vocals, but having four people rock out simultaneously is something that’s indescribable to someone who has only played GH3 coop. I’ve played songs where band mates have switched instruments halfway through because their instrument was too difficult and they’d rather finish the song rather than let down the entire band. Also, fighting over the band name is fun.

GH3 coop still feels like there just happens to be someone who is also playing GH in the room, but having a whole band rocking out actually feels like you’re accomplishing something in RB.

GH3 might have a better solo mode, which I still will revert to, but party nights have never been centered around single player GH3. Wock Band Wednesday? Yes, please.

I still haven’t rocked out to all the songs, but the ones we have rocked out to are pretty sweet. I can’t say that I love all the songs on GH3, so I don’t think it’s fair to assess the games based on that.

Rock Band ftw.

Again, I think Rock Band will be the better game in the long run, but I’m looking forward to a Guitar Hero sequel (or, oh please God, the Country Music version) quite a bit more. The gap started to close, though, when I played the last songs in Rock Band, but not QUITE.

And my main interest here is definitely the single player or 2 player experience.

Everyone wants to play drums, or at least try it. People often suck and are shunned into playing Bass on Easy. The learning curve kind of sucks, but once you get the hang of it, and turn the volume up high enough to drown out the pounding on plastic sound, it’s pretty sweet.

Then there’s the vocals. Vocals are weird for a couple of reasons. One, it’s really hard to find someone that wants to do them, at least that’s been my experience. It’s sweet because it’s easy, and people with no prior rhthym game experience can jump on and sing. Also, getting someone who can actually sing is a major plus. Not even sing, but people with actual stage presence make all the difference. Supplemental pre-song banter being echoed through the stereo is a good way to build some band morale. It’s badass that you can ad lib a “Sup Orlandooooo” pre-song without getting points deducted. But at the same time, it’s odd when you get someone who’s willing to sing, but just sort of does whatever is necessary to get a passing score.

Also, saving people that fail just adds to the team experience. Once you save someone for a few songs, the pride in completing a song without having to save anyone is all the better. Especially when you just tried out the drums and realized how effin hard it really is.

So, the more I think of it… forming a band is kind of like waiting for the stars to be perfectly aligned. It can make or break the enjoyability of the game. It’s more than just hitting all the notes and getting four stars. It’s actually more fun to just go nuts and get a barely passing score. Sabotage is perfect example of this.