Why I like Rock Band Better!
Old Topic, I know, but I needed to post something, and I thought...why not?
feel free to skim.
Rock Band Vs Guitar Hero
Why Rock Band is my Favorite.
Well, there are a LOT of reasons I like Rock Band better than Guitar Hero, from the layout, the note charts, the tiering system, and even the song choices. Here’s a Breakdown of all the categories that I find important, and why I like Rock Band (or in a few Rare cases, Guitar Hero) better.
1 - Layout.
Rock Band is neat and tidy, with things like overdrive placed neatly underneath the notes on the fretboard, and a nice bar that shows how close to your next star you are. Guitar hero’s layout isn’t nearly as well thought out, and the actual fretboard looks ugly as sin, while the Rock Band fretboard is neat and clean.
2 - presentation
The Menus look better, There’s lots of nice art, and navigating is simpler. The background singers look fluid and realistic, instead of Robotic and ugly. There’s no stupid “hot start” or “50, 100, 200, 500, 1000” note streak indicators. No “Star Power ready” BS, and the Rectangle notes look infinitely cleaner and more polished than the ugly circle notes. On top of that, there’s also that thing where the Guitar Hero notes erupt in little flames, and something about that throws off my groove and makes the notes seem a little out of synch.
3 - The Note charts
I will say it bluntly, Guitar Hero charts suck. A Lot. They mischart all the time, and nothing ever feels right. That, and sometimes the notes are out of synch, making me miss notes because I strummed at the right time but they charted it wrong. With Rock Band, I feel like I’m playing the song, with Guitar Hero, I feel like I’m playing along to a song in the background that’s slightly out of synch.
4 - Song Choices
Rock Band regularly gives me songs I dislike to listen to, and enjoy playing (See Lush - De Luxe), and guitar Hero can take amazing songs and make me hate playing them (See Van Halen - Hot for Teacher.) also, guitar Hero seems hellbent on only getting popular songs, for the most part, even if they’re not the most appropriate for the genre. (See Pull Me Under by Dream Theater.) Rock Band will pick songs that are fun, even if you’ve never heard of them. (see The Way that it Shows)
5 - Difficulty
Rock Band has it right, cater to ALL audiences. There are easy songs, there are hard songs, there is everything in between in all instruments. Guitar Hero seems all too often to act like “easy = Boring” which is why we end up with overcharted messes like 3s and 7s or Before I forget. And anyone who says Rock Band doesn’t have difficult songs has never played Caprici Di Diablo or Rude Mood.
6 - Drums
Let’s face it, Guitar Hero doesn’t really say “hey, that song is great on drums, let’s get it!” Guitar is most important, and it’s like they added drums just because…hey…it’s a competitive market! With Rock Band, there are songs there for drummers, bassists, and Vocalists, whereas in Guitar Hero, you get an occasional gem, but most kinda suck. (I hate World Tour Drum Charts.)
7 - Vocals
Let’s face it, GH vocals are broken as hell, nigh unplayable. Rock band is better for it.
8 - Solos
Seriously, it has no real effect on gameplay, but that doesn’t stop the guitarist or drummer really stand out when it’s time for a solo. You get that somewhat euphoric feeling like all the lights are on you, and it’s your time to shine. Guitar Hero has nothing like this.
9 - Big Rock Endings
Again, difficult does not always equal hard. I like just being able to wail on the guitar/drums just like real rockers do at the end of a song. Again, one of those little things that makes the feeling all the more authentic.
10 - Crowd Singalongs.
Has absolutely no effect on gameplay, but it really feels awesome when the band goes kinda silent, and you hear an epic crowd of “and all the girlies say he’s pretty fly for a white guy”…gives you goosebumps. Guitar Hero has no moments like this.
11 - Tiering system
Sorry, I like to have a general idea of how difficult a song is before diving headfirst into it, and it’s great for newcomers, so they don’t go “hey, I like judas priest! I’ll try playing that first!” In Guitar Hero, there’s no real differentiation, unless you’re playing career mode.
12 - Sorting Methods
This is a HUGE one for me! In guitar Hero, you get “disc songs” “neversoft songs” and “Downloaded songs.” and that’s it. With Rock Band, you can sort by difficulty, song title, band name, decade, genre, and location. All of which are easy to get to with a simple press of the yellow fret, R1, or the kick pedal. This is one of the biggest reasons, because when I play rock band, I barely notice, but when I play Guitar Hero, I’m so frustrated at the lack of this feature that I end up shutting it off rather than go back and search for the song I’m looking for.
13 - Make a Setlist
I love how Rock Band allows you to have a setlist of up to 50 songs. I don’t like How guitar hero does it. “six songs or else!” and that’s it….granted, I know you CAN go for only one song, but it just seems…irritating. I also love the option to select, say, an album. Say I wanna play all of ten. I just select the “ten” album, and it allows me to play the entire album from front to back, like it’s on the album.
14 - The Loading Screen Facts
I know Guitar Hero has it too, but Rock Band’s are far more informative, funny, and awesome.
15 - DLC Compatibility
Yeah, This is another huge one. All rock Band DLC is available on both Rock Band games, and I REALLY hope they continue that trend with Lego Rock Band and The Beatles game.
16 - DLC preference
DLC is better because it’s more profitable than discs, and it allows the consumer to pick and chose precisely what songs he or she wants, without any obligations. There are no situations where you’re forced to get songs you don’t like, unlike disc-based songs. There’s no distribution costs or material costs, meaning it’s more profitable. Sure, it’s more expensive song for song than a disc, but I think someone would rather pay 60 bucks for 30 songs they LOVE than 60 bucks for 10-15 songs they love, a few songs they like, and a lot of songs they don’t care for. I love that Harmonix is focussing on this profitable and customizable feature instead of a dozen games a year. This matters a LOT!
17 - DLC consistency
We get songs every week at the exact same times. Every week it’s a new story, and there’s so many songs out there now that it’s impossible to go through the 500 song-strong catalogue and not find something you absolutely love. (and if you can, your taste in music is nonexistent.) we have everything from classic rock to modern death metal. Nuff said.
18 - Export features
Seriously, anyone with half a mind knows that switching discs because you wanted to play metallica is a bad thing. Again with the DLC, it’s better to be ABLE to chose what songs you want rather than being forced to get an entire 40 song pack to get a couple songs you really want. Even if these games (such as smash hits, metallica, and Van Halen) were exportable, you’d still lose the option to pick and chose. The Rock Band Track Packs were only there for people without internet options, and all but the ACDC pack were also available as DLC. And ACDC was only that way because they wouldn’t have it any other way.
19 - I hate Activision
What can I say? It’s a minor thing, but I don’t like Activision’s business practices, and it’s really caused me to be far more critical of their works. They’ve consistently disappointed me and actively went out of their way to produce a million games a year, a practice I HATE (in case you hadn’t noticed yet.) Harmonix, at least, is trying new things. Like many others, I hated the idea of Lego Rock Band, but at least it’s not a track pack with trapped songs. No, it’s a completely different game. I also hate how Activision seems to LOVE signing exclusivity deals, that helps nobody but their greedy asses. I HATE HATE HATE it.
20 - Who the game is for
Guitar Hero is made by a game company for Gamers. Rock Band is a game for music lovers made by music lovers. I love the overall feel Rock Band Gives, and hate the “look at this, this is clearly a game!” attitude Guitar Hero gives with all it’s little BS note streak counters and silly “battle mode” options. Not to mention it’s pathetic excuse of a ‘story’
21 - Battle of the Bands
I don’t play it much, but the fact that Harmonix seems willing to not only put out new DLC each week, but also add special challenges daily and weekly.
22 - Focus on Co Op
I admittedly hate the focus on competitive play guitar Hero has. Co operative play is, in my own opinion, entirely more rewarding and fun. I also hate how in Guitar Hero, if one person dies, you all die. You share Star Power, and drummers can’t activate starpower without losing their streak. I just like how Rock Band does co op infinitely better, and this is a big deal to me.
23 - The Bands
I can’t really name all the bands I’m ecstatic are in Rock Band but not Guitar Hero, or even bands that have BETTER songs on Rock Band (such as Dream Theater.) but here’s a short list of bands that are in Rock Band but not Guitar Hero that I love (Keep in mind this only counts from World Tour On, GH3 means garbage since they stopped support for that one ages ago.):
Rush
The Who
ACDC
Megadeth
Boston
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Motley Crue
The Offspring
Avenged Sevenfold
Journey
Tenacious D
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Guns N Roses
Styx
Judas Priest (it counts, shuddap)
The Cars
The Police
The Ramones
The Clash
Stone Temple Pilots
The Grateful Dead
Blondie
Disturbed
Jimmy Buffet
Nine Inch Nails
Yngwie Malmsteen (it counts!)
Roy Orbison
The Frattelis
Pearl Jam
Jane’s Addiction
Bob Dylan
Freezepop
Bang Camaro
Anarchy Club
Shaimus (I REALLY liked that song, and I hear we’re getting more)
(needless to say, I LOVE a LOT of the bands in Rock Band. All influential and important bands.)
So, in Review, I like rock Band Because:
I like how it looks
I like how it plays
I like the song selection
I like the accuracy
I like the charts
I like the DLC
I HATE dozens of games saturating a market
I love Harmonix
I love Solos
I love The tiering system
I love the sorting method
I love the setlist options
I love the attention to detail
I love the love drummers and vocalists get
I love Battle of the Bands
I love the Co Op mechanics
I love the Bands in it
Here is a SMALL list of things I like better about Guitar Hero:
1 - Open Bass Notes
It’s a good idea, what can I say? I love the idea!
2 - Pause delay
I hate losing my multiplier after pausing, this is another great idea!
3 - Notes during sustains
It’s realistic, and though I hate playing them, I admit it’s a good idea.
4 - Song Creator
Okay, this is iffy, because I think the idea was good, but it was horribly, horribly executed. So much so that I refuse to actually use it. Good IDEA though.
5 - The Following Bands:
Queen
Jimi Hendrix
Ozzy/Black Sabbath
Van Halen
Michael Jackson
Bob Seger
Tool
(oooh wow, I thought the list was bigger than that…)
So, you’ll see WHY I like Rock Band Better, I love almost all the features, and I love the songlist.
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