Rocking out with Rock Band: 2/5/08 DLC Review
by Derek Wilson on February 5, 2008 4:25 AM EST- Posted in
- Software
Last Week's Additions
As opposed to this week's offering, the songs released on January 29th were much more difficult. Here's our take on these songs.
Coheed and Cambria :: Ten Speed (Skilled Songs)
Difficulty: This one is not trivial but also not incredibly frustrating. We did have to try it a couple times to get through it on hard. There is a nicely syncopated drum section near the end that is just as difficult when playing on hard as it is when playing on expert. The guitar on this one requires a lot of dexterity and reaching to pull off.
Experience: This is a fun song to play and offers a lot of good complexity. We feel that the Coheed song that comes with Rock Band (Welcome Home) is more fun to play, but this is a nice complement. This is our pick of the week for this group.
Rank: 1
Rush :: Working Man (Challenging Songs)
Difficulty: It's Rush. Nuf said? Ok, I could not do this on expert and had a difficult time on hard. I'm not afraid to admit it. There are plenty of complex fills and rolls on the drums. It is not only technically tough, but requires a bit of endurance as it's not a short song (7 minutes).
Experience: This song is long and hard. Certainly it is satisfying to complete this, and it could be more fun once mastered a bit better. Not one you would just jump into and hit the ground running on.
Rank: 2
Smashing Pumpkins :: Siva (Skilled Songs)
Difficulty: On expert this one is all over the place. It was difficult to get a hold of the rhythm on either guitar or drums, and we had to drop the difficulty in order to get through it even after multiple tries.
Experience: This one was more frustrating than fun, and playing it on lower difficulty wasn't really satisfying because of how different the song was from what we were given to play.
Rank: 3
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Reg0r - Sunday, February 10, 2008 - link
Acutally, the song Vasoline is based around a paradiddle (or single paradiddle if you prefer), NOT a double paradiddle.DerekWilson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - link
oops ... i miss typeded :-)thanks, its been corrected.
protest the hero - Wednesday, February 6, 2008 - link
Any idea which version 'We Care A Lot' is, with the original Mr Bungle singer, or Patton ?It's one of my favorite songs by them, though I'll even admit I didn't understand the choice of it being in the game, as it's not remotely technical. It is very catchy though :P
Spivonious - Wednesday, February 6, 2008 - link
So does the game actually resemble what Peart is playing?Reg0r - Sunday, February 10, 2008 - link
Yes. I haven't studied the working man track as much, but the RB version of Tom Sawyer is incredibly close to the actual drum parts that Neil plays.Rage187 - Tuesday, February 5, 2008 - link
Siva on expert drumshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3zh9eP5ocg">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3zh9eP5ocg
the guy is a monster.
Snooper - Wednesday, February 6, 2008 - link
I didn't understand it either. I bought my nephew a XBox 360 for Christmas. Of course, my brother and sister-in-law knew what I was getting him.She bought my brother Rock Band for Christmas (harder than heck to track down before Christmas!). I was frankly stunned to find out that is actually what my brother wanted! He'd played it at a friends house...
Well, the whole family was at their house for Christmas, so we had give it a try!. And it was actually a lot of fun. A whole lot more fun than I would have expected. You can get four people playing (we only had three as they hadn't bought the extra guitar. Yet), and it is cooperative play. A heck of a lot of fun, especially for (and with) the kids.
I never did get very good with the drums, but I COULD hit the notes! Thank GOD they don't make you be in the right octave!
ninjit - Tuesday, February 5, 2008 - link
I've heard lots of people rave about Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but I personally could never understand the appeal (but I've never played it)Derek's introductory paragraph pretty much sums up my own opinion as well:
- if you want to play music, pick up a real instrument, it can be so much more fullfilling.
- if you want to play video games, play them.
I didn't quite see how they could mix; I always looked at it like Dance-Dance-Revolution but with instruments - and that's a game I've tried and truly detest.
I guess I'll have to actually try it before I knock it though.
... Now if I could only find a !@#$ing Wii at retail price!
yyrkoon - Tuesday, February 5, 2008 - link
I kind of agree.It would be nice though *if* a similar(but 'better') tool taught proper technique.
Having had several guitars of my own, and having learned somewhat of how to play, I can not help but giggle every time I see someone playing 'guitar hero' . . . they may as well be playing 'air guitar' because from what I have seen, it actually teaches bad guitar habits, let alone improper habits.
Then again, this is not a training tool, it is a game, one that is a complete waste of time in my own opinion.
saiga6360 - Tuesday, February 5, 2008 - link
You sir, are a nimrod.