Rock Band

First off, I don't want to hear how I should learn to play the guitar instead of playing rock band. Fuck you.

With that out of the way, anybody out there playing rock band? My wife and I have been playing the shit out of it. The track list is awesome. Way, way better than Guitar Hero and the downloadable tracks are good too. We have had more fun playing this game with a group of people we know (half drunk of course) than virtually anything I've played in a long time. There is nothing like belting out Boston--last night the guy's amp whose house we were playing at starting smoking because it was pumping so many watts.

For us though, there has been a major dark side to Rock Band--the peripherals are kind of shitty. The guitar frets are an improvement, IMHO, but the strummer is a piece of crap and has already broken on me--no downstrum. The mic crackles depending on which USB port I put it in. The drums have mostly been ok, though the bass drum peddle kinda sucks and hurts your foot. Finally, the disc is scratched to hell, but that's my fault for not taking it out of the xbox when I moved it. Oh yeah, and they still don't sell a guitar seperate (we want to play with a real 4 piece with a bass). Anyone else having these problems?

Rock Band is the most amazing piece of home electronics since the Atari 2600.

It COULD have more of an impact with regards to musical awareness amongst non-musicians than anything in the 21st century.

I disagree about the track list, though - the majority of Rock Band tracks are new, relatively-crappy bands.
They should have dumped most of them and added more 60's and 70's classic rock, where the musicians actually knew their instruments.

For example, when Highway Star comes on Rock Band, the difference in quality and energy in the music is just so obvious when compared to the newer stuff (Radiohead, OK Go, etc).

If you have Rock Band on the 360 then any Guitar Hero controller will work with it (and finding a GH2 controller at this point should not be difficult).

If your guitar is broken, check out
support.ea.com/rockband
They've been pretty good about replacing broken guitars, and the new ones should not be having this issue anymore (I know mine has been working great). For the drums, I've heard that any midi-compatible pedal will work, though you'll probably need an adapter for that tiny plug.

That said, if anyone's looking to rock out on PSN, my screenname is MisterEight.

(Edit) Also:

Yeah, my new one is coming tommorow hopefully. I hope the new guitar has a better strum design and they aren't simply giving me a new strummer to break in a couple weeks again...

Rock Band is amazing. I disagree about the song list--though I like classic rock, I'm glad Rock Band has a little less "Granpa Rock" in there.

I mean, I'm jamming along to some good stuff and then I have to play "Flirtin' with Disaster" and "Tom Sawyer."


Not cool.


But the fact that Rock Band is giving people a chance to come together and enjoy music is great. Blah blah on the whole "this doesn't make you musicians" and "why are you wasting time on this" crap.


That comic is hilarious, and sums it up perfectly.

Senor, did you create that? If you did, I'll feature it in our comics section.

Man, I wish I was as clever as Randall Munroe, but no, I did not create that comic. Check out more of his stuff at www.xkcd.com

What is with all the hate on Rush? I went and downloaded Limelight for my game just to spite the lot of you.

My problem is with the ridiculously long tambourine sections for the singer... nothing like playing Green Grass and High Tides and realize that you've just started a 400-hit section...

SenorOcho wrote:

My problem is with the ridiculously long tambourine sections for the singer... nothing like playing Green Grass and High Tides and realize that you've just started a 400-hit section...

Lol at myself for this one... just tried playing the guitar part on expert. Its Free Bird all over again, except harder...

Rock Band is nothing short of amazing.

My only real complaint with the game is the guitar.

It's garbage in my opinion. Give me the kid sized 360 xplorer anyday over the guitar that comes with Rock Band.

You have to get another guitar, buy one of the 360 Guitar Hero controllers that are available - you can get the Xplorer or the wireless guitar (Les Paul?).

The track listing is great in my opinion. You have to recall that for the vast majority of the songs the parts have to be interesting for all instruments.

Oh how i wish Green Grass and the High Tides was on GH3.

The game is truly fun w/ 4 people.

It is an amazing party game... I'm thinking of buying the Xplorer so I can have a bassist (I have a 360).

Having a full band is actually the only way to, theoretically, get the highest possible score.

Plus, in most cases, the bass songs are pretty easy. I usually play Bass in rock band on Expert unless it's a really tough bass track, then i'll bump it down to hard.

But yeah, Rock Band with 4 people is just so much fun.

I'm glad Rhythm games are becoming more popular now. That fact combined with stuff like Xbox Live Arcade has really helped out gamers interested in Arcade styled games - those with vast replay value, but an overall quick playing time. But I digress.

I really want to play that Endliss setlist on Rock Band. Every song in the game. SO AWESOME.

I so need to buy this.

Also, Beer is practically a prerequisite to playing this game. You're a Rock Star for fuck's sake!

I've only done the two-player, and then only on drums--it still kicked my ass. What a great fucking game. I'm not a drinker, but I bet a beer would have helped--once I relaxed a little, sat up straight, and just the let the music flow, it was hot shit.

Who the fuck doesn't like Tom Sawyer? He gets high on YOU! Dun de dunde DUNDUN, dun de dun de DUNDUN, DOOON DOON DOON!

Thank you, Ottawa!

jeb wrote:

I've only done the two-player, and then only on drums--it still kicked my ass. What a great fucking game. I'm not a drinker, but I bet a beer would have helped--once I relaxed a little, sat up straight, and just the let the music flow, it was hot shit.

Who the fuck doesn't like Tom Sawyer? He gets high on YOU! Dun de dunde DUNDUN, dun de dun de DUNDUN, DOOON DOON DOON!

Thank you, Ottawa!

They just need to release entire Rush Albums for Rock Band.

2112 what?

Oasis coming this next week.

ubarose wrote:

My daughter wants Rock Band for her birthday because it has drums. She will be 9 in two weeks. We have a PS2. The man and I are going back and forth on it and can't make a decision.

If she wants to play drums she can play drums. In fact, she takes lessons and doesn't even practice as much as she should. We're like, "What do you need toy drums for? You got this..."

On the other hand, I'm thinking that part of the reason she wants this game is that it is one video game she can kick butt on. Her friends slaughter her on other video games, but she can hold her own on Guitar Hero. I think that she thinks that she will be even better with sticks, rather than buttons.

On the other hand, it's got some big ass accessories that I will have to find a place to store.

On the other hand, it would be pretty funny to watch her play with her grandparents. And we could "borrow" the game when our friends visit.

On the other hand, is this one of those games that she will play for a weekend, then get bored with, and move on?

So I don't know. "Rock Band" or not?

I've heard there are issues with Rock BAnd on the PS2...Like things locking up and what not.