Selasa, 13 Mei 2008

REVIEW Rock Band PS3

"Hands down, the best music game ever created."

I've been playing music games for quite some time. Parappa was the first I played, and for a while, the best I'd played. I've played almost any worthwhile music game that's come down the pipeline, including Samba de Amigo, DDR, Gitaroo Man, and many others. They were all fun, and a had a flow between visuals and music that wasn't matched by many other genres.

Then Guitar Hero came out. A lot of people initially thought it was just an Americanized Guitar Freaks (which it is), but it had a certain quality that elevated it above its niche market. I don't think anyone, Harmonix and Red Octane included, could have guessed the popularity the series has reached. But after 2 great games in the franchise, and one lackluster entry, Harmonix split to do something different, and, as it turns out, better.

Rock Band brings all of those "what if Guitar Hero had..." wishes to life. Everything from the GH franchise is in play in Rock Band, with many noticeable, and some subtle improvements. Presentation is second to none, and the track list is full of winners. I'll break the review down into chunks.

Visuals (technical): 8/10
The visuals in Rock Band are pretty outstanding for the Playstation 3. The characters models aren't hyper-realistic, but the details are incredible. The characters, crowds, and arenas (of which there are 40+) all look fantastic, all boasting great animation and lighting effects. The stadiums should especially be noted for the lighting; the effects in GH were fun to look at, but the effects in Rock Band are the best recreation of a concert I've ever seen in a game. The only real gripe I can hold against the game is that character model's hair has poor collision detection, but that really is a minor gripe. Harmonix nailed the technical details to the visuals, but they aren't even the best part of the visual presentation.

Visuals (art design): 9.5/10
This is where the game shines in the visual department. Each of the characters are given a more realistic look, when compared to Guitar Hero, but that doesn't hamper the art direction. From the menus, to the stadiums, even to the accessory and shirt designs, everything is top-notch. The in-game camera filters were a brilliant choice. Instead of going for a clean, static look, more akin to Guitar Hero, Rock Band includes fast zooms, Shaw bros style, shaky cams, grain filters, and even some cool black and white effects. It all comes together to look like a concert DVD. The visual design flows together very well, and Harmonix deserves some recognition for that.

Music: 9/10
A music game must have good music, and the songs on the disc are, not surprisingly, great tracks. From Bowie, to the Chili Peppers, to some Sabbath, nearly every track is a winner included with the game. One of the gripes I had with Guitar Hero III was that it went for tracks people knew, instead of tracks that were fun to play. Harmonix took the smart route and got the big name bands, but didn't go with their most popular tracks. It was a good choice, and leads to some very fun songs. I was also extremely glad to see the indie tracks return: I loved Honest Bob's songs in GHI and GHII, and the song included by them is great. Overall, the tracklist is great.

Gameplay: 9.5/10 (Single player: 8.5/10 Multiplayer: 10/10 Online: 9/10)
The game play, basically, is a hybrid of Karaoke Revolution, Guitar Hero, and an altered Drummania. Each instrument has a solo campaign, in which you make your own character, and quickplay. Each also can be used simultaneously in multiplayer, either in quick play or the Band World Tour Mode. There is also online, with multiplayer and downloadable (and fairly cheap) songs.

The single player mode is the standard Guitar Hero campaign mode, just stretched across each instrument (except bass). In my review for GHIII, I said that the GH formula was getting stale, and the same holds true here. The drums and vocals, however, extend the single player life by far, essentially adding 2 new games to the package. It really shows how much GH pales in comparison, both longevity-wise and value-wise. The fact that you can use your own custom character also gets some points for the single player. Overall, it's what was expected, but has great tweaks that keep it fresh.

The multiplayer, of course, is where the game shines. Quick play is fun, and fairly intuitive to swap instruments. The real meat is the Band World Tour. The game essentially turns into a music game-RPG hybrid, something that I have never seen or heard of before. For a first time effort, Harmonix almost completely nailed it. You and 1-3 friends go around the world gathering fans and cash, and play different set lists. Many of them are one songs, but occasionally you get a themed (and often clever) set list, some themed around the city, other just a grab bag. Every member of the band is customizable, which adds to the feeling that your band is truly different from everyone else's. Add to fact that you can design logos and tattoos for the band and members, and it gets pretty deep. If there is one hangup I have with this mode, it's the fact that band member cannot switch instruments. It's an understandable design choice, but the leader of the band must always be present, and they must play their designated instrument. It's a tad annoying that I chose guitar and can't play drums without someone filling in. It's only one minor gripe I have with a fairly brilliant mode.

The online is also well done. It's widely known that the Band World Tour mode is not online, but given the structure, it's understandable. The quick play mode is just as it is in offline, and it's good to know I can play with my buddies when they're out of town. The biggest part of online, though, is the downloadable content. The songs are only 2 bucks a pop, with 3 song pack costing 5.50. It's really not bad, especially compared to GHIII, considering how many game play options you have per song. The fact that new songs are up every week pretty much extends Rock Band's lifespan indefinitely.

Overall: 9.5/10
This game is my choice (as of now) for game of the year. Harmonix tried many new things with this game: new game play concepts, new game play modes, and an ambitious online structure. They succeeded largely, and that's more than I can say for most games that have come out in the past few years. Harmonix has been in the business for a while, with some small masterpieces like FreQuency and Amplitude. This is the game they will be remembered for. Yeah, the game has a huge price tag, and isn't a brand name, but the same was said about Guitar Hero when it came out. Despite a few quirks I had with the game, Harmonix nailed every aspect it shot for. If they keep their promise of new songs every week, then I see no reason for Guitar Hero to exist anymore. Harmonix has a hit on their hands. My personal score says 9.5, because it isn't absolutely perfect, but I bumped it up to a 10 for GameFAQs' scale. It deserves it. I can say, without a doubt, buy this game. It's the best I've played all year, and it's the best music game since Parappa started it all.

Game Release: Rock Band (Bundle) (US, 11/20/07)

Source: www.gamefaqs.com

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