It's not totally unplayable or anything, but the interface is clunky and unresponsive. The vocal interface seemed to jump around erratically, in contrast to the smooth sliding I experienced playing Beatles Rock Band. I also had some issues with it failing to detect consonant sounds; it was easier, but less fun, just to hum along. The drum kit had technical issues, registering hits on the cymbals any time I hit the buttons too hard, which was made worse by the intentional game mechanic that asks you to hit certain notes extra-hard. None of the technical issues interfered much with the lower difficulties, but I had a lot of trouble with the faster Expert mode. Even the guitar engine seems less responsive than previous games.
The track list has some questionable inclusions. I had a lot of fun with "Heartbreaker" and "La Bamba" and "Livin' on a Prayer" and such, and the Jimi Hendrix songs are a blast, but what the hell are "Vinternoll" and "Nuvole e Lenzuola"? Obscure foreign alternative-rock bands aren't good party-game fare. And whose bright idea was it to use "No Sleep Til Brooklyn"? 5 minutes of not touching your instruments and 30 seconds of guitar solo? WTF. "Beat It," while a great song in its own right, is similarly unsuited for the Guitar Hero platform—bass & drums repeat one simple riff over and over for the whole song. Yawn.
The Tool songs are pretty interesting to play, with challenging tracks for all instruments, but Your Mileage May Vary a lot as to how much fun they are to listen to—I find their music grating, and they force the background into a creepy, surreal light show.
Speaking of visuals, the characters have the personality of a pez dispenser in this game. They lost their cool, unique costumes from GH3 and are now boring, generic faces. Same with the instruments. Big step down. Almost makes me miss Bigjaw from GH3.
Also, the full band kit is really expensive. Not unexpected, but a turn-off.
Oh, and still no "Random Song" option.
It's still Guitar Hero, and there's plenty of fun to be had, but I think Rock Band wins this round.
Guitar Hero: World Tour
World Tour makes an attempt to expand the Guitar Hero franchise by Following The Leader and introducing drums and vocals. It's a good try, but it was a miss for me.
It's not totally unplayable or anything, but the interface is clunky and unresponsive. The vocal interface seemed to jump around erratically, in contrast to the smooth sliding I experienced playing Beatles Rock Band. I also had some issues with it failing to detect consonant sounds; it was easier, but less fun, just to hum along. The drum kit had technical issues, registering hits on the cymbals any time I hit the buttons too hard, which was made worse by the intentional game mechanic that asks you to hit certain notes extra-hard. None of the technical issues interfered much with the lower difficulties, but I had a lot of trouble with the faster Expert mode. Even the guitar engine seems less responsive than previous games.
The track list has some questionable inclusions. I had a lot of fun with "Heartbreaker" and "La Bamba" and "Livin' on a Prayer" and such, and the Jimi Hendrix songs are a blast, but what the hell are "Vinternoll" and "Nuvole e Lenzuola"? Obscure foreign alternative-rock bands aren't good party-game fare. And whose bright idea was it to use "No Sleep Til Brooklyn"? 5 minutes of not touching your instruments and 30 seconds of guitar solo? WTF. "Beat It," while a great song in its own right, is similarly unsuited for the Guitar Hero platform—bass & drums repeat one simple riff over and over for the whole song. Yawn.
The Tool songs are pretty interesting to play, with challenging tracks for all instruments, but Your Mileage May Vary a lot as to how much fun they are to listen to—I find their music grating, and they force the background into a creepy, surreal light show.
Speaking of visuals, the characters have the personality of a pez dispenser in this game. They lost their cool, unique costumes from GH3 and are now boring, generic faces. Same with the instruments. Big step down. Almost makes me miss Bigjaw from GH3.
Also, the full band kit is really expensive. Not unexpected, but a turn-off.
Oh, and still no "Random Song" option.
It's still Guitar Hero, and there's plenty of fun to be had, but I think Rock Band wins this round.