As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been playing Guitar Hero III for the Wii. I’ve been going through in the career mode on the expert difficulty level and have almost beat every single song. I finally beat Metallica’s One, but I’m still having a little trouble with the Slayer song, Raining Blood. It really shouldn’t be that difficult, but I have issues with the real fast part near the beginning. I’m sure in the next couple of days I will have beaten it though.

For Christmas this year my parents got us a Nintendo Wii. It’s been a while since I’ve had a video game system, but the Wii system is definitely intriguing and has been a lot of fun. I was pretty surprised that my parents would get us a Wii, but I sure am glad that they did.

We also got a bunch of accessories to go with it. We got an extra Wii remote controller and another Wii Nunchuk Controller. They have been great for the boxing game which I’m not a huge fan of, but it definitely wears me out after a while.

We also got a couple of games to go along with Wii Sports. I was really excited about Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle because I had played it before on other systems. I have also now been able to beat the Metallica song One on expert. We also got another game called Rayman Raving Rabbids which is pretty weird but also fun. It’s a lot of mini-games but you do get to shoot rabbits with plungers.

Even though I don’t even own a video game system at the moment, I’ve had the opportunity to play the new game Rock Band for the PS3. And now having played the game, it has been requested that I give my thoughts on it.

As far as the game play is concerned, it’s very similar to the Guitar Hero games except for the fact that the notes are now rectangular bars instead of circles. You won’t notice much difference in the guitar parts, but they are not nearly as difficult as what you’ll find in the Guitar Hero series. What does set Rock Band apart though is the addition of the drums and vocals.

Begin With What You Know

Even though most people interested in this game will already be familiar with fake plastic guitar, Rock Band does have something different to offer. The guitar for this game is a replica Fender Stratocaster and it is a little heavier with a more durable feel. The buttons on the neck are also a lot better integrated. They are flush with the neck allowing for easier slides and hammer-ons. There is also another set of five buttons lower on the neck to give you another feel on the solos. There is a switch that allows you to pick different effects as well. The biggest difference though is probably where you strum the guitar. The lever is curved concave in and doesn’t make a clicking sound. It takes some getting used to if you’re already used to the Guitar Hero guitars, but I think it’s a little more true to life.

It’s Time To Beat The Drums

The drum set that comes with the game is actually a lot higher quality than what I had expected. The four drum pads are durable and have a decent bounce-back when hit with the drum sticks. I don’t want to give the impression that it feels like you’re playing an actual drum set, but it is better than expected. The bass drum pedal also has a nice spring action and fluid motion as opposed to just feeling like cheap plastic.

The drum parts now are pretty difficult. It takes a lot more rhythmical coordination than it does to play the guitar. Contrary to what I’ve heard others say, I don’t think you’ll be able to play a real drum set after mastering this toy set, but it will help you develop your hand and foot coordination needed to play the drums. Regardless of the realism though, it’s a great interactive addition that will take quite a bit of time to master.

Do I Have To Sing?

As for the vocal part of the game, many people have been confused as to how it actually works. Well, the system senses the pitch of your voice as well as the presence of your voice. The words are streamed across the top of the screen as well as relative pitch lines. Your voice is represented by an arrow that tracks the pitch levels that come across the screen. It sounds pretty simple, but it’s actually a lot of fun. And as long as you’re not too self-conscious you can have a great time with the vocals.

To Sum It All Up

Overall, the game is a lot of fun to play. With all the different parts to play, it’s not something that you’d get bored of easily. I do think the guitar parts should be a little more difficult on the expert level, but the difficulty of the drums more than makes up for it. It’s also a great party game to play with a lot of friends. If you have been wondering whether or not you will like the game, it’s probably a pretty safe bet that you will.