More Information
Rating: 
-
If you are absolutely sure you will not get bored of banging on drums, strummming guitars
Where this game really comes into it's multiplayer. Don't buy this game to play only 1 instrument at a time, it's a party game best played with 3 (or 4 with an extra guitar) playing together.
Other than that, the game has had a really bad history with failing peripherals (mainly just the guitar). We bought 3 at the same time and they all had a batch date sticker (October 2007 I think), a yellow sticker on the outside directing customers to ea's warranty support. In addition, there was also a pink instruction sheet with some more advice on warranty claims; all of this making me think they've made some improvements to the controls.
Rating: 
-
Ive been playing rockband for the ps3 for almost a month now and feel I should write a review. Ill break it down into two categories:
the game: Very good, and very fun. Unlike guitar hero 3 the game doesn't throw in extra notes, which makes things too easy sometimes, but less frustrating (failing keyboard parts in guitar hero would bug me). Singing is great (the mic gives good feedback) and drumming works very well. In fact, the new peripherals seem like they belong in this game more than the guitar - They actually improve your skill at their respective instruments. I play guitar and drums (and sing in the same sense that everyone does) and have always discouraged friends from believing guitar hero could seriously improve your playing. The mic, however, gives you very precise feedback on pitch and how well you maintain it, which is most of singing. Ive always been a guitarist that dabbles in drums, but after less than a month of playing my timings become so much better I might consider calling myself a drummer in a few months. It's important to note that you still need proper technique well singing or drumming, but the game play for these is much closer (but not perfectly the same) to the real experience.
The songs are mostly good. I don't know enough people to know if the songs I don't like are generally bad choices, but theres a lot of songs I like a lot in there. Theres also a LOT of downloadable songs, and harmonix seem to be very good about keeping up on that. this game, right now, lack heavy songs (hardcore and metal), which makes sense because you usually need a double bass pedal and pitch become less important when screaming, but still I hope they make some sort of 'bonus' game that has an extra bass pedal and a disc full of metal songs (from cryptopsy to dragonforce, ect). The team play is very fun and involved, and practice mode is a hundred times better on this than rockband - you can select the speed in 10% intervals and you don't need to constantly tell the game to replay the sections. I haven't played multiplayer so I cant comment, but it is available on the special edition thank god. The one complaint I have (other than lack of metal songs) is the customizability. Its extremely customizable (me and my girlfriend made band mates that actually look a great deal like us) but it actually makes me wish is were more so. I wish you could select specific facial features (cheeks/lips/eyes/chin) instead of set faces, and the same for hair. Id like that to be in Rockband 2 so my character can REALLY look like me, for added enjoyment. I suppose another complaint I could bring up is when you play the stage is very dark and you don't really gt shots of the crowd - I thought guitar hero did a better job of making you feel like your playing for people - although I don't know if Id actually want to trade the camera system they have for one thats way brighter than clubs actually are just to see the same audience member duplicated 100 times.
The fun only got 4 stars for me because of the intrinsic problems of getting sick with a limited setlist, and having to go into practice to go over difficult parts, which can be frustrating but necessary for career more. All in all I still look forward to playing this game, and think it really gives my ps3 collection well roundedness.
Peripherals: These seem VERY well built considering. I heard awful things, but when I got them I was impressed - my conclusion is they worked on them and got them better for the special edition version. I haven't had a problem with them yet. The guitar is better than the guitar hero version - its shaped closer to a read guitar, has extra features to the guitar hero one (including the option of selecting effects for solos with is sweet). The cons are picking on the guitar has become harder - the picking mechanism doesn't 'click' when you push it up or down, resulting in accidental hitting/not hitting of notes. Ive seen enough videos on youtube to know this is something to just get used to, and the frets 'click' a whole lot better than the guitar hero guitar, but getting used to it can be tough. Less troublesome is that the drums will miss a hit or double a hit every now and then depending on how hard you hit them. This requires you to be very stern and steady when playing, which can be a little unsettling for me since I live in an apartment and dont want to slap th bass pedal and annoy the people downstairs.
As a super duper added bonus tho, you can use the drums on the computer as a super cheap electric drumset. It lacks a lot of functionality (fewer pads, no volume sensativity, ect) but for practice/fun/simple demoing of stuff its a sweeet added bonus. And, the mic works EXCELLENTLY as a home recording device. Since its USB there is no lag if you don't have an audio card, and it works better than radioshack mics that Ive used. These are really just bonuses, but if your going to use them for that your buying more than just a game. Note that you do get hiss on the mic, this isnt professional equipment, but if your just recording something to remember it or to demo I feel it works well.
Rating: -
Expectations were high and for the most part Rock Band has delivered despite its smaller sales ratio to GHIII (to be expected with the price range differences). My Strat came with the flubby strum bar issue which EA support took care of and the new one seems fine. RB has a nice diverse range of tunes that showcase each instrument and taste range, what I would like to see in the next one is different set lists for each instrument making it a richer less reptitive experience as you play through each. My other problem with RB is the lack of high score keeping locally on my PS3 for those of us that don't or can't take our consoles online. Finally I really expected a freeplay type mode for the DRUMS as alot of us did and to not have just included a blank track for us to play openly with seems like an oversight or a malicious omission.
The good news is after you get used to it the instruments are sturdy and fun to play and this game absolutely soars in local multiplayer mode where it is sure to bring people closer together musically than a karaoke machine ever has. HARMONIX please consider open mic and freeplay drum mode for the next release, and you know we want all those downloadable tracks on a disc for those of us who can't take our consoles online. Recommended for free spirits, rhythm game and music fans alike just don't expect too much from the package and you won't be disappointed.
Rating: -
I bought this game and a PS3 to go along with my Sony HDTV. I had been playing a friend's copy on PS2 and thought I would get my own. Ever since I started playing the game I have noticed, and everyone coming over has as well, a lag in the drum fills sections of every song and also about a half second delay with the microphone. Since I bought the game about a month and a half ago I have had my drums and microphone replaced, but it still didn't fix it. I'm awaiting a new game disc, which EA has said will be shipped to me. This seems to be an issue with the game and HD televisions. I would be careful before buying.
Rating: -
This is one of the best games for "in house" multi-player. You and your friends can and will play for hours on this. And, do not worry if you are not good at the beginning. You will get better. I had trouble with songs on Medium on drums. Now, I am about half way through expert. You will get better.
More Information
HOMECredit Cards - Mortgages - Wester Union - Loans - Loans 