There is no more succinct way to say it. Where Guitar Hero offered the slightest taste of what it feels like to be an ax-shredding musical demigod, Rock Band goes further by adding drums and a microphone in what's likely the closest approximation to the feeling of being in a real band without, you know, actually having to learn to play real instruments.
It's also one of the few games that becomes less fun as the number of players decreases. Make no mistake: As a party game, this one's a blast.
For now, the game is sold only as a bundle, which includes the game disc, one guitar, a microphone, drumsticks and a drum kit that has four paper plate-size pads arranged in a semicircle with an attached foot pedal that sits on the ground. (Sometime next year, there are plans to sell each piece separately; however, the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band supports the wireless guitar used for Guitar Hero III.)
The guitar in Rock Band is heftier and has more buttons than the one for Guitar Hero, but the game play is similar (in other words, it's still fun, but nothing close to playing a real guitar). The singing portion is along the same lines as the Karaoke Revolution or SingStar series, although at times, you're asked to tap the microphone to simulate the playing of a tambourine or cowbell.
Where the game really shines is the drums. On the easiest level, the game eases you into the drumming by basically asking you to keep the beat while you learn the layout - the snare is on the left, with two tom-toms in the middle and a cymbal on the right. At the middle levels, you're required to mix in the bass drum (foot pedal) and perform more complicated beats, while at the highest difficulty, you're basically doing the actual drum work. Despite being a video game, the "fake" drumming isn't far off from the real thing.
While the game has solo modes for singing, lead guitar, bass guitar and drums, the best option by far is the band "world tour" mode, where two to four people form a band and play cooperatively. New bands start out in no-name dive bars, but the better your performance, the more fans you attract and the more gigs become available. Moreover, the game includes 45 licensed songs (many of them master recordings), with extra tunes available as paid downloads.
ROCK BAND. Rated "teen." For the Sony PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360.
Bottom line: At $170 ($160 for the PlayStation 2 version), the fun doesn't come cheap, but as party games go, it really doesn't get much better.
Source: Newsday