Let it Rock
It’s winter, and it’s cold. We’re all going to be cooped up inside stressing about one big decision: which musical game should I get? Guitar Hero World Tour or Rock Band 2 were released in the recent weeks, and they both offer a pretty amazing band experience as they both include a drum kit, guitar, and microphone. Their set lists are amazing. Their downloadable content is pretty robust. Character customization is pretty even between both games. So what sets these two games apart from each other?
Guitar Hero World Tour: Activision’s first foray in the full band experience has its hits and its misses. It has a five pad drum kit (with 3 pads + 2 cymbals and a working kick pad), a bigger guitar (rock band sized) with a touchpad, 86 songs, a song creator, and (Wii exclusive) a freestyle mode. Unfortunately its tour mode is something to be desired, and it’s hard to keep track of star power in multiplayer. Oh, and if one person fails, everyone has to restart the song.
Rock Band 2: Harmonix’s second set list is way better than it’s first, with 85 songs out of the box plus 20 free songs to download and the entire set Rock Band 1 tracks for an extra 5 bucks. The guitar is the same as before, but the drums (4 pads) are quieter than before, and you can buy a 3 cymbal expansion for an extra 40$. The tour mode is bigger than in the first game, and there is a drum trainer to sate the needs of aspiring percussionists. And if you fail in multiplayer, your friends can bail you out.
Verdict: Rock Band 2 seems to be the winner here, if only because it’s more fun to play with friends. Guitar Hero has made a valiant first effort, but it needs to try again before being able to take centre stage over the band veteran. In the end, though, it’s your call, since they both offer pretty great modes not available anywhere else. They cost around the same, and they both have an amazingly fun band experience.