Review: Rock Band (PS2)

This is it. The big one. Harmonix's piece de resistance. The music game so bold, so daring, so outrageously ambitious that its awesome scope can only be contained within the plastic walls of a next-generation home entertainment system. At least, that might have seemed to be the case prior to the announcement of a PS2 version.

The game's return to its motherland hasn't been without sacrifice, however. Online play and downloadable songs are not present, predictably enough, but neither is any customisation or character selection, due to the fact that the 'stage' graphics are prerendered. This also means the Band World Tour mode is just a straight play-through of the songs in sequence (as per Guitar Hero) rather than anything more interesting. The core game is just the same, though, and it's a complete triumph.

Rock Band is really three games in one, and what's amazing is that not one of them feels anything less than excellent, despite treading on now familiar ground. Combined, they are a recipe for the most fun you can have in your living room.

It's not surprising that the guitar portion of the game is so good; this is Harmonix's second chance to refine their fret-board formula, and it shows. Coloured circle notes are now rectangles and star power is now 'overdrive', but there's more here than just name changes. Activating overdrive (by lifting the guitar vertical) no longer prevents you from picking up more energy notes like it used to, so you can keep it activated for longer by 'chaining'. Guitar solo sections of songs are now scored by a separate percentage system and worked into your overall grade differently. And they've fixed the annoyance of songs ending with complex twiddly fret-work with something called a 'big rock ending', which means you can mash all the buttons to your heart's content and you won't fail the song - although you need to hit the last notes to grab the points. Harmonix clearly want you to have fun with this game, and you most certainly will.

It's not as intense, difficult or punishing as the recent Guitar Hero, and the note patterns are just more fun to play along to. This change of attitude is also reflected in the choice of music, which offers a more mainstream selection of different rock genres, leaving the bonus songs to attract the more specialist interests. The 45 main songs cover well-known hits from Weezer, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stoneage, Metallica and Iron Maiden, with some lesser known entries too. Sweet's 'Ballroom Blitz' is a particular party favourite as everyone's involvement is different and maintains a good pace. Elsewhere, the Who's 'Won't Get Fooled Again' provides some laughs during the pre-drum-bash break where all members traditionally get up and make a cup of tea before picking up their instruments again (not quite, but it's a long break!). You'll no doubt make up your own rules when playing together, like doing a three-song rotation, singer chooses song, short-straw gets the bass, and so on, and that is half the fun in itself.

Despite needing a multiplayer adapter (USB or multi-tap, depending on your choice of guitars), four-player band games are how this is meant to be played. The software intelligently handles new people jumping in, assigning the leader position to the first person to press their button at the 'log-in' phase. It is mercilessly addictive. The 'one-more-go' factor is magnified times four, as everyone wants to try every instrument, and so they should. With four levels of difficulty available, almost anyone can have a go. However, it is by no means a game exclusively aimed at party events. On your own, Rock Band is very effective at working its magic on you.

Which brings us onto the drumming, the most appealing aspect of the game, given that it is fairly new ground for most of the Guitar Hero audience. The drums offer a closer approximation of the real instrument than the guitars, both in terms of size and how they work. The four pads respond with a different sound, which means 'freestyling' (when available) adds your own beat to the song for everyone to hear. Drum fills are not only encouraged, they are the only way to unleash your overdrive, and by far the most fun aspect of the setup, both to play and to watch. Unlike the guitars, easy-level drummers get to use all the pads; the only change is in the speed and frequency of the foot pedal. The learning curve is incredibly gradual and, as your hands and feet begin to learn to operative independently, you'll feel yourself getting measurably better and slowly moving up the ranks.

Singing, unlike the instruments, does not change depending on difficulty level, rather the criteria for a successful 'phrase' are tightened, so your voice needs to hit the key more accurately. It is also the only part of the game that can be practiced without playing it, simply by listening to the songs; stuttering and hesitation will cause your energy to drop. It works much like Singstar - in fact, the microphones are compatible - but with a few extra bits and bobs. During non-singing parts, there may be a percussion section where you can tap the microphone like a tambourine/cowbell. These are optional, however, so if you're using a mic stand while playing an instrument, you don't lose points. Overdrive is activated by singing or shouting a freestyle phrase where prompted. Again, Harmonix encourage fun.

Overdrive is at its most entertaining when playing together as a band. Should one of your members play so badly that they drop out, you can spend your energy on rescuing them (although after the third strike, they're out for good -- and good luck finishing a song without them!). It's often better to play on the harder difficulties just to encourage this sort of teamwork, saving up energy for the tricky parts and issuing advice while you play. At the end of some songs, the whole group gets to perform a big rock ending - the guitarists strum like mad and the drummer smashes all the pads - but should one person miss the final crucial notes, rendering the whole thing pointless, they must face the disapproving stares of their band mates... and then get lumped with bass for the next round! Justice.

If Rock Band falters anywhere, it's in being too reserved and strict. Some of the harmony-heavy numbers would benefit from eschewing bass in favour of a second guitar, but they don't. There are no singing duets possible, either, as only one microphone is supported. Further, some songs would benefit from an optional keyboard attachment, but perhaps that's asking for too much! Rock Band's biggest crime is in locking away the majority of the songs until you've played through the career; surely a party game should be as inclusive and open as possible, not falling back on this tired old design choice.

Any further complaints only relate to the game's scaled down features on the PS2; the lack of expansion options (at present) could harm it in the long run, but make no mistake, Rock Band's default sound track is the finest and most balanced since the original Guitar Hero. With the added benefit of downloadable songs in the Xbox360 and PS3 editions, Harmonix may find they've created not just an outstanding game, but a new music platform in itself.

Rating: 9 / 10

Words by Daniel James