Hawty McBloggy Invites You to Play

Rock Band, a highly buzzed game set for release in November, had a very strong presence at PAX this year. Not only did they have an enormous booth dedicated to that game but you could find a smaller section hidden in the Xbox area that allowed you to play only one instrument with your favorite rock star buddy. On Friday there were drums set up there. On Saturday and Sunday they had the guitar/bass rocking out.

*click images to enlarge

At the main booth they had a stage area and then also two smaller stations off to the side. Who the heck wants to play at the smaller stations though? True rock stars tear it up on stage and give the performance of a lifetime. True rock stars also wait in a line that curves around the entire booth that had an even longer wait time. I unfortunately wasn’t a true rock star. I did not have the patience to battle the stage line so instead I played mini rock star at the small station in the Xbox area. Avid found a picture of me on a random album that captured me awaiting my turn to jam. In this picture in the same album I am intently studying the screen in an attempt to figure out the little details of the game so I was prepared for my turn. Oh yes, this was serious business.

Graphics wise, I thought it was better than Guitar Hero 2. The screen seemed cleaner and not as cluttered. Everything was crisper and easier to decipher. While Guitar Hero’s notes are circles, Rock Band’s notes are rectangles or squares. I wasn’t sure of the difference between the notes but my guess is that the rectangle notes were the ones you strum while the smaller square notes were hammer-ons/pull-offs. Again that is not confirmed, that is simply my best guess. That is one of the little things I was trying to figure out as I awaited my turn to play.

Another thing I couldn’t figure out was what was happening when all the notes turned a silver/gray color, similar to how GH notes appear when you are using star power. I don’t know if Rock Band has star power. I certainly didn’t know how to activate it when I was playing if it does by chance have that option so I am unsure of the significance behind the silver/gray notes. There was also a bar at the top of the screen and another bar at the bottom of the screen. I believe one of them had to do with whatever note streak you were on with the accompanying multiplier but I don’t know what the top bar measured.

Gameplay wise, if you play Guitar Hero it will be an effortless transition. I played my song on Hard Mode and aced it. That was actually a concern of mine with watching the various songs being performed along with playing the game. Their Hard Mode was equivalent to GH’s Medium Mode it seemed. Hard Mode, even on a new guitar on a new game playing a new song, did not present a challenge for me at all. And no, I am not a superstar. I watched some people play on Expert as well with the notes looking pretty easy to hit. It will be interesting to see if this game presents enough of a challenge for the more experience GH players.

Overall, I had a blast playing the game and a blast watching other people play the game. It was a running joke that any time I was between panels, I was at the Rock Band booth. A friend even stopped texting me to ask where I was. He instead came straight to the Rock Band booth every time. And he found me. That being said, I am not sold on this game. Guitar Hero 3 is a must have for me. This one is not yet. I don’t have an interest in the drums or the vocals so I am hesitant to make the investment on this one. I suppose I’ll decide at a later date. Until then, rock on.