Guitar Hero wins battle of the band games

Oct 26, 2008 09:00 PM


Guitar Hero: World Tour allows users to customize their virtual personas.

Note: These games were both reviewed on an XBox 360.

For some, it's the most important question of the year. No, not "buy or sell?" or, for our friends south of the border, "Obama or McCain?" It's Guitar Hero: World Tour or Rock Band 2?

These competing sequels are the latest in the multi-billion-dollar music game craze that has turned the interactive entertainment industry on its head. And for good reason: they're a blast to play solo or with friends. Both games allow you to hear (and play) songs you grew up with or be exposed to new tunes, and while they're no substitute for lessons, you can better appreciate song composition by playing on the guitar- and drum-shaped peripherals or singing into the microphone, karaoke-style.

Here's the scoop: Activision's Guitar Hero: World Tour and MTV Games' Rock Band 2 are very similar games, both of which are available for multiple consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii) and offer a game-only version ($59.99), game and guitar combo ($89.99) or the complete band in a box ($189.99 to $199.99). Both games are rated "Teen," therefore not recommended for players under 13 years of age because of some off-colour lyrics and suggestive themes (read: scantily dressed rockers).

So, which encore presentation is best? We put both party games to the test and found this wasn't an easy task but we did crown a winner. Swollen thumbs and ringing eardrums aside, here's a look at each.

Rock Band 2

Not deviating far from what made its predecessor a household name, Rock Band 2 adds more than 80 new rock songs, including tracks from the likes of AC/DC, Soundgarden, The Who, Red Hot Chili Peppers and even Guns N' Roses' new "Shackler's Revenge," from the highly anticipated album Chinese Democracy.

In case you haven't stepped onstage with the original game, here's how it works: you play along to hit rock songs on a plastic guitar or drum kit peripheral, or sing in a microphone, and must hit the right note/drum skin at the correct time in order to rack up points. Perform well and the virtual crowd claps to the beat, but make too many flubs and you might just get booed off stage.

The real fun in the game, however, is playing different instruments with friends as a band in front of the same TV or over the Internet, hence the name of the game.

The special edition bundle ships with a quieter and wireless drum kit, along with a more responsive and better-looking guitar and microphone. Along with all new songs, Rock Band 2 also features new solo and multiplayer game options (such as a better online 'world tour' mode) and the ability to import most of the original Rock Band tracks, but this will cost you $5 to "compensate music licensors for expanded use" says game maker Harmonix (songs not available for import are "Paranoid," "Run to the Hills" and "Enter Sandman").

So, is Rock Band 2 worth the money? The answer is yes, but with a condition. If you loved the first game and are happy with the plastic instruments you already own, then just pick up the disc with all the new songs because the new instruments alone aren't worth the cost for the entire kit. Because the original game is only 9 months old, Rock Band 2 isn't too radically different than the first game, so consider this Rock Band 1.5 rather than a true sequel. That said, gamers looking for a rocking thrill won't be disappointed with this purchase.

Verdict: (out of 4)

Guitar Hero: World Tour

The sequel to the best-selling video game of 2007 (Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock) adds drums and vocals to the guitar and bass, along with a tour bus-full of new modes and features.

While similar to the wireless Rock Band 2 drum kit, the World Tour drums include two raised cymbals to the three main pads and bass drum pedal, resembling a real kit. The newly-designed wireless guitar looks and feels great, and offers extra buttons for improvisational play and special effects, if desired. The wired microphone provides clear sound for the singer in your group.

After you watch the first of many entertaining animated sequences, you can select from a number of single-player, co-op or head-to-head game modes. A new rock star creator lets you customize the look of your virtual musician before entering a lengthy Career mode that lets players swap instruments as they progress through the story (or choose to stick with one); the Band Career options allows you to join or host an online band with other World Tour players. Or why not compete in an online competition four against four to see how many points your band can collectively rack up against a rival super group? As with Guitar Hero III, players with dual guitars on the same TV can unleash "battle attacks" to trip up an opponent such as causing a string to break or flipping the left and right buttons.

The 80-plus musical tracks are about as good as the ones offered in Rock Band 2 (with some available in both, such as Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" and Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer"). World Tour includes classics like Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" (live version), The Eagles' "Hotel California" and Michael Jackson's "Beat It," as well as newer rock ditties such as Tool's "Schism," Oasis' "Some Might Say" and "Linkin Park's "What I've Done." Both games let you download additional tracks from the Internet for a few bucks apiece.

World Tour also goes one step further by including an editor to create and share your own songs but be forewarned it takes some patience and skill to fully appreciate the bundled "Music Studio." One to four players can choose to play lead or rhythm guitar, bass, keyboards and drums, but be aware vocals cannot be recorded. Once you've saved your masterpiece, publish it to an online hub called GHTunes for others to download; on the flipside, you can download and play someone else' songs, too.

You can't go wrong with Rock Band 2, but when played one after the other, Guitar Hero: World Tour comes out slightly ahead thanks to cooler instruments, multiple game modes and the built-in music studio.

Verdict: (out of 4)

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I don't own either; but I did enjoy playing Guitar Hero.

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