Rockband 2

My brother's come into a bit of cash, and he's thinking about getting Rockband 2. Should he get Guitar Hero: World Tour instead? We have a Wii.

I'd convince him to buy boardgames, but we've got a ton of stuff that's just lying around and no really good boardgames are out these days anyway. Save for expansions and the Arabian Nights game, and maybe the rumored Space Hulk reprint nothing really catches my eye.

Rockband 2? or GH:WT?

Rock Band....

The game is just better. The interface is nicer, the controls make a little more sense, the band can save each other when they bail, and there is a little more focus on having you play the notes that are in the song.

Also, you'll be able to use the RB2 instruments for the upcoming Beatles game. Beatles.


Guitar Hero WT has a couple of things going for it, though.

#1. It is cheap. Bundles can be found for $100 if you look.
#2. The drum set has cymbals already, and MIGHT actually be the better drum set. (I strongly prefer the RB guitars, however.


I do have both, and GHWT never actually seems to make it out of the slipcase.

RB2 no doubt about it.

There are some concerns with GHWT's sound, it doesn't come out as good as the sound in RB (just play the same songs back to back on both games and you'll definitely see the difference). In a music game, the sound's pretty important.

The interface is also better in RB, and the metagame (world tour mode) is a lot more fun in RB as well.

GHWT has a few interesting bits and some nice exclusive songs (Tool, Ozzy), but it's just not as fun.

Now GH: Metallica is quite something else. In a music game, sound's pretty important, but so is the setlist, and when Metallica are at the top of their game, I'm definitely a fan. This game uses the same system as GHWT, but they fixed some of the crappy interface problems.

Rock Band 2 has a better songlist and in-game features, but I *DETEST* Rock Band guitars, and the GHWT drum kit is nicer, so I went with GHWT.

Seriously. Rock Band guitars. Fuckin' fail in every capacity. I hate those things. Spongy strum unresponsive pieces of shit. You mean to tell me I can Expert Misrilou with a GH guitar, but miss basic strum notes with a Rock Band guitar? Get the fuck outta here.

Rant over.

Rant on.

The RB1 guitars sucked. The fret buttons and the thin fret are great, and the thinner pick-like strum bar is so much easier than the GH guitar. The strum bar sucks. Just inaccurate and mushy.

The RB2 version is almost identical, save that they put a stop really close in on the strum bar in both directions, and tightened up the springs.

For the RB1 guitar, there is a $16 replacement package that replaces the strum bar with a mechanical switch set.
www.bytearts.com/strummer/index.html
This is pretty much essential if anyone still has an RB1 and wants to go to hard or expert.

So even after the surgery, do you actually *prefer* the RB Guitar, Frank?


Have you used the GHWT wireless? Sweet Jeebus...that sucker is a little piece of heaven.

After using it the first time, I traded off all my old GH stuff for PS2, because there was no way I was going back to those.

I have a GH3 bundle I picked up that included the wireless. I used to use it as my primary guitar once I realized how bad the RB1 guitar was.

I have played only a couple of songs with the GH:WT wireless.

I still prefer the RB2 guitar by far. The thinner fret bar makes it easier to deal with hand cramping, and the narrower strum bar is SO much easier for fast up and down strums. I never could manage that well with the GH guitars.

---

Of course:

Rock Band 2 apparently supports the GH instruments, but not vice versa. The way to go might be:

Buy the GH:WT bundle.
Buy the Rock Band 2 game.

Should be about $200. Close to the price of the $170 RB2 only bundle. You get the better drums, an (arguably) better guitar and both games.

PRECISELY. Totally agree with that assessment, Frank.

ROCK BAND 2 all the way. It's better than every board game ever published.

I don't own any of them, I just play at Swamp Castle where we usually close out our board game nights with RB2. We usually decide to close out board game night after one or two short games and then RB2 for about three hours.

GHWT...I actually like the vocal chart a little better and there's some really awesome songs on there that you miss on RB2 ("Born to Run" is the biggest loss) but RB2 scores higher on literally every other point. Plus the RB2 DLC seems a lot more interesting- Mission of Burma? Get outta here!

It is hugely disappointing to me that the Metallica thing is GH- not because I want the Metallica songs, but because of the other stuff on it. Freakin' Samhain. King Fucking Diamond. Thin Lizzy. "War Ensemble". It breaks my heart.

I can vouch for Frank's guitar setup- the fixed-up guitar works pretty good.

You're dissing Samhain? You're dead to me.

Oh shit, and Slayer too? You're double dead. Double dead and BERRIED.

Ken B. wrote:

Oh shit, and Slayer too? You're double dead. Double dead and BERRIED.

Read Barnes' post again. He's not dissing the bands or songs, he's dissing the fact that they're on a Guitar Hero (Metallica) game and not Rock Band.

Columbob wrote:

Ken B. wrote:

Oh shit, and Slayer too? You're double dead. Double dead and BERRIED.

Read Barnes' post again. He's not dissing the bands or songs, he's dissing the fact that they're on a Guitar Hero (Metallica) game and not Rock Band.

Ah. Reading is fundamental.


Alright, Barnes. WISE FWOM YUH GWAVE.

Damn you Ken...must reclaim my credibility now:

- I've seen Slayer some six times since 1990. "War Ensemble" is one of my top three favorite Slayer songs ("Raining Blood" and "Angel of Death" are the other two)
- I saw the Samhain reunion show back when they "opened" for Danzig- they did half of their entire catalog, then came back on stage with their shirts off and covered in blood to perform the other half. I own the Samhain box set. I'm pretty sure I could get 100% on "Mother of Mercy" on expert.
- Going to the Samhain show caused me to miss the Mercyful Fate reunion show, which was like the same night. I bought my first King Diamond tape sometime around 1987 and I thought I was doing something really, really wrong because I had to lie to my parents that I "lost" my allowance money.

That this stuff isn't in RB2, the superior game, is what breaks my heart.

BTW- Metallica sucks. They're the worst thing about that package. OK, "Kill 'Em All" and "Ride the Lightning" are great records, but the vast, overwhelming majority of their output is keeeeeeeerap.

How is Barnes able to post from the brig - Adama doesn't allow networks ?