 A guilty pleasure...but GREAT nonetheless!! |
| Review Date: November 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Jefferson, Long Beach, CA USA |
There are 2 groups of people that typically play Guitar Hero: Those who are score obsessed... they are all about mastering the most challenging of songs and having the highest scores on the leaderboards. Then there are those who love having a group of their friends over to play plastic instruments and yell at the top of their lungs for hours on end. For the most part...I fall into the second category.
I have loved every entry in the Rock Band series, and more recently fell in love with Guitar Hero 5. However, these games have failed me in one vital area: the soundtrack for these games is kinda niche. Oftentimes when friends or family would come over for a "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band" party, it would turn into each of them taking turns scrolling through hundreds of alternative, progressive, or heavy metal songs until they find one or two that they know and KINDA LIKE... and since they don't necessarily own a Guitar Hero or Rock Band game, they aren't overly concerned about scores or anything like that...they just want to play music they know and love. That is where Band Hero swoops in to save the day (or at least save my party!!)
Rather than focusing on niche genres of music, Band Hero does the exact opposite... Band Hero's soundtrack is focused on Pop music. The very definition of POP MUSIC is music that is popular... songs that everyone knows and loves. And I have to say, Band Hero delivers. There is some great music on Band Hero. Granted, the setlist on Guitar Hero 5 was more appealing to me personally... but Band Hero's setlist will be a HUGE hit at my next party, which, thanks to Band Hero, will be more of a "Karaoke party that also features all of the cool Guitar Hero elements for those interested" than a "Guitar Hero party". Here are some of my observations about the game:
*The Music - As I mentioned, the game focuses on pop music, with artists ranging from Yellowcard to Hillary Duff to Taylor Swift to No Doubt and so on. There are several "guilty pleasures" songs that, while I wouldn't admit enjoying any other time, will be a HUGE hit when having friends over to play (especially my wife's friends)... like The Spice Girls, Taylor Swift, Joss Stone. There are even classic songs like "Rio" by Duran Duran, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" by Culture Club, and "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas (right?)... and cmon...who can really claim not to love singing any of those songs? Sure, they are really easy to play on guitar/bass/drums for the most part.... but they are fun. Besides, if you want a challenge...check out the SONG IMPORT feature!
*Song Import: For a small fee, you can import 61 songs from Guitar Hero 5, and several of the songs from Guitar Hero Smash Hits and Guitar Hero World Tour. Before importing Guitar Hero 5 (and after importing smash hits and world tour), I already had a total of 140 songs available to play in Band Hero! So, in addition to the pop songs included on the disk, I am also able to include alot of the great and more challenging songs from Guitar Hero 5 (like "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Medicate", and lots of other great stuff!!!)
*Downloadable Content: Like Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero:World Tour, Band Hero includes an in-game music store that allows you to purchase additional songs. Hopefully, this means that, in addition to the more hardcore downloadable songs available for Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero will also be getting downloadable pop music! Also, most (if not all) of the dlc that you purchase for Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero World Tour are AUTOMATICALLY playable in Band Hero! If, however, you want these to be excluded from Band Hero, there is a place in the Options menu that allows dlc to be disabled. With downloadable content and importing the songs from other versions of Guitar Hero, I should have a library of over 200 song available for playing in Band Hero by the end of the week!
*Band Hero = Guitar Hero 5 with more neon lights: Guitar Hero 5 for Wii is a game that any person with a Wii should own. Period. It was the first of the rhythm games to use high-capacity sd cards, effectively adding a hard drive to your Wii. It had AWESOME features like Party Play mode, drop-in and drop-out multiplayer, and the ability change difficulty on the fly. "Beginner" difficulty is also included, which will allow ANYONE to pick up this game and start playing, no matter what skill level. And then there was the AWESOME, Wii-exclusive "Roadie Battle" mode that allowed someone to sit on the sideline with a DS and sabotage other players.... PRICELESS!!! ALL of the features from Guitar Hero 5 are also implemented in Band Hero. That automatically makes Band Hero AWESOME. Period.
I really hope Band Hero sells well. Activision took a great game and made it more marketable. Between DJ Hero, Band Hero, and Guitar Hero 5, there is no longer any excuse for people not to jump in and enjoy rythym gaming. Unless you hate music and hate fun, you should own this game. =) Some parents/players were put off by some of the art style used in the Guitar Hero games (lots of skulls, demons, lightning bolts, and heavy metal)... and those people will be happy to know that the look and feel used in Band Hero is more family friendly...they've replaced those things with neon lights, starbursts, glitter, floodlights... it really feels like "Guitar Hero" meets "The MTV VMA Awards". I really enjoy the game, and hope you will too!!
My review scores:
Gameplay: 10/10
Difficulty: 8/10 (Anyone from grandma to seasoned hardcore guitar hero veterans can get loads of value out of this game)
Presentation: 9/10
Lasting Value: 9/10
Overall: 9.5/10 |
A guilty pleasure... but great nonetheless!
|
| Review Date: November 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Jefferson, Long Beach, CA USA |
There are 2 groups of people that typically play Guitar Hero: Those who are score obsessed... they are all about mastering the most challenging of songs and having the highest scores on the leaderboards. Then there are those who love having a group of their friends over to play plastic instruments and yell at the top of their lungs for hours on end. For the most part...I fall into the second category.
I have loved every entry in the Rock Band series, and more recently fell in love with Guitar Hero 5. However, these games have failed me in one vital area: the soundtrack for these games is kinda niche. Oftentimes when friends or family would come over for a "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band" party, it would turn into each of them taking turns scrolling through hundreds of alternative, progressive, or heavy metal songs until they find one or two that they know and KINDA LIKE... and since they don't necessarily own a Guitar Hero or Rock Band game, they aren't overly concerned about scores or anything like that...they just want to play music they know and love. That is where Band Hero swoops in to save the day (or at least save my party!!)
Rather than focusing on niche genres of music, Band Hero does the exact opposite... Band Hero's soundtrack is focused on Pop music. The very definition of POP MUSIC is music that is popular... songs that everyone knows and loves. And I have to say, Band Hero delivers. There is some great music on Band Hero. Granted, the setlist on Guitar Hero 5 was more appealing to me personally... but Band Hero's setlist will be a HUGE hit at my next party, which, thanks to Band Hero, will be more of a "Karaoke party that also features all of the cool Guitar Hero elements for those interested" than a "Guitar Hero party". Here are some of my observations about the game:
*The Music - As I mentioned, the game focuses on pop music, with artists ranging from Yellowcard to Hillary Duff to Taylor Swift to No Doubt and so on. There are several "guilty pleasures" songs that, while I wouldn't admit enjoying any other time, will be a HUGE hit when having friends over to play (especially my wife's friends)... like The Spice Girls, Taylor Swift, Joss Stone. There are even classic songs like "Rio" by Duran Duran, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" by Culture Club, and "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas (right?)... and cmon...who can really claim not to love singing any of those songs? Sure, they are really easy to play on guitar/bass/drums for the most part.... but they are fun. Besides, if you want a challenge...check out the SONG IMPORT feature!
*Song Import: For a small fee, you can import 61 songs from Guitar Hero 5, and several of the songs from Guitar Hero Smash Hits and Guitar Hero World Tour. Before importing Guitar Hero 5 (and after importing smash hits and world tour), I already had a total of 140 songs available to play in Band Hero! So, in addition to the pop songs included on the disk, I am also able to include alot of the great and more challenging songs from Guitar Hero 5 (like "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Medicate", and lots of other great stuff!!!)
*Downloadable Content: Like Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero:World Tour, Band Hero includes an in-game music store that allows you to purchase additional songs. Hopefully, this means that, in addition to the more hardcore downloadable songs available for Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero will also be getting downloadable pop music! Also, most (if not all) of the dlc that you purchase for Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero World Tour are AUTOMATICALLY playable in Band Hero! If, however, you want these to be excluded from Band Hero, there is a place in the Options menu that allows dlc to be disabled. With downloadable content and importing the songs from other versions of Guitar Hero, I should have a library of over 200 song available for playing in Band Hero by the end of the week!
*Band Hero = Guitar Hero 5 with more neon lights: Guitar Hero 5 for Wii is a game that any person with a Wii should own. Period. It was the first of the rhythm games to use high-capacity sd cards, effectively adding a hard drive to your Wii. It had AWESOME features like Party Play mode, drop-in and drop-out multiplayer, and the ability change difficulty on the fly. "Beginner" difficulty is also included, which will allow ANYONE to pick up this game and start playing, no matter what skill level. And then there was the AWESOME, Wii-exclusive "Roadie Battle" mode that allowed someone to sit on the sideline with a DS and sabotage other players.... PRICELESS!!! ALL of the features from Guitar Hero 5 are also implemented in Band Hero. That automatically makes Band Hero AWESOME. Period.
I really hope Band Hero sells well. Activision took a great game and made it more marketable. Between DJ Hero, Band Hero, and Guitar Hero 5, there is no longer any excuse for people not to jump in and enjoy rythym gaming. Unless you hate music and hate fun, you should own this game. =) Some parents/players were put off by some of the art style used in the Guitar Hero games (lots of skulls, demons, lightning bolts, and heavy metal)... and those people will be happy to know that the look and feel used in Band Hero is more family friendly...they've replaced those things with neon lights, starbursts, glitter, floodlights... it really feels like "Guitar Hero" meets "The MTV VMA Awards". I really enjoy the game, and hope you will too!!
My review scores:
Gameplay: 10/10
Difficulty: 8/10 (Anyone from grandma to seasoned hardcore guitar hero veterans can get loads of value out of this game)
Presentation: 9/10
Lasting Value: 9/10
Overall: 9.5/10 |
Brilliance
|
| Review Date: December 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: G. Denny, Northern California |
I actually bought this for the Wii because it comes with the updated drum set. Beware if you are getting the other platforms because, at least initially, you will get the same set that was shipped with World Tour. When I set out to get it, I really didn't expect much from the set list because Hillary Duff is not really my thing, just wanted an extra guitar and the updated drums. I set it up to make sure everything was in working order and to test out the drum set. The drums work flawlessly and are 100 times improved over the Word Tour set that sometimes never work.
But, here's why I really came to write this review. I have a 6 year old daughter who heard the music playing and came out immediately as if Taylor Swift was the Pied Piper. I promptly handed her the guitar and showed her how to make a character. She went for the rocker and outfitted her in all pink of course. I set her up on the beginner level, which consists of just strumming at the right time with no color coding. She picked it up right away and thus a star was born. We worked through all of her favorites; Hillary Duff, everything by Taylor Swift, Evanescence, a little Janet and the Jackson 5 and a few others and she was hooked. I backed her up on drums and she was hitting 90-95% consistently. This repackaged Guitar Hero 5 is a stroke of genius if marketed appropriately. My daughter did not want to go to sleep. She never showed any interest in previous versions of Guitar Hero and she has been around others playing it; but this one has a hold of her like crack. I think I told her; "ok, last one", at least 10 times before I resorted to "ok really this time, last one".
Band Hero fits a niche that was previously unexplored; I think any child 4 to 12, boy or girl would enjoy this, and teenage girls will really like the look and feel of Band Hero. Basically, anyone who picks up the plastic guitar and starts tapping their foot to a recognizable song will be instantly hooked. This is a very enthusiastic thumbs up for Band Hero and a thumbs up to Taylor Swift for getting involved in this project. She's laughing all the way to the bank, and yes, the set ships with a microphone no one will ever have to share with Kanye! |
Drum is NOT THE DRUM on the product photo
|
| Review Date: December 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: E. Taskin, ANKARA, TURKEY |
| This product photo reveals the drum with fullcircle cymbals..and that was the reason why I bought the kit in the first place..wanting to own the new designed drum! However, what I received was the ordinary 1/3 circle cymbal..the usual stuff and not at all what is shown here. Amazingly the original bundle box also shows the regular drum. SO WHY IN THE WORLD ARE THEY ADVERTISING THIS DRUM WITH THIS PRODUCT? I DO NOT KNOW..I AM DISAPPOINTED. VERY MUCH. |
very cool
|
| Review Date: December 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A Mom, Massachusetts |
| I bought this for my 9yr old daughter for Christmas, she got the Rock Band last year but rarely uses it because she doesn't know the songs. But Band Hero changed that...she loves Taylor Swift and there's Maroon 5, Divo, Culture Club, Village People and so much more. And it works with the Rock Band drums, guitar & microphone, which I read people saying it didn't!! We played for hours trying to beat eachothers vocal scores!!! I'm glad I got it! :) |
Amazon Does Not Know What They Are Selling
|
| Review Date: January 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Michael Gebbie, |
| I do not understand why they have a picture of the new drums while they are continuing to sell the drums with world tour. Even after asking them, they assured me the newest band hero,like the one Walmart with the new drums. I am returning this one and going to Walmart where the price is the same but I get what I want and what I paid for. |
Over priced, but entertaining.
|
| Review Date: November 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: P. Tsan, |
Personally, for the PS3 version, currently, it is not a good deal.
The instruments on the PS3 version (new drum set are due sometime in the future) are the same as GH:World Tour Kit.
GH:WT Bundle Is going about for 99$ or so, the standalone game "Band Hero" is ave 50-60$ right now. (11/28/2009)
So, at max price, $160, if you buy both seperately, you can get TWO games instead of just one for the Band Hero Kit priced at 149.99.
As for the game itself, it is fun. It's not metallica, or slipknot type of music. The target audience is teens/tweens/pop culture. It serves it's purpose.
If you like pop music, annd if you like guitar hero, this will be fun. It's not the best in terms of packages/presentation, but it will provide hours of entertainment. |
Great GH Game Sequel
|
| Review Date: December 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Diego Vega Aguirre, Quito, Ecuador |
Great GH Game Sequel
First of all, sorry for my English, but I¡¦ll do my best¡K besides that, there are several ways you can review this game¡K
THE MUSIC
I don¡¦t really like most of the songs included in this game but I knew it before I bought it so I don¡¦t really have any problem about that. I own almost all of the previews GH games so I have plenty music to play with, but if you really like pop music then you will like the songs more than I do.
THE GAME MODES
Party Play: I really like this game mode specially when playing with friends who are not as good enough to finish a song in quickplay mode.
Quickplay: Nothing too much different to what you get in GH5, you have the option to play with online players, the problem is that I never get someone online. There is a way that is supposed to be ¡§easier¡¨ to play online but you have to register other Wii console number in you Wii contacs in order to use this feature.
Career: The same as GH5, I personally prefer the career mode in World Tour, I don¡¦t know why neversoft changed this but guess most of the people like it.
You can play using your Miis, I have played this mode a couple of times, its fun is you just want to play whatever you want because you ¡§create¡¨ your song as you play.
THE MUSIC STUDIO
As all GH music studios, this is really challenging, the easiest instrument to record something are the drums as they are the most realistic instrument, but guitar and bass you have use some color combinations in order to get the notes you want¡K if don¡¦t really have anything to do and have plenty of time to waist, then this is for you º
THE INSTRUMENTS
The guitar is the same as you get when buying GH5 (guitar bundle), really nice looking guitar, and the most important works perfect.
Nothing important to say about microphone¡K it works fine, the only problem could be you singing skills
The big difference are drums. If you compare the drums included in BH with GHWT drums, you will notice that the new ones are more quiet when you hit the instrument, so you don¡¦t have to turn the volume to max in order to hear the music and not only your drumming. Also, you can ¡§attach¡¨ you kick pedal to the drum¡¦s frame you it will not move while playing.
CONCLUSION
If you have played Guitar Hero and you like it, then Band Hero will not be the exception. If you like rock more than pop, then you will be disappointed with the songs included in this game, but I really bought this bundle in order to get the new version of drums and they are what I expected.
|
A Great Game For Family and Friends To Play and Karaoke Together!
|
| Review Date: November 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Zafree Zaharidan, Madison, WI USA |
Though Band Hero is similar to Guitar Hero 5 in term of gameplay, it still had a lot to offer. Guitar Hero 5 is said to be "extremely diverse" that players will find that there are songs that they like and there are also songs that they will never even touch. Band Hero done a great job in making the songs to be more specific to pop-oriented tracks.
In my opinion, the game is great in bringing family and friends together. There are a lot of more familiar songs to everyone like Love Story by Taylor Swift, She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5, Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney and more. The guitar and drum notes are relatively easy compared to Guitar Hero, so it will be more accessible to everyone especially beginners and not-so-hardcore gamers. The Sing-Along feature is a great addition to make the game more karaoke-like as multiple player can sing simultaneously on one song.
To conclude, you can enjoy this game at it fullest when you bring along your family and friends to play. It is more easy and the songs are more specific and mostly well-known to all. If you are a Guitar Hero expert wanting for challenge, then this is game is certainly not for you. I am giving 5 stars because I can finally enjoy my favorite game with my friends.
Edited 06:20 PM 12/12/09
Pros
- A good game for beginners and those who want to have fun together
- Sing-along karaoke mode is great for party
- Many known pop songs
- You still can transfer songs from other Guitar Hero games (DLC, World Tour, Smash Hits and 5) and vice-versa
- Party play is a blast
Cons
- For experienced Guitar Hero players, this game will be too easy
- It is basically the same as Guitar Hero 5
- May not be suitable for every Guitar Hero hardcore |
a great way to spend an evening with the relatives
|
| Review Date: December 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: K. Campbell, Mansfield, GA USA |
| The Baby Boomers will enjoy this more than the previous Guitar Hero or Rock Band as it has much more of "our" music. And lots of today's too! Also great because one person can drop out of a song and not mess it up for the rest of the players...And changing difficulty is so easy...no need to go back to the menu each time. And we LOVED making up our characters which took almost an entire evening, everyone laughing and having fun. |
|
No video reviews found for this product.
Leave a Reply