Are You Notaninja?

The battle has begun. Guitar Hero vs. Rock Band….and my thoughts on both.

Pros -

Guitar Hero – original game, has a following. Have seen it being used in contests in bars and at places like the Taste of MN fair. Has larger book of music – which with GH3 is downloadable to systems that support it. Much larger selection of guitar peripherals to select from if you want/need an extra guitar. Newest game, GH3, has features such guitar battles where you can thwart your opponent by sending them broken strings, tougher levels, etc… 4 games released in this series. Lower cost to get game. Available on Wii, 360, PS2 and PS3.

Rock Band – newest to the line of “Simulation Music”. Like GH has 2 guitars, but also moves into 4 person category by adding drums and singing. Since it’s new, it lacks the extra peripherals such as other guitars (will touch more on this in a moment), or drumsets. however, you can use other guitars made for GH as long as they are compatible with your console. Nice songlist for start. Downloadable songs may bring more to the game. Singer player mode allows you to progress one song at a time much like GH, where you play a song and move on after completing it. Customizing is nice, for character creation to personal clothing to custom tatoos and face paint. Doesn’t offer too much in on screen selection of other instruments, but possible future or downloadable stuff. The method of growing your bands is very similar to how it would be to get a band in real life started and growing. Available on PS3 and 360.

Cons –

Guitar Hero – Lack of other instruments. Is fine if you like the guitars, but having no other options = loss of some potential customers. Also – guitars are smaller, which leads to cramping of hands.

Rock Band – Building the band = lot’s of repitition in the song style. Switching members into and out of your band or modifying to change intruments are cumbersome. Guitar is not compatible with Guitar Hero games. Aftermarket peripherals don’t exist yet.

Summary:

So, after playing the two at length, I vote for Rock Band as winner of the battle. Perhaps GH4 will have the extra instruments added to it, but the variety offered with the drums and the singing bring much needed enjoyment for groups of friends right now. But it’s depth of longevity will run short as Rock Band picks up speed.