Published 21:30, November the 5th, 2008
Battle of the fake bands
‘Guitar Hero World Tour’Console: Xbox 360 / PS3
Company: Activision
Grade: 3 Globes
The “Guitar Hero” franchise is back, and this time they’ve brought along other, um, heroes. The game has finally gone the full band route, taking a cue from “Rock Band” who last year took it’s own cue from “Guitar Hero” who even before that took a cue from actual musicians.
How does it stack up? Point for point, it’s a mixed bag. There are a host of customization options, allowing you to tinker with everything from your rebellious rocker to your onstage equipment. The game also features a recording studio, however it manages to be both complicated and limited at the same time. The core gameplay is fun, but the equipment doesn’t seem quite as solid as what’s found in “Rock Band 2.”
‘Rock Band 2’
Console: Harmonix
Company: Xbox 360 / PS3
Grade: 4 Globes
“Rock Band 2” doesn’t bring too many new functions to the table, but who cares? It has 84 new songs, all of them master tracks. The game also allows you to import songs from the original iteration and download new tracks as they show up online. This adds up to hundreds of songs to rock out to.
The core gameplay remains virtually unchanged, but there is a robust online mode. This mode lets you compete in live faceoffs and even participate in a rotating set of challenges. These challenges are ridiculously fun and vary according to genre or theme. They can get difficult but otherwise “Rock Band 2” is geared more toward casual players. Great pains are taken to make it simpler to pick up and play than the original. Every aspect of the game is easier this time around, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Who wants to practice to make fake music? This a video game, not Carnegie Hall.”