Lately, there has been a lot of fighting over what music game will be better. Whether it will be Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero: World Tour. Sure, Guitar Hero: World Tour has a few new cool things: Create your own songs, make your own guitars and drums sets. These are some nice new additions, but what it really comes down to is what game is going to be able to keep the players hooked the longest. It’s simple really, Rock Band 2 is going to be the victor.
To start off this argument, lets look at the facts. Guitar Hero 1, developed by Harmonix. Sure, it had its problems. Hammer-ons weren’t the best, and it didn’t have pro-face off or co-op. Aside from those things, the game was great, it had great songs, and it was fun, everyone loved it. Then Guitar Hero 2 came. It was still developed by Harmonix, and it pretty much fixed everything. The Hammer-ons were better than ever, the songs were great (they had Freebird), they had both pro-face off and Co-op, the future was bright from Guitar Hero.
Then Guitar Hero 3 came. No longer developed by Harmonix, now it was developed by Neversoft. Everyone had high hopes for the game, but if you’ve every played the first two Guitar Hero’s, then you know how much worse this one is. Its song were…eh, could be better. They ended up making the hammer-ons a little too easy (in my opinion) and honestly, the game was nearly impossible to beat on expert, unless you were some Guitar Hero freak. It seems like Neversoft was more worried about making the game difficult to beat, more than making it fun for the gamers, that they just chose popular songs that people liked, even if the Guitar sucked.
Although I think Guitar Hero 3 was a disappointment, there was still hope. For Rock Band was being made, by none other than Harmonix! I was jumping with joy when this news was revealed. When Rock Band was released, the game didn’t disappoint. It was the merchandise that disappointed. If you own Rock Band, then you know what I’m talking about. Although the merchandise could have been better, the game was amazing. It has awesome songs on it, making them fun on all the instruments (not just the guitar). You could now make your own character, and you actually had a World Tour Co-op mode, where you would travel the world, gaining fans as you went and playing in various places.
Now Guitar Hero expects to step in Rock Bands way, with Guitar Hero: World Tour. I don’t think they stand a chance. The first and second Guitar Hero games were outstanding, and it’s obvious that Harmonix has showed us that they can do amazing things. I think that GH:WT is going to be Guitar Hero 3 with drums and singing added into the mix. Neversoft is going to make the game way harder than it needs to be. They are going to choose popular songs, even if they have horrible guitar, drums, and singing altogether. We’ve already seen Rock Band 2’s set-list, and its looking better than ever. Now where’s Guitar Hero: World Tours set-list? I’d like to see Neversoft just try and top Harmonix.
Jul 28, 2008 at 21:50:23
Well, I think that Neversoft has the resources considering how much Guitar Hero sells. But you know they’ll screw it up and go for crappy songs.
Jul 29, 2008 at 05:25:16
I pretty much completely disagree with you. I do agree that Guitar Hero: WT is totally ripping off Rock Band, no doubt about that. Even the box art is basically the same. Take a look sometime.
Anyways, I think you are super judging the game way too harshly. I do agree that GH3 was super hard, and I do think Harmonix knows what they are doing more so than Neversoft, but now Neversoft has had some experience, and they’ve made a ton of announcements. For one, they said they would make the game easier with a better difficulty curve, so I think hard will be a bit easier with expert still be pretty rough.
And I have to say that their drum set is more authentic and will play better, although I can’t really say that as I haven’t played on it myself, but it just seems better, the GH one.
GH:WT will also have the player customization, and it will probably do it better, so that’s an invalid argument.
GH:WT will also feature the ability to make your own music, which Rock Band isn’t doing, so I think that will be a HUGE plus for gamers and rockers. Hours and hours will be spend using that and it’s just gonna be huge.
And there music library is just as big as RB’s, but yeah, they haven’t announced their track list but I’m sure it’ll be fine, with just as many exclusives as RB2.
I don’t see why Rock Band is getting a sequel…everything is the same, with no added game features, as far as I can remember….it looks exactly the same and I just don’t see why they are doing it.
So yeah, I think GH:WT could very possibly be the better game, but I can’t say. And just so you know, I have Rock Band and think it’s awesome. I’m not against the game at all, but I’m simply saying that you shouldn’t brush off GH:WT so easily. I think it’ll be a very heated battle and I think GH may come out on top.
Jul 29, 2008 at 11:02:45
I agree with some things Zach says. Like, I do like how GH:WT allows you to make your own songs, that’s a nice feature.
And I’m not saying that GH:WT is going to be bad either, I just fear that Neversoft is going to screw it up like they did the 3rd one. They do have some experience with it now, and I hope that helps.
I don’t really like the drum set in GH:WT. The only thing i do like about it is how it’s more like a true drum set, where the symbols are placed and whatnot, but have you seen the Rock Band 2 exclusive drum set? Sure, it’s not the real RB2 drums, and they cost $300, but I’m hoping that Harmonix ends up making one like that, just maybe a little cheaper.
I dont see why Rock Band doesn’t deserve a sequel. Sure, its exactly the same, but the first one was fine that way. If you look at the other guitar hero’s they’re all basically the same thing, with some new multiplayer modes, and maybe a couple of other things thrown in, but they are basically all the same.
Honestly, I think that GH:WT will sell better, but that doesn’t mean it will be better. The only reason I think it will sell better is because the GH games are more well known. Plus, people don’t even realize Harmonix makes RB, they just think its some company ripping of GH, and so it makes them mad.
I’m not saying GH:WT will be bad. In fact, I want the game to be good. I just feel that Neversoft wont do as good a job as Harmonix. I also agree with you that it will be a heated battle, we’ll just have to judge them when the games are released I guess.
Jul 29, 2008 at 12:51:10
If you’ve played Rock Band Enough, You should know that it is waaaay to easy, on Bass, Guitar and Drums. When I go to download a song, I look for how hard it is. The difficulty is what makes it fun for people who play it alot. Yeah, Neversoft screwed up on GHIII, look at the models and animations, the people look hideous. But the guitar is much funner to play. The guitar for Rock Band is not fun to play. Most people I know agree with me. The Hardware is also a major problem. They will both be pretty cool, But alot of Rock Band veterans know that the game is to easy, and that a difficulty boost wouldn’t hurt.
Jul 29, 2008 at 19:33:30
You have a huge biased. You really have no right to comment on the situation in such a public manner.
Jul 29, 2008 at 20:26:22
Garrick dude, he has every right to comment on the situation in this manner… it’s his article. If you wanted to you could also write an article just like this one for GH:WT, its all about the opinions and he is entitled to his.
Jul 29, 2008 at 20:40:58
Youre forgetting that most gamers in europe are pretty pi**ed at rock band. empty promised about the release date for month, very expensive and no ps3 version yet. the people i know wont forget that and will buy guitar hero wt!
Jul 29, 2008 at 20:43:18
It will be an interesting battle.
Personally I like the GH guitars better than the Rock Band guitars. They feel more responsive. My two cents.
Either way, I own a Wii, so by far the clear winner so far is GH:WT due to its promise to deliver DLC. If Rockband doesn’t make up for its lack of online for the Wii, it’ll lose on quite the casual game market. I may be wrong, people may just buy Rockband Wii because its Rockband.
To each his own.
Jul 29, 2008 at 20:44:03
GH:WT has the create a song mode, which instantly rockets it up miles above Rock Band for me. Also, as stated, the ease of the songs in Rock Band is ridiculously boring. And correct me if I’m wrong, but EVERY song on GH:WT will be the original master recording, where as Rock Band will have cover songs for over half of the songs on the game.
Jul 29, 2008 at 21:10:56
I personally, think that you’re all kinda pretentious for going all out over this one topic like this, calm down people. Geez, the games aren’t out yet, this is all speculation.
Yet if I where to speculate about this topic….
I would say Rock Band beats out GH by a mile. The tracks are easier, I won’t deny that, but they choose songs with fun parts, not just popular songs that will kick your ass. When people are wasting hundreds of their hours alone practicing to beat Dragonforce, or some stupid crap like that, you know their is something wrong.
This is a party game. Not a MMO. Neversoft hasn’t understood that as of yet. Possibly they can fix this with WT, but I doubt it. They’ve brought the game out of the party territory and into the competitive zone. Which yeah, its nice to have diversity, but from where I stand its kind of just destroying the main basis that GH was built on. I just want to play when I have some friends over and have a good time.
The rock band style is all about cooperation. Their can’t be any of this elite competition shit, unless its just a side mode, it will kill the spirit. The game will degenerate into just another GH competeathon. But if you’ll allow me to be a bit redundant, I have to say I’m glad that both GH and RB exist. Because this will allow one to stay a party game and one to be a true competitive skill tester. It just upsets me because the game, despite what most people believe now, is not at heart competitive, its about the music. Rock band continues to be about the music. GH has turned to another DDR clone, a rhythm based game with music in the background.
Jul 29, 2008 at 21:11:26
And yes, I know my post was full of contradictions. Sorry, I kinda of trailed on and on.
Jul 29, 2008 at 23:56:48
totally disagree with the comment “And there music library is just as big as RB’s, but yeah, they haven’t announced their track list but I’m sure it’ll be fine, with just as many exclusives as RB2.” NO WAY. Rock Band adds 3-4 songs every week, you can take all the RB1 songs into RB2, estimated 500 songs available by December. I doubt seeing GHWT topping that.
Jul 30, 2008 at 00:25:30
@haaan: I meant the songs on the disc. They will both come with 80+ tracks, and each will have their own exclusives that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.
True, RB’s backward compatibility, if you will, is pretty awesome, but I’m sure both of their DLC will be fairly similar and all around supported. Both are continually updating their library and there is no reason to believe that one will go bounds above the other. 500 is a big number, but it’s all old crap that you either already have or don’t. It’s not like you are getting 500 with the disc. You have to pay for it, so it’s not super awesome.
Jul 30, 2008 at 00:33:25
As a Wii user, I’ve been very disappointed in the way Rock Band was brought to the Nintendo console. Late release, much less features than the other versions… There are less differences between the various versions of GH3.
Therefore I’m more confident in GH4 than Rock Band 2 for the Wii. But I’ll wait and compare the features of both games to make a final opinion.
Jul 30, 2008 at 01:38:18
I completely disagree, there appears to be no basis in your claim that Rock Band is better whatsoever, you’re just saying Rock Band 2 will beat GH4.
Again as another Wii owner, Guitar Hero is fantastic because Neversoft actually put some effort into it and added features such as online (and co-op), and they tried their level best to bring in DLC. Guitar Hero: World Tour for the Wii is going to be pretty much the same as its HD brothers as Neversoft are bringing in DLC, song creation, much better online modes, song sharing, etc. etc.
Harmonix just couldn’t be bothered to implement any Wi-Fi features into Rock Band on the Wii at all, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they did the same with Rock Band 2.
Jul 30, 2008 at 03:49:40
@EROQ
You are wrong, every song on the Rock Band 2 disc will be a master recording; I don’t know for sure if that’s true for GH:WT.
@Zach Potts
I don’t see how both companies’ DLC is going to be similar. RB DLC was designed for multiple instruments, so compatibilty with RB2 seems obvious, but GH3 DLC only has the guitar charts, so how is that going to work for drums, bass, and vocals? Also, RB DLC is being released weekly with a minimum of 3 tracks per week; last I checked GH3 DLC was MUCH less frequent (about once a month unless they changed things). Regarding the track libraries, I’d much rather have the option to get 500 tracks instead of being “stuck” with approx. 80 tracks while they release GH:WT compatible DLC.
As a Rock Band (PS3) owner, the choice is easy since I don’t have to buy any new equipment and I can play the tracks from both RB games and all my DLC in one game.
I also have a Wii and I’m wondering where people are going to save their GH:WT DLC to?
Jul 30, 2008 at 05:48:15
My first take was that Rock Band wasn’t as good as GHIII. I don’t find most of Expert to be too difficult, and there was enough songs that I loved playing that i was happy with it. I didn’t need to be able to finish the game completely, and I liked having something to strive to. (I also happen to think that at least with the songs I’ve tried, when on both GH3 and RB, the GH3 version is superior, Cherub Rock in particular.)
But when I picked up Rock Band (basically for the drumming aspect), it’s only when playing as a group do you actually “get it”. It’s about the rock moments. When everybody is on beat and playing it at the same time, it’s simply epic. And yeah. The song list is much better overall. Honestly? My 360 is in for repairs, so I popped in GH3 (for the Wii)…Avalancha is great. Epic, has a magnificent chart..it’s really Rock Band style. And that’s the problem, that, and Cherub Rock as I mentioned are the only songs I really miss from GH3. Compared to Gimme Shelter and Won’t Get Fooled Again, and Here We Go Again, and Suffragette City and Enter Sandman…
And then if you get to the DLC, you have Live Forever and Why Do You Love Me and Hysteria. There’s just too much I can’t do without. And there’s about 10-15 tracks I still need to pick up.
So I’ll be sticking with Rock Band as primary. I might pick up GHIV just to play through it, depending on the playlist, But I have to say. The UI looks like beyond ass. It looks like 10 steps backwards. And that worries me.
Jul 30, 2008 at 06:15:47
Those arguments are good and all for the 360 and PS3, but I think for Wii owners it is a no-brainer… GH:WT. Neversoft has figured out how to use the SD slot and what little memory there is in the white box to allow for DLC which Harmonix has yet to figure out. I think Neversoft has shown that they can learn from their mistakes in making things too hard and working towards a target audience… just look at GH:On Tour for the DS. The difficulty was definitely toned down (and who really would have guessed a DS version could really be fun). So I think you have to give Neversoft a chance for their foray into the Guitar Hero territory, we gave Harmonix two chances with GHI and GHII.
Jul 30, 2008 at 06:25:44
Wow… Well first GH3 was the best one out of the three.. if you want to play expert… you should be an EXPERT at guitar hero and if you are you should have no problem playing the EXPERT mode. If you cant beat it you aren’t an EXPERT… catch my drift?
anyway for cruddy songs in gh4 so far im pretty much excited with every song and band that they released. with the eagle you know that hotel california will probobly one of the songs and that is one of the most popular songs ever. now rock band released all of its songs… and… imo.. all but 3 songs suck.
Jul 30, 2008 at 07:15:56
First off I just wanted to mention, everyone getting mad at Harmonix for gimping the Wii version, don’t be mad, because HMX didn’t make that version. It was developed by some compnay called Pi Studios. Here’s a link that proves it: http://wii.ign.com/objects/142/14242709.html. I’m sure HMX wouldn’t have gimped that version, but EA decided to have some other random company make it.I just wanted to say this to get it out of the way before I go into what I believe.
Oh and also, I’m going to be arguing this based off of the 360/PS3 version. I’m sorry but I can’t speak for Wii owners, but from what I’ve heard whoever is developing RB2 for the Wii will be trying to put in dlc, and as many features as they can from the other versions.
I personally think Rock Band will be the better game for numerous reasons. One that has been beat to death is the tracklist. I realize Neversoft hasn’t shown their full set yet, but RB seems to have something for everyone, from exclusive AC/DC (at least initially) to Bob Dylan, especially with the 500 songs being available by the end of this year in total for people who play RB. Also let’s not forget the 20 free songs HMX annouced will be available very near to launch because they wanted to put 100 songs on the disc but couldn’t. And at launch, what will Neversoft have to combat that…a 3 song REM pack. To many that shows HMX gives a little more dedication to their fans than Neversoft has been with their GH3 dlc.
Also I’d like to point out that everyone saying, not just here I see it everywhere, that GH4 is taking such large steps and RB2 isn’t, that’s just rediculous. Many of the advancemenets GH4 is making were already made by RB1, and will be mostly matched in RB2. I mean let’s face it, the gameplay is very similar in each games, so to compare them that way is just rediculous, but I will compare features that we know of. And to me, RB2 still wins out. hey are basically putting in everything fans wanted in RB1 into RB2, including the enhanced World Tour, now much easier to start up and play, and it can be played in any way online and off. (Also, just as an aside, the endless setlist in RB2 should take 10 hours to beat, just thought I’d mention it because that will be insanely fun and hard to do.) But, that’s basically what GH4’s World Tour mode, or whatever they decide to call it, will be like for what I’ve heard in interviews and ahnd’s on, etc. Now, in RB2, the solo tour will not just be, go through a list of songs, but it will now be incorporated into the World Tour mode, and be much more free-form in how you complete the career. I don’t want this post to become too much rediculously longer, since it will become longer than the original article, but safe to say with modes like a drum trainer, jukebox mode, and everything else in RB2, it easily wins. Now I realize it doesn’t have the create a song feature, but let’s be honest with ourseleves, the thing looks like almost creating a real song in real life, and while that might seem cool, that means it will also take a very long time and careful planning to create good actual songs. Because, let’s face it, so many people are going to be like, “let’s create the hardest song ever!” than actually put thought into the songs. Lastly from what I’ve seen, if you want to make a really decent song, you have to have some understanding of how song modifications, chord progression, and many other musical nuances affect a song. So yeah, you could say that feature blows RB2 out of the water, but unless you plan on wasting your time spending hours creating good songs, it really won’t be some amazing feature. I also just want to say that I personally believe that feature is somewhat stupid, because that is the breaking point to me of why not just go out and play a real instrument and create real music instead of creating music that’s programmed into some game, when from personal experience, as much fun as I have with these games, creating your own music is a totally different and much more rewarding experience.
Ok so by now this is probably longer than the article, and I realize everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, and this is my opinion and what I think of the various opinions I’ve seen all over the web. So take it with how much importance as you want, but this was my two cents on this whole RB2 vs. GH4. In the end, I will be picking up RB2 opening day, and will maybe get GH4 somewhere down the line, because I’m sure it will have at least a few songs exclusive that I’ll want to play. But until then, for me, RB2 wins.
Jul 30, 2008 at 08:16:18
What this person fails to mention is that its actually all down to instruments and which will be, 1 The most reliable and 2. Easier and funner to play. Because GH:WT announced at least for the 360 ( I hope it comes to PS3 ) that you will be able to use the Rockband Game (at least number 1) with the Guitar hero instruments. If it supports Rockband 2 then the thing anyone who hasnt bought either has to look at is, What instruments look best whats reliable and what Instruments will work best with both games, The Drums are different so its really down between Rockband2 and Guitar Hero 2 Drums, The guitars both look good im not to fussed but also im sure any Mic will be compatible, Singstar, Headsets, any USB Mic or bluetooth mic compatible with the PS3 or Xbox. Ill be buying both games and the 2nd Rockband. But all people have to really look at is what drums will be better and possibly what guitar, Reliablity, Comftable, Features, how compatible it is with the rival game and Price.
Jul 31, 2008 at 07:35:12
I am getting both…
i currently have rock band with over 200 songs…the fact that in RB2 you will be able to use DLC from RB1 and download (the majority; 54 or 55) of the songs from the first game (for 5 bucks) is awesome. They are going to have 500 songs out by end of the year….80+ songs on RB2 disk plus 20 free DLC at time of launch…..I have already preordered the ION premium drums and can’t wait to play…
On to GHWT, I just love drums and the fact that RB drums work with GHWT, why not… its 80 or so more drum songs for 60 bucks; sure they will probably over chart just like they did in the piece of junk GH3..but it still might be fun to play…
The create a song feature in GH:WT sounds good, but I doubt many people will continue to create music with it, especially without vocals. Sure it maybe free when uploaded, but who cares, whoever made the song could suck…that will be fun…I prefer vocals with songs I download. I think this feature was added to cover Neversoft and the lack of quality (overpriced) DLC that they promised to provide for GH3 and GH:WT
Aug 8, 2008 at 16:20:00
I agree with what you said but it doesn’t really matter because i’m going to get both no mater what and thats the same for most people.
and if they don’t have rock band people would just by the rock band 2 special edition because its going to come out first and are ging to work for ghwt
Aug 21, 2008 at 05:41:22
Tbph, Guitar Hero Will Be Much Better.
From What I Know, Neversoft Had Planned Guitar Hero World Tour Before They Released Rock Band. And Have You Seen The Guitar And Drum Kit On Rock Band? It Really Cheap Plastic, Tacky Looking, And Looks Gross. Whereas Atleast The Guitar Hero Controllers And Stuff Look Good And Last Well.
Sep 29, 2008 at 21:17:54
well youre completely wrong thinking that rock band 2 will be better..and it really isnt cuz the songs are far too easy and repetitive..unless you like to not have any chalenge at all in the game..which is aso why i like guitar hero more because it is deffinately harder..but then again i am one of the best players in the world..ranked 3rd in rock band score duel….but i just dont like it as much as guitar hero and guitar hero has a much better setlist and should also have better dlc..even though they dont put out as much as rock band, the songs are better
Nov 3, 2008 at 10:47:03
I have a simplistic question about the different platforms. I have read the comments and I am adding rock band to our DJ options. I have a client that has booked it already. What is the best Rock band way to go xbox, wII etc. If i am going to dump some moeny in this I want the simplest, most reliable and expandable platform ouyt there. Any Help?
Thanks in Advacnce