Lego Rock Band undeniably adorable
When developer Traveller’s Tales make the Lego games, one common criticism is that there’s not much that changes from previous games other than the license. How apt it feels then to have them do a Lego version of Rock Band and surprisingly it doesn’t suck. But then again it’s not perfect by any stretch and there’s some annoyances that really grind my gears so to speak but then I’m an adult and when you mention the term “Lego Rock Band”, it feels like you’re 4 talking about quantum physics, it just doesn’t look right, does it? Keep in mind there’s nothing wrong with the game and I actually smiled quite a few times playing the game but then as far as gameplay is concerned I noticed some step downs from Rock Band 2 and even the Beatles game that I wish weren’t part of this game. Families won’t mind but if you’re looking for more songs to play than you’re kind of out of luck.
This is kind of a simple review since it’s not really that story extensive or there’s much to talk about so I’ll just mention the gameplay. Personally, as a frequent Rock Band 2 player I’m not exactly digging the interface. Keep in mind I’m mainly a drummer in these kind of games so I’ll chat about that with some mentions later of the guitar. If you play on expert you know how vitally important it is to distinguish when to hit a certain pad and cymbal together and when it’s just one or the other in more complicated sections. I don’t know if it’s just me but I found it really hard to tell what to play when the bass pedal got more active and there was more notes as opposed to Harmonix games where I could easily tell and more than once I couldn’t tell if it was just one note or a double tap or if the note was exactly on the bass pedal or in front of it. As far as the guitar is concerned, this was where it got tricky since at times it was hard to tell what was 2 separate notes and what was hammer-ons/pull-offs and while it’s easily understood in lazier sections, when things get kicked up a notch, you’re like “wait, are these all hammer-ons or separate notes?”
More Lego Rock Band Reviews.
Another annoyance is in regards to the setlist during story in that it doesn’t give you the option to automatically pick the next set. For example, the game is telling me to advance I need to play a Rock Challenge (describe those in a minute) at a certain set yet I can’t see it, well turns out I had to go to my Rock Den where you can buy your instruments, decorate your lair and customize your character, pick another vehicle and play the set. Why isn’t it like Rock Band 2 where upgrading your vehicle automatically upgrades your tour dates? For the rock challenges, these are actually quite fun even though they’re just regular old playthroughs of songs, catch is you have to perform and through the power of rock, something special as to happen. The first you’ll run into is to demolish a building with a Hives song (because it rocks? or because it’s terrible and the building couldn’t take it?). The one that practically had me smiling ear to ear though was where you have to exorcise ghosts from a mansion and what better way to do that than Ray Parker Jr’s “Ghostbusters”.
Lego Rock Band video and screenshots.
As far as the setlist, it’s incredibly odd. There’s some songs for the younger kiddies like Ghostbusters and even Kung Fu Fighting and Pink and songs that I’d personally would love to have in Rock Band 2 such as Summer of 69, You Give Love a Bad Name, and wouldn’t you know it, another Foo Fighters song (seriously Harmonix, we don’t need their entire catalogue as DLC, stop) but then you get indie bands barely anybody knows about and while I’m glad to see more Queen, I’m not lying when I say We Will Rock You is one of the most repetitive drum charts I’ve ever seen. Not to mention it’s actually a short setlist and while DLC from RB1/RB2 will work, only select ones that have been cleared will transfer over which makes for some weird moments when the random song set gave me Won’t Get Fooled Again, still one of the hardest Expert drum songs there is and at 7-8 minutes long, a curious entry to a family game with decidely short attention spans. Speaking of, there’s a Super Easy mode where all you really have to do is hit the notes, regardless of what it is and you’ll pass which sounds good for players but considering No Fail option is here, it feels kind of superflous. Oh and there’s an option to have automatic kick drums too. Too bad this wasn’t available for Visions, eh?
I think most people will just buy this game so they can export the setlist to Rock Band 2 or if they’re into family games. While there’s some songs here I’d love to have as DLC, the game itself feels like a step back despite the fact it’s undeniably adorable.
Buy Now: Lego Rock Band