Before we get on with the Rock Band 4 review, the latest version of this entertainment game offers a complete band experience to the players. The new version of the game has next generation microphone, wireless guitar and drums. In addition to that, it also includes an amazing world campaign tour mode. With the free style guitars you can add your personal touch in the performance, and woo the crowd with your unique style. The sound track of the game consists of a number of the most famous tracks. In addition to that, the song list expands over 1500 songs. This makes it easy for you to put up an interesting set list.
The following Rock Band 4 review will highlight the pros and cons of the game.
Reliving the Old Experience in Rock Band 4:
While playing on Rock Band 4, you will have an experience that is very similar to that of the first few games of PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Even though the game has a very simple concept, but the power to work as a team makes the experience much more than the tapping of colorful buttons of the controller. The game is more about rocking the world together rather than attaining individual high scores.
The developers of the game have not reinvented it greatly, instead they have focused on improving the areas that disappointed the gamers previously. The element of refinement, instead of innovation, is given extreme importance. For instance, you can now easily sign the band members in and out of their profiles. In addition, you can also change the difficulty level of the game with ease if you get stuck in a difficult song, such as the “Metropolis, Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper” of Dream Theater.
In addition to that, the game runs quite smoothly on the new console, so you do not have to miss any beats, or wait for a long time before you get to rock the world. The game gets easily calibrated with home theaters too.
Songs that you can Sing:
Songs are one of the key elements of a band game. This is the area where Rock Band 4 is quite weak and has not gone out of the box. The set list consists of majority B list and C list songs with a very few A list songs. This makes the set list of Rock Band 4 very weak.
The biggest hits in the song list suffer from repetition, as they have already been featured in the last three versions of the game. “A Passage to Bangkok”, which is a relatively unpopular song of Rush, is used to reintroduce the band. The latest song of Foo Fighters, “Feast and the Famine” is also included in the game.
This is not an indication that the songs are not fun to play, but the set list lacks the real charm. However, by taking a decision of not including A list acts, such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Nirvana and AC/DC, which were a part of the previous series, the developers have made the set list quite unknown. In some cases, some fellow gamers passed on the microphones to each other asking, “Anyone knows this song?”
What saves the catalog of the game is its backward compatibility with almost all the DLC songs. If you have bought it in the last version of the game, you can still use it in the current versions without incurring any additional cost.
Taking the World Campaign – Tour Mode:
The strongest feature of Rock Band 4 is the world campaign – called the tour mode. Not only does it provide you with hard core entertainment, but its comical aspects, such as the players getting lice from other travelers and appearing bald on the stage the next day, take the fun to a whole new level. Sometimes you may be asked to select your own play list or you may be asked to take the vote of the team for the selection of the play list. This may start a playful battle among you and your friends.
Further more, in some cases your fans may ask you to perform particular songs of their choice. The sets are varied and pooled on the basis of general difficulty. However, the songs are repeated due to length of the tour. You need to have downloadable set lists, if you wish to avoid repetition.
Another hit feature of Rock Band 4 is the solo version. This version uses colorful language to indicate how to move through tricky versions of the song. You are also provided with freedom to add your own licks in the song, and are rewarded for your initiatives. The solo version is introduced effectively, and the detailed menu option dedicated to solos help you to understand them clearly.
What needs to be understood with time, that there are certain layers of these solos and one slowly becomes familiar with all these layers. If you do not find them good, you can completely turn them off as well. The solo version also makes good use of the five small high frets near the body of the guitar, a purpose that was never achieved by the previous versions of Rock Band. In addition, it also feeds your desire to rock, which is a pretty good thing.
Concluding Remarks:
Even though the set list of Rock Band 4 has made a very little use of the hit and memorable tracks, but the backward compatibility catalog saves it and makes it an enjoyable game, like the previous three versions of Rock Band. Gathering your band in the living room and creating a rocking environment provides you with plenty of memorable musical experiences, which is one good part of the game.
The new world campaign mode, on the other hand, helps to create an environment of fun and requires tough decision making. Solos, meanwhile, help you to express your musical side without getting penalized. Rock Band 4 has the potential to make you feel like a strong and famous musician who has the ability to rock the stage, and move around different places of the world to garner the attention of a very large fan base!
