Suave Peanut
11-12-2009, 11:25 AM
LEGO Rock Band Review
Title: LEGO Rock Band
Platform: 360/PS3 (Also available on Wii and DS)
Developer: TT Fusion (http://www.ttgames.com/)/Harmonix Music Systems (http://www.harmonixmusic.com/)
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (http://www.wbie.com/)
ESRB: Everyone 10+ (http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp)
MSRP: $49.99 (360 (http://www.amazon.com/Lego-Rock-Band-Xbox-360/dp/B001TOMR5C/cog-20)/PS3 (http://www.amazon.com/Lego-Rock-Band-Playstation-3/dp/B001TOMR0M/cog-20)/Wii (http://www.amazon.com/Lego-Rock-Band-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B001TOMQYO/cog-20)), $29.99 (DS (http://www.amazon.com/Lego-Rock-Band-Nintendo-DS/dp/B001TOQ8VQ/cog-20))
Editor: Ryan 'Suave Peanut' Carrigan
What's Hot: A pretty solid new set list; Rock Power Challenges are a hoot; LEGO versions of your favorite rock stars; fully exportable soundtrack.
What's Not: Complete lack of online co-op or leaderboards; smaller setlist comepared to other music games; some DLC not playable due to ESRB restrictions.It's only proper that I begin with an admission of my bias: I am a Rock Band fanboy. I started playing Harmonix games when Sony packed a FreQuency demo in with my PS2 network adapter, and I have followed the developers ever since. I played Amplitude and followed them up through Guitar Hero's origins, and I even admit to having played a bit of Karaoke Revolution.
However, LEGO Rock Band (hereafter referred to as LRB) isn't another full-on Harmonix release on the scale of The Beatles: Rock Band, in fact most of its development was done at TT Fusion (formerly Embryonic Studios), a subsidiary of Traveller's Tales that has traditionally focused on the DS versions of past LEGO titles. Now, the core Rock Band gameplay is still there, but it feels like Harmonix handed the Rock Band 2 engine to TT Fusion and said, "Replace all the art assets with LEGO bricks, and we'll send you the songs later."
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2424/lrb3300x168.jpg
Perhaps that isn't an entirely fair judgment. Traveller's Tales added in a few new features that allow this game to stand out. The first among the new features that you are likely to encounter is the Rock Den. The Rock Den is basically the hub in story mode where you select your next destination: access the rock shop to buy more LEGO-shaped gear, replay cutscenes (yes, cutscenes), or just continue on your tour. The cutscenes on the tour are where you will find the LEGO brand of humor that makes these games so popular, and along the way you will encounter LEGO-fied versions of some famous rockers, including Queen, Iggy Pop, and others.
In addition to the new Rock Den, the cutscenes, and LEGO rockers, the next new feature is perhaps my favorite: the Rock Power Challenges. These challenges have you play a song that relates to the story in some way. You and your rock band must accomplish a goal with your rock 'n' roll. The first one you encounter is at a construction site, where you must rock so hard, playing "Tick Tick Boom" by The Hives (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwhU99_66R8) until you bring a building down. (Tick tick boom? Demolition? GET IT?!) These challenges are accompanied by charming animations that are very reminiscent of (and perhaps inspired by) the Nintendo DS game Elite Beat Agents (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elite_Beat_Agents), where some kind of wackiness is always going on.
The gimmick to these challenges is that all band members are tied to the same meter, and if one person starts failing everybody goes down! Did I mention that there is also no overdrive to save you? It adds a good element of tension and teamwork, and my only problem is that are not enough of them! I would have loved more than 9 of these challenges in the game because they were most certainly my favorite part of the experience. Well, except for the one where you have to play an emo song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXuxRWXisUQ) to make it rain so that corn will grow. That wasn't exactly a high point.
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7561/lrbbowie300x168.jpg
LEGO Bowie! *bulge not included
Sadly, after all that fun, we must come to the downside. For a game that is fundamentally multiplayer, it seems almost cruel that there is no online co-op and no leaderboards of any kind. The only online feature, if it can be considered one, is the ability to download new tracks from the in-game music store. On the plus side, some of the tracks you may have already purchased for Rock Band and Rock Band 2 (including some exported tracks from Rock Band 1) are immediately playable in LRB.
Now, back to the downside: because of LRB's E10+ rating, only DLC that has been deemed "family friendly" is available. However, the criteria for this isn't entirely obvious. One of the songs in the Talking Heads track pack ("Once in a Lifetime"), contains no swearing and no objectionable content which I can discern, but it is not available in LRB. Another song in the same pack ("And She Was") is about a girl who trips on acid, takes off her dress, and flies above the earth while on said drugs, and yet it is strangely deemed appropriate.
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7682/lrbqueen300x168.jpg
I am told that they will, they will rock you.
Honestly, even with its faults, LEGO Rock Band still a very fun game. Don't let anyone rain on the parade you will have when you and your closest friends are belting out Europe's "The Final Countdown" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZkllM8znx4) together while pretending to be Gob Bluth. Even if you don't care about the LEGOs, $50 is totally worth it just to buy the game as a 45-song track pack. I should also note that the export license costs 800 MSP/$9.99 on 360/PS3 respectively, but isn't available on the Wii version. If you are a child at heart or have a child in your home that you want to share your rock experience with, then maybe this will be a great addition to your collection. The "family friendly" filter will ensure that your little ones aren't playing blink-182's "Dammit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUq_gBa_8iQ)" without you. The new set list is a lot of fun, the animations are adorable, and even with a few UI oddities it is still a fantastic and fun experience.
Score: 3.5 out of 5 CoGs
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG3_5.png
Ryan says, "LEGO Rock Band adds some great songs to the Rock Band catalog, and has a lot of fun features on its own, but is severely hindered by the lack of online co-op. If you don't have kids to play with or you don't plan to export the tracks, then this game probably isn't for you."
*Note - Review based upon the Xbox 360 version of game
Title: LEGO Rock Band
Platform: 360/PS3 (Also available on Wii and DS)
Developer: TT Fusion (http://www.ttgames.com/)/Harmonix Music Systems (http://www.harmonixmusic.com/)
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (http://www.wbie.com/)
ESRB: Everyone 10+ (http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp)
MSRP: $49.99 (360 (http://www.amazon.com/Lego-Rock-Band-Xbox-360/dp/B001TOMR5C/cog-20)/PS3 (http://www.amazon.com/Lego-Rock-Band-Playstation-3/dp/B001TOMR0M/cog-20)/Wii (http://www.amazon.com/Lego-Rock-Band-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B001TOMQYO/cog-20)), $29.99 (DS (http://www.amazon.com/Lego-Rock-Band-Nintendo-DS/dp/B001TOQ8VQ/cog-20))
Editor: Ryan 'Suave Peanut' Carrigan
What's Hot: A pretty solid new set list; Rock Power Challenges are a hoot; LEGO versions of your favorite rock stars; fully exportable soundtrack.
What's Not: Complete lack of online co-op or leaderboards; smaller setlist comepared to other music games; some DLC not playable due to ESRB restrictions.It's only proper that I begin with an admission of my bias: I am a Rock Band fanboy. I started playing Harmonix games when Sony packed a FreQuency demo in with my PS2 network adapter, and I have followed the developers ever since. I played Amplitude and followed them up through Guitar Hero's origins, and I even admit to having played a bit of Karaoke Revolution.
However, LEGO Rock Band (hereafter referred to as LRB) isn't another full-on Harmonix release on the scale of The Beatles: Rock Band, in fact most of its development was done at TT Fusion (formerly Embryonic Studios), a subsidiary of Traveller's Tales that has traditionally focused on the DS versions of past LEGO titles. Now, the core Rock Band gameplay is still there, but it feels like Harmonix handed the Rock Band 2 engine to TT Fusion and said, "Replace all the art assets with LEGO bricks, and we'll send you the songs later."
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2424/lrb3300x168.jpg
Perhaps that isn't an entirely fair judgment. Traveller's Tales added in a few new features that allow this game to stand out. The first among the new features that you are likely to encounter is the Rock Den. The Rock Den is basically the hub in story mode where you select your next destination: access the rock shop to buy more LEGO-shaped gear, replay cutscenes (yes, cutscenes), or just continue on your tour. The cutscenes on the tour are where you will find the LEGO brand of humor that makes these games so popular, and along the way you will encounter LEGO-fied versions of some famous rockers, including Queen, Iggy Pop, and others.
In addition to the new Rock Den, the cutscenes, and LEGO rockers, the next new feature is perhaps my favorite: the Rock Power Challenges. These challenges have you play a song that relates to the story in some way. You and your rock band must accomplish a goal with your rock 'n' roll. The first one you encounter is at a construction site, where you must rock so hard, playing "Tick Tick Boom" by The Hives (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwhU99_66R8) until you bring a building down. (Tick tick boom? Demolition? GET IT?!) These challenges are accompanied by charming animations that are very reminiscent of (and perhaps inspired by) the Nintendo DS game Elite Beat Agents (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elite_Beat_Agents), where some kind of wackiness is always going on.
The gimmick to these challenges is that all band members are tied to the same meter, and if one person starts failing everybody goes down! Did I mention that there is also no overdrive to save you? It adds a good element of tension and teamwork, and my only problem is that are not enough of them! I would have loved more than 9 of these challenges in the game because they were most certainly my favorite part of the experience. Well, except for the one where you have to play an emo song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXuxRWXisUQ) to make it rain so that corn will grow. That wasn't exactly a high point.
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7561/lrbbowie300x168.jpg
LEGO Bowie! *bulge not included
Sadly, after all that fun, we must come to the downside. For a game that is fundamentally multiplayer, it seems almost cruel that there is no online co-op and no leaderboards of any kind. The only online feature, if it can be considered one, is the ability to download new tracks from the in-game music store. On the plus side, some of the tracks you may have already purchased for Rock Band and Rock Band 2 (including some exported tracks from Rock Band 1) are immediately playable in LRB.
Now, back to the downside: because of LRB's E10+ rating, only DLC that has been deemed "family friendly" is available. However, the criteria for this isn't entirely obvious. One of the songs in the Talking Heads track pack ("Once in a Lifetime"), contains no swearing and no objectionable content which I can discern, but it is not available in LRB. Another song in the same pack ("And She Was") is about a girl who trips on acid, takes off her dress, and flies above the earth while on said drugs, and yet it is strangely deemed appropriate.
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7682/lrbqueen300x168.jpg
I am told that they will, they will rock you.
Honestly, even with its faults, LEGO Rock Band still a very fun game. Don't let anyone rain on the parade you will have when you and your closest friends are belting out Europe's "The Final Countdown" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZkllM8znx4) together while pretending to be Gob Bluth. Even if you don't care about the LEGOs, $50 is totally worth it just to buy the game as a 45-song track pack. I should also note that the export license costs 800 MSP/$9.99 on 360/PS3 respectively, but isn't available on the Wii version. If you are a child at heart or have a child in your home that you want to share your rock experience with, then maybe this will be a great addition to your collection. The "family friendly" filter will ensure that your little ones aren't playing blink-182's "Dammit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUq_gBa_8iQ)" without you. The new set list is a lot of fun, the animations are adorable, and even with a few UI oddities it is still a fantastic and fun experience.
Score: 3.5 out of 5 CoGs
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG3_5.png
Ryan says, "LEGO Rock Band adds some great songs to the Rock Band catalog, and has a lot of fun features on its own, but is severely hindered by the lack of online co-op. If you don't have kids to play with or you don't plan to export the tracks, then this game probably isn't for you."
*Note - Review based upon the Xbox 360 version of game