Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero IV: World Tour?
The gaming season is peaking soon with publishers bringing out their big hitters in time for Christmas and two guaranteed big sellers this year are Rock Band 2 from Harmonix/MTV and Guitar Hero IV: World Tour, from Neversoft/Activision. These two instrument-based rhythm action games are both probably going to be very good, but with the complete package retailing for $180+, or £130 in the UK, few gamers will be able to afford to buy both. This guide should help a wavering gamer to choose which is right for them. First some basic information:
Rock Band 2 |
Guitar Hero IV |
Release (US): Oct 19 |
Nov 7 |
Price: $189 (Complete package) |
$189 (Complete package) |
Tracks on Disc: 80+ |
86 |
Downloadable Tracks: 500 by year end (20 free) |
Unknown |
Full Track Lists:
Rock Band 2
AC/DC--Let There Be Rock
AFI--Girl’s Gone Grey
Alanis Morissette--You Oughta Know
Alice in Chains--Man in the Box
Allman Brothers--Ramblin’ Man
Avenged Sevenfold--Almost Easy
Bad Company--Shooting Star
Beastie Boys--So Whatcha Want
Beck--E-Pro
Bikini Kill--Rebel Girl
Billy Idol--White Wedding Pt. I
Blondie--One Way or Another
Bob Dylan--Tangled Up in Blue
Bon Jovi--Livin’ on a Prayer
Cheap Trick--Hello There
Devo--Uncontrollable Urge
Dinosaur Jr.--Feel the Pain
Disturbed--Down with the Sickness
Dream Theater--Panic Attack
Duran Duran--Hungry Like the Wolf
Elvis Costello--Pump It Up
Fleetwood Mac--Go Your Own Way
Foo Fighters--Everlong
Guns N’ Roses--Shackler’s Revenge
Interpol--PDA
Jane’s Addiction--Mountain Song
Jethro Tull--Aqualung
Jimmy Eat World--The Middle
Joan Jett--Bad Reputation
Journey--Anyway You Want It
Judas Priest--Painkiller
Kansas--Carry On Wayward Son
L7--Pretend We’re Dead
Lacuna Coil--Our Truth
Linkin Park--One Step Closer
Lit--My Own Worst Enemy
Lush--De-Luxe
Mastodon--Colony of Birchmen
Megadeth--Peace Sells
Metallica--Battery
Mighty Mighty Bosstones--Where’d You Go
Modest Mouse--Float On
Motorhead--Ace of Spades
Nirvana--Drain You
Norman Greenbaum--Spirit in the Sky
Panic at the Disco--Nine in the Afternoon
Paramore--That’s What You Get
Pearl Jam--Alive
Presidents of the USA--Lump
Rage Against the Machine--Testify
Ratt--Round & Round
Red Hot Chili Peppers--Give it Away
Rise Against--Give it All
Rush--The Trees
Silversun Pickups--Lazy Eye
Smashing Pumpkins--Today
Social Distortion--I Was Wrong
Sonic Youth--Teenage Riot
Soundgarden--Spoonman
Squeeze--Cool for Cats
Steely Dan--Bodhitsattva
Steve Miller Band--Rock’n Me
Survivor--Eye of the Tiger
System of a Down--Chop Suey
Talking Heads--Psycho Killer
Tenacious D--Master Exploder
Testament--Souls of Black
The Donnas--New Kid in School
The Go-Go’s--We Got the Beat
The Grateful Dead--Alabama Getaway
The Guess Who--American Woman
The Muffs--Kids in America
The Offspring--Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated
The Replacements--Alex Chilton
The Who--Pinball Wizard
Bonus Tracks
Abnormality--Visions
Anarchy Club--Get Clean
Bang Camaro--Night Lies
Breaking Wheel--Shoulder to the Plow
The Libyans--Neighborhood
The Main Drag--A Jagged Gorgeous Winter
Speck--Conventional Lover
The Sterns--Supreme Girl
That Handsome Devil--Rob the Prez-O-Dent |
Guitar Hero IV
30 Seconds To Mars--The Kill
311--Beautiful Disaster
Airbourne--Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast
The Allman Brothers Band--Ramblin' Man
Anouk--Good God
The Answer--Never Too Late
At the Drive-In--One Armed Scissor
Beastie Boys--No Sleep Till Brooklyn
Beatsteaks--Hail To The Freaks
Billy Idol--Rebel Yell
Black Label Society--Stillborn
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club--Weapon of Choice
blink-182--Dammit
Blondie--One Way or Another
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band--Hollywood Nights
Bon Jovi--Livin' on a Prayer
Bullet for My Valentine--Scream Aim Fire
Coldplay--Shiver
Creedence Clearwater Revival--Up Around the Bend
The Cult--Love Removal Machine
Dinosaur Jr.--Feel the Pain
The Doors--Love Me Two Times
Dream Theater--Pull Me Under
The Eagles--Hotel California
The Enemy--Aggro
Filter--Hey Man, Nice Shot
Fleetwood Mac--Go Your Own Way
Foo Fighters--Everlong
The Guess Who--American Woman
HushPuppies--You're Gonna Say Yeah!
Interpol--Obstacle 1
Jane's Addiction--Mountain Song
Jimi Hendrix--The Wind Cries Mary
Jimi Hendrix--Purple Haze (Live)
Jimmy Eat World--The Middle
Joe Satriani--Satch Boogie
Kent--Vinternoll2
Korn--Freak on a Leash
Lacuna Coil--Our Truth
Lenny Kravitz--Are You Gonna Go My Way
Linkin Park--What I've Done
The Living End--Prisoner of Society
Los Lobos--La Bamba
Lostprophets--Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)
Lynyrd Skynyrd--Sweet Home Alabama (Live)
The Mars Volta--L'Via L'Viaquez
MC5's Wayne Kramer--Kick Out the Jams
Metallica--Trapped Under Ice
Michael Jackson--Beat It
Modest Mouse--Float On
Motorhead--Overkill
Muse--Assassin
Negramaro--Nuvole e Lenzuola
Nirvana--About A Girl [Unplugged]
No Doubt--Spiderwebs
NOFX--Soul Doubt
Oasis--Some Might Say
Ozzy Osbourne--Crazy Train
Ozzy Osbourne--Mr. Crowley
Paramore--Misery Business
Pat Benatar--Heartbreaker
Radio Futura--Escuela De Calor
R.E.M.--The One I Love
Rise Against--Re-Education Through Labor
Sex Pistols--Pretty Vacant
Silversun Pickups--Lazy Eye
Smashing Pumpkins--Today
Steely Dan--Do It Again
Steve Miller Band--The Joker
Sting--Demolition Man (Live)
The Stone Roses--Love Spreads
Stuck in the Sound--Toy Boy
Sublime--Santeria
Survivor--Eye of the Tiger
System Of A Down--B.Y.O.B.
Ted Nugent--Stranglehold
Ted Nugent--Original Guitar Duel Recording
Tokio Hotel--Monsoon
Tool--Parabola
Tool--Schism
Tool--Vicarious
Trust--Antisocial
Van Halen--Hot For Teacher
Willie Nelson--On The Road Again
Wings--Band on the Run
Zakk Wylde--Original Guitar Duel Recording |
Obviously a track list is totally subjective, but these two are fairly even, still geared towards metal and classic rock, but with a nice line in variety. Personally, the GH list just takes it for me with the Ozzy tracks and my all time favourite Tool song (Parabola, in case you were wondering.) However, the Rock Band DLC could well tip the balance.
Get Rock Band 2 if:
- You don't already own a Guitar Hero controller for the console you are going to play the new game on.
- You own Rock Band 1 (all of your tracks can be brought forward and used in World Tour mode for a one off fee of $5 and your controllers will still work)
- You want to be conservative with the other instruments. This year's GH has drums and vocals, but we don't know yet how well they will work. We do know, however, that Rock Band has the drums and vocals pretty much sorted.
- You like the Guitars. Seriously, this is important. The Rock Band 2 guitars are different to the Guitar Hero ones in several ways, the frets click more, the strum bar doesn't click, and they feel thinner. Try to find a game set up in a store to play before you commit to this style of axe. Personally, I think they suck compared to the generally solid nature of the GH ones, but several people I know love them.
Get Guitar Hero if:
- You want to concentrate on the guitar and bass side of things. The only real separating factor between RB and GHIII was that the GH guitar play was slightly better, more responsive, more fluid. This probably won't change.
- You are not online with your console. RB2's 500 downloadable songs are all very well, but what's the point you can't download them?
- You already own a Guitar Hero guitar and just want the Solus game or a drum/vocal pack.
- You want to make your own songs. Guitar Hero IV's USP is the incredibly in depth track editor, allowing you to make your own songs on drums, guitar and bass (but no vocals). This has the potential to become a real unit-shifter and if you can download other people's tracks will be amazing.
No doubt you’re going to wonder a little bit about online play. Rock Band 2 has announced that the World Tour (career) mode will be available to play with 7 other players online along with staples like death matches and co-op. Guitar Hero will also have online multiplayer matches, Battle of the Bands; where up to 8 people can form bands and face off against each other. As I've played neither of these games yet, it is difficult to judge which will work better/ have a better community of players, although RB2's features do sound intriguing.
Owning the previous controllers may be an incentive to stick with a franchise, but if like me, this will be your first next gen Guitar Hero (which will require the purchasing of new controllers), there is an exciting piece of new for you. Sony has announced that the Rock Band 2 guitars, drums and mics will be basically compatible with Guitar Hero IV and vice-versa. This means that at the very least, the 5 frets on the guitar and the various pads on the drums will correspond, therefore, you should be able to play both games with either set of controllers. Microsoft has also confirmed that all 360 rhythm games will have compatible controllers.
 If then, like me, you now intend to buy both games, one complete (or with a few instruments) and one for just the game itself, you should give some thought to which drum kit and guitar you prefer. Once again, I urge you to find your nearest game store with a demo copy and give them both a go; there should not be much difference, but if you have to choose, why not get the one which you know you like more? I certainly can't tell you which one you'll like, but the cymbals on the GH set clinch it for me, they look sweet.
My take (what I'm doing): Buy Guitar Hero IV (probably the full band pack, but maybe just a guitar). I prefer the GH guitars by far, I've already owned all of the other GH games and most importantly, GH comes out long before RB in Europe. When Rock Band 2 finally makes it to PS3 here, I'll grab the game on its own.
Snake-Drinker Contributing Writer Gamer's Perspective
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