*RANT*Wired Xplorer vs RB Strat Impressions: How did this happen??

[MJDoja]

why is it that the mushy strum bar makes playing this game tougher than it should be.. forcing you to get really good at up-down strumming or hit every note extra hard.

my friends were the skeptics, and i convinced them of this game's awesomeness..with ease..

but none of us are able to enjoy the Strat that comes with the Special edition of rock band, although we really WANT to for the effects and the closer buttons are definitely great. its just when were playing fast strum songson the GH2 gibson guitar that can *normally* be accomplished with all downstrokes-- on the RB guitar we end up missing lots of easy chords/notes unless we hit the strum extra hard.

i know this is because of where the strum bar triggers, instead of when it leaves the middle it triggers at the top or bottom.. but its just not sensitive enough, and it ruins the game when my "Expert Through the Fire and Flames" playing friends can not rock out to ballroom blitz or HIGHWAY star. (until we decide that the RB guitar is only suited for bass :( what a waste)

anyways basically im just really annoyed that the guitar that i bought *as a backup* that has been available for years, still feels more comfortable. IKNOW the new guitar takes getting used to, but its not worth having people get discouraged for the first half of the night because they think they are hitting notes but actually failing the song.

i don't know what i want, but i am disappointed overall that the strum bar on the Rock Band Stratocaster is clearly a problem issue for many people, whether its a physically broken bar, a software dilemma, or just a drastic change.

/rant

[espher]

I, for one, prefer the Strat.

Different strokes for different folks.

[Angry_Games]

I, for one, prefer the Strat.

Different strokes for different folks.

yep. I love the mushy strat strumbar. I play with a pick, and it's awesome (was until I broke the strummer 5 songs in I guess, can't wait for the replacement to arrive!). The Explorer is ok, but the shape of it is too uncomfortable after a while. The clicky strumbar is ok, but I much prefer the mushy Strat strummer!

[batsu336]

.. forcing you to get really good at up-down strumming or hit every note extra hard...



I don't have GH3, so maybe I don't know what I am missing in terms of the guitar, but isn't getting good the whole point of the game? I wouldn't want to fire up RB and already be able to ace every song. Bear in mind this in not GH3, and if you play it like it is GH3 you will probably be disappointed.
I have no issues with the Strat, but then again, I have been playing real guitar for years. I prefer the up and down strum because it feels more natural, and is usually in a part where I would alternate strum if I was really playing. Yes, it is "mushy", but I would rather have that than a hard click. Real strings are rather "mushy". They have give when you strum them, but are still completely different than the controller feels.
I think it comes down to personal preference. I personally don't like Fender Guitars because I don't like the way the neck feels. Nothing wrong with the fiddle, I just don't feel it and I feel like I play slower and sloppier with it. I prefer a heavy, mahogany Les Paul with dual humbuckers. But, others I know swear by the Fender neck. You also get to choose which axe you prefer.

[MJDoja]

well, playing a real guitar feels nothing like guitar hero let me tell you..

but its mainly in a heavy comparison to the clickyness of previous guitars. it takes too much getting used to so it adds an arbitrary learning curve because youre now learning a new piece of hardware.

a lot of times, depending on how fast a song is, its not needed to do up-down strumming, and you can do the "punk downstrokes", its just the Strat is wayyy better suited for up down strumming, and it performs more like a real guitar in response.

it IS funny seeing my friends fail the beginning of say it aint so on the RB strat.. SO CALLED guitar hero 3 masters.

eventually they and i will get used to it.. but rocking tom sawyer with all expert except for vocals, i dont want any excuses in my band!

[jordan15b]

i want my strat back but it broke now im stuck with the cliky explorer and its driving me crazy

[Killasauras Rex's Dinner]

Strat:
look: 10
strum: 4
buttons: 5
extras: 10

Les Paul:
look: 9
strum: 9
buttons: 9
extras: 5

[MJDoja]

i'd give the buttons a 7 to 10.. those are ok to me.. the rest yeah.. whew! different The Strokes is right haha.

[Frederf]

The RB Strat is simply a better simulation of the actual instrument than the Les Paul/ Xplorer/ SG. Period. Harder, easier, higher scores, lower scores are irrelevant.

[MJDoja]

well, while youre right, it is relevant if it is easier, tougher, etc. since this is a game and you aim to achieve a high score and not always try to feel like youre playing a real guitar.

in the long run this wont be an issue

[xenopherus]

I bit the bullet and "modded" my guitar last night. One day it was playing unbelievably great, then a few hours later it was playing crappily. It was very easy to fix. I just took the guitar apart, glued in some little pieces of paper directly onto the strumbar (if I need to make any more changes, the paper pieces can be easily removed). It works fine now. Still mushy, but personally I don't mind it. The notes hit well now and I have no complaints.

[dowroa]

why is it that the mushy strum bar makes playing this game tougher than it should be.. forcing you to get really good at up-down strumming or hit every note extra hard.

my friends were the skeptics, and i convinced them of this game's awesomeness..with ease..

but none of us are able to enjoy the Strat that comes with the Special edition of rock band, although we really WANT to for the effects and the closer buttons are definitely great. its just when were playing fast strum songson the GH2 gibson guitar that can *normally* be accomplished with all downstrokes-- on the RB guitar we end up missing lots of easy chords/notes unless we hit the strum extra hard.

i know this is because of where the strum bar triggers, instead of when it leaves the middle it triggers at the top or bottom.. but its just not sensitive enough, and it ruins the game when my "Expert Through the Fire and Flames" playing friends can not rock out to ballroom blitz or HIGHWAY star. (until we decide that the RB guitar is only suited for bass :( what a waste)

anyways basically im just really annoyed that the guitar that i bought *as a backup* that has been available for years, still feels more comfortable. IKNOW the new guitar takes getting used to, but its not worth having people get discouraged for the first half of the night because they think they are hitting notes but actually failing the song.

i don't know what i want, but i am disappointed overall that the strum bar on the Rock Band Stratocaster is clearly a problem issue for many people, whether its a physically broken bar, a software dilemma, or just a drastic change.

/rant

Hmmm... I will admit that I am in no way, shape or form a GHIII or "guitar" master. After reading all the reviews, it seems polarized that RB's guitar was crap (that was at least what I was getting). So, trying to go into it with an open mind, i just decided to use the RB guitar (after having played GHIII for a few weeks with the X360 GHII guitar).

Wow. For me at least (and I play left handed), the RB guitar was much easier to downstrum, and I can complete Expert punk songs with just the downstrum. I *barely* have to move my finger at all, and while it may not be the "correct" way to play, I am able to do it without issue.

Overall, I love the RB guitar over my 2 Explorers, and I exclusively use that to play Lead.

I like the new guitar, and for downstrummers coming into the game with an open mind, it seems awesome, if you can get your head and fingers around it.

- dow

[Alphadeus]

If my Les Paul functioned properly (I had one with the loose neck and the frets didn't always registered, return it and now I'm using the X-plorer) it would be my favorite controller. It just felt so nice to use.

I got the Special edition of rock band and I like the way the strat feels. I don't mind the strum bar and I've made it to green grass on expert with it with no real complaints. I couldn't pass green grass because for some reason I couldn't figure out the solos at the end. I ended up passing it with no problem with the X-plorer.

I prefer the X-plorer over the Strat, so technically it's my third favorite guitar controller (4th being the SG from the PS2 days.) The x-plorer should be considered my 1st favorite since i had a bad experience with the Les Paul. Oh well.

[cmg4894]

I gt GHIII with the Les Paul the day it came out and was shocked by how much better than the X-plorer. Well, now that I have the Strat, I love that even more. It does feel more like a real guitar. I also only play Fenders in real life so....
I did use the X-plorer last night (we were using it for bass) and I can't believe how cheap and cheesy it feels. I was planning on keeping my two for back ups but now when extra wireless Les Pauls and Strats come out I will buy extras for each game.

[mind_in_rewind]

My favorite game guitars, in order:

1. Strat
2. Les Paul
3. SG
4. X-Plorer

Unfortunately my Strat broke, so now I have to play on the Les Paul.

[visualdeity]

I disagree with your opinion on the Strat's strum bar, and I have to suggest that maybe it's a broken controller. Mine, until it broke, was extremely responsive, and I could play it just like I could my SGs, my Les Paul, or my Xplorer.

Really, for me, the Strat is pure win (reliability issues aside). It works the same as ever, but is quieter, and has the added perks of the solo buttons and effects switch (although my effects switch came not attached to the guitar, and I never could get the damn thing on...).

I do have one minor gripe, now that I think about it. When I play, I rest my thumb on the top (side) of the neck, which means that with the Strat's thinner neck, it can get uncomfortable. I can play with my thumb behind the neck (you know, properly ;)), but re-learning how to play Guitar Hero after two years is a bit of a tall order.

[Quastor]

I seriously think that a lot of the hate towards the Strat comes from the strum bar. I've been playing my strat for many hours without any issues. I love that is takes so little force to get the note to register - I want the note to register when I initially push down, not when I get the strum bar to the lower/highest position it can. Sure, it's a bit harder to get faster strumming down, but I've stepped back a bit on the difficultly so I can properly learn to use the Strat.