Rock Band Blitz: A hardcore Rock Band players review.

[Doc_SoCal]

Well I had a chance to spend some quality time playing Blitz and thought I would share my thoughts as someone who has been a Rock Band player since day 1. This will likely get long as I am going to more philosophical that technical. :P

I am not one to read all the press on a new game, I like to make decisions for myself and tend to skip a lot of the hype and speculation... So some of this info may have been "reported" elsewhere but this is my own personal perspective, free of any outside influence.

First, I will say that this game is fun. At first glance via screenshots and even game play videos it is not something that is easy to see and I can see why people given this as an evaluation tool could give a quick Meh and move on.

Now when I say its fun I mean, FUN. Like Tetris style addictive game play fun. You WANT to play again and the scoring system is such that you can DRAMATICALLY improve scores, not just incrementally.

Things like "optimized" pathing may be possible but when you add in the all the multiplier variables and power up options it makes this task considerably more difficult than your standard single instrument chart path optimization.

The two buttons on a track game play is MORE than enough to deal with as your mind is now dealing with tracking multiple paths, multiple multipliers, track switching (two more buttons) and power-up usage/execution. To say it is mental exercise is an understatement.

For me the Rock Band experience has always been about the music and one of my primary concerns with Rock Band Blitz was having the game be such that the game was taking away from the music. That may sound confusing to gamers but I hope it makes sense to the hard core music fan that plays Rock Band.

This is a concern that was quickly removed.

After my second play through my foot was tapping away and I was "rocking out" while playing Blitz. I was interacting with the music. There was that satisfaction that I was concerned about losing by the game using the controller. Was it the same as expert pro charts on my full Roland drum kit? Of course not but is it the ideal thing to do when I don’t want the physical demands of playing the drums? Absolutely!

The depth of the game far exceeds what can be grasped as an observer and there are dynamics at play with the undulating tracks that really have you paying attention to so much at once that you are pulled into the game as an environment and the graphics and presentation support that with beauty and detail. It is easy to want to read signs and marquees and lose track of what you were doing.

The tutorial does a good job of explaining the basics and can have anyone playing Blitz in just a few minutes. It will however take even the most seasoned rocker considerable time to master.

The new songs are exciting to me as it’s been a while since we had a "pack" of this size to add to our libraries but I really wanted to stress that after playing this game, if you are planning on buying it to export and are somehow stubborn enough to be dug in on saying you wont play it, you really need to play it.

I played One Week as my first song and I was smiling like a lunatic to dance back and forth on the crazy vocal track that song has. Next was Metal Health and the guitar was a blast via two buttons and to say I was rocking out would be an understatement.

I played several songs over the course of three sessions and had a chance to download my thoughts with a developer right after the last session and that really shaped this review as it helped me to understand what I was thinking by verbalizing. (Thanks Aaron!)

I really enjoyed the plug-and-play nature of the games total lack of difficulty settings beyond the songs themselves. It takes a ton of base-line intimidation out of the game for new players as they are not pressured at the song selection screen to prove how tough or cool they are by selecting a difficulty setting. I really like that.

This game will be accessible to anyone who loves fast paced arcade game play that requires a "heads up" approach and calls on the skills of the most advanced multi-tasker out there. A gamer could have tons and tons of fun with the on-disc songs alone. This is a game that can take you into the wee hours of the morning trying to eke out an extra star on a song.

For the seasoned Rock band player this game gives you a reason to revisit songs you may not have played in years. It makes your DLC new again and I can say without reservation I am looking forward to getting the game and playing Say It Aint So in it as the first song as a nod to that first gig the first time I played Rock Band.

In closing I want to say I am stoked for Harmonix to get to flex some developer muscle by making this downloadable game as a true independent company and to have come up with such a winner of a game. It really gets me excited to see what Harmonix is capable of both in and OUT of the music game genre.

These are exciting times for fans of Harmonix and I am really looking forward to the future.

I am happy to answer any questions as I am sure I left out info that I have now after playing that may be on your minds.

Rock On!


TLDR version: Try it, you will like it. :)

[Cipher_Peon]

I'm glad you liked it, Doc! I can't wait to play it, even though I am kind of afraid that I won't be playing it long after I beat all of the songs like Rock Band 3 :/

[Doc_SoCal]

Thats just it... you wont be "beating" anything... hey wait... I did not... uhh...

Er.... Um, let's just say there is a lot of game to play, specially when you add your DLC library to it.

Here is a crappy phone pic of the Blitz Lounge at the HMX E3 Party. (http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/2577/bltzlounge.jpg)

[Cipher_Peon]

Yeah, I guess you're right. I do have a fair amount of DLC, so that'll always keep me at least trying Blitz every now and then. And to think that the DLC is going to have more bang for its buck :O

It's magic, I tell you.

[samjjones]

Doc - does the lack of lasers negatively impact the game play at all?

Did the rapid beat matching mechanics of the gameplay hurt your fingers after a bit?

[Doc_SoCal]

Doc - does the lack of lasers negatively impact the game play at all?

Did the rapid beat matching mechanics of the gameplay hurt your fingers after a bit?

Well, there is a fundamental truth in the universe and that is: More Lasers = More Awesome so while the lack of lasers did not detract from the game, the addition of them could only serve to enhance.

On the XBOX controller the game mechanics were not a problem on the thumbs but the rapid use of teh bumper buttons took some getting used to as my simple mind only uses those for crouch or grenade usually.

I will wait to see on the PS3 since the D-Pad and the X button are closer together than on the XBOX it may not be as comfortable as the 360 pad for peopel with large hands like me.

<Edit> No they are not, I just looked so I don't see it being a problem on the DS3, PS3 controller

The lack of buttonmashyness was a relief and I was worried it would feel like that but it does not. I mean you could play like that, but people who do wont do well at all.

[The-XaiaX]

Did you play anything with a disco roll on the drums?

When I got to the disco roll in Working For The Weekend, they charted the kick/snare, which felt really disconnected since I'm used to the expert pro charts and there's way more going on there. I gave them some feedback on that at PAX East, but I can see why they might leave it that way since otherwise it might just be a blur of lrlrlrlrlrlrlrlr with no sense of what's a snare or hat.

Mainly I'm just curious if that's handled any differently.

[Doc_SoCal]

Did you play anything with a disco roll on the drums?

When I got to the disco roll in Working For The Weekend, they charted the kick/snare, which felt really disconnected since I'm used to the expert pro charts and there's way more going on there. I gave them some feedback on that at PAX East, but I can see why they might leave it that way since otherwise it might just be a blur of lrlrlrlrlrlrlrlr with no sense of what's a snare or hat.

Mainly I'm just curious if that's handled any differently.

If I did, I did not notice.

Quite frankly, without sticks in my hand I don't think I would have noticed.

While I play by ear more than sight while playing Rock Band I for sure feel like I was using all of my optic powers to play Blitz while using my ears more for enjoyment than trigger guidance.

[folkeye]

I wish it would remotely spark any interest for me, but it still doesn't. Still holding out to see if the future brings anything that might get my attention. DLC will be collecting dust a while more I guess, or shelved. We'll see.

Also can't play games like this, have enough trouble with regular games and my both hand tendonitis issues. :( Hoping for another hands free installment (or something with a microphone).Hence singing was the way to play, the mic stand made my hands happy.

[RickXTN]

Nice review and take on the game. I'm excited for the game and this made it even more so... especially being that you're a big fan of the usual way of playing instruments. At one point you said EXACTLY what I've been thinking... this will be a nice change of pace for when I want to play my songs but without having to exert energy with instruments. :-) Can't wait for BLITZ!

[Edify1]

Sweet! I wasn't really looking forward to the game, more so for the 25 new songs to export into Rock Band 3. But now after reading your review of it, I must say that I'm quite a bit more stoked for it. Thanks for giving your thoughts. :)

[daxx1970]

Hey Doc, that sounds better than expected. One small question, can you list out the 25 songs that come with Blitz in the order you liked them most?


(It was worth a try)

[metalkorn]

they have only announced 14 of the 25 so far.

[Doc_SoCal]

Hey Doc, that sounds better than expected. One small question, can you list out the 25 songs that come with Blitz in the order you liked them most?


(It was worth a try)


Even if I was privy to such info I would still be compelled to advise you to stay tuned for the setlist announcements as they develop.

Even as awesome as you are. :)

[Sayburr]

Thanks Doc. I was watching that playthrough video of a Bang Camaro song on YouTube last night and the gameplay looked a little blah to me. So, this review helped. Tetris looks blah to watch a gameplay vid, but damn, it sure it fun to actually play, so I am glad you used that comparison.

I have to admit, watching that video had me confused on the multiplier. Do you have to play each section Or does playing one section pull the multiplier upwards with it. For example, say I am playing a long solo on guitar (think Richard Thompson), would the increasing multiplier from guitar increase the other multipliers for the other lanes? Or to put in another way, say I love the lyrics for a song and I concentrate on only playing them, the vocal multiplier increases but then comes a instrumental section of the game, would the guitar, drums, bass, and keys still be at the X1 multiplier?

Next question… are songs with a key lane dramatically harder than those with only four lanes?

[Lowlander2]

Okay, but was there anything wrong with the game?

[grumblevolcano]

Amazing review and I can't wait for Blitz, both playing the game and playing the songs in RB3. Just hoping we get the rest of the setlist and a release date announced soon.

[MagicMurderBag7]

Okay, but was there anything wrong with the game?

That can't be healthy that that's the first place you go. Gotta look on the bright side of thing buddy.

[Lowlander2]

That can't be healthy that that's the first place you go. Gotta look on the bright side of thing buddy.

True, but it kind of seems like this impression was gushing a bit. There's got to be a possible improvement to be made, right?

I do think the game will be fun, but it's not going to be perfect, is it? I mean, if it is, hooray, open the champagne, but it's not going to be.

[Pankrazzo]

There will never be a perfect game.

[osteofight]

Okay, but was there anything wrong with the game?

Yes, I don't have it right now.

[MagicMurderBag7]

Yes, I don't have it right now.

That is a major flaw. Hopefully HMX can fix that in a month or two.

[ricecake]

Thanks for the review, Doc! Did you ever play Frequency or Amplitude (both of which I enjoyed a lot), and if so, how did the gameplay compare to those?

[Doc_SoCal]

Thanks Doc. I was watching that playthrough video of a Bang Camaro song on YouTube last night and the gameplay looked a little blah to me. So, this review helped. Tetris looks blah to watch a gameplay vid, but damn, it sure it fun to actually play, so I am glad you used that comparison.

I have to admit, watching that video had me confused on the multiplier. Do you have to play each section Or does playing one section pull the multiplier upwards with it. For example, say I am playing a long solo on guitar (think Richard Thompson), would the increasing multiplier from guitar increase the other multipliers for the other lanes? Or to put in another way, say I love the lyrics for a song and I concentrate on only playing them, the vocal multiplier increases but then comes a instrumental section of the game, would the guitar, drums, bass, and keys still be at the X1 multiplier?

Next question… are songs with a key lane dramatically harder than those with only four lanes?

The multiplier is per-lane and its dancing from lane to lane to make sure all of the multipliers are increased that allows you to increase the multiplier cap. Whew, it even sounds fast paced typing it. :P

Yes indeed, adding a key lane adds difficulty and its easy enough to forget about the key lane thatthe game reminds you in the tutorial not to forget.


Okay, but was there anything wrong with the game?

Yeah, I could not Gold Star stuff right away...

The only way to find fault is to expect it to be more than it is, and that will happen. There are people who chub up at every opportinity to be d-bags and rip stuff apart but hey everyone needs a hobby I guess. ;)

At face value, its more than I was expecting and incredibly fun. Hence my review.




That can't be healthy that that's the first place you go. Gotta look on the bright side of thing buddy.

Some people will argue tricycles should have four wheels, it is just in their nature.

I could not imagine resigning myself to such a miserable existance... Not that I am refering to anyone specifically of course... Just sayin'

:)


Thanks for the review, Doc! Did you ever play Frequency or Amplitude (both of which I enjoyed a lot), and if so, how did the gameplay compare to those?

Glad to speak up for the game, really looking forward to playing all my DLC in it.

Ya know, I have not.

My reverse compatable PS3 died so I never picked up the PS2 discs.

[grumblevolcano]

An important thing, is it possible to GS every song or will some songs like Song of the Century be like Polly on drums for RB2 (Impossible to get higher than 3 stars).

[Doc_SoCal]

An important thing, is it possible to GS every song or will some songs like Song of the Century be like Polly on drums for RB2 (Impossible to get higher than 3 stars).

Unknown but I am sure there are several songs that will be really goofy in Blitz. As far as scoring goes, only time will tell.

[Numskull]

Is it fair to say that for average-ish songs, the vocal lane is the one you really have to watch in terms of not letting its multiplier fall too far behind the others? Bang Camaro is really sparse in the vocal department so I don't think it was a great choice for that preview video that most of us have seen.

[Doc_SoCal]

Is it fair to say that for average-ish songs, the vocal lane is the one you really have to watch in terms of not letting its multiplier fall too far behind the others? Bang Camaro is really sparse in the vocal department so I don't think it was a great choice for that preview video that most of us have seen.

I think the multipliers are closer together on tracks with less content so yes and no. That's the way it seemed to me anyway.

They do come and go. Its kind of like fishing in that once you see a multiplier you need to hit that lane and hit notes to reel it in, otherwise it swims upstream.

It's a trip watching for the multipliers on all the streams at the same time. Multi-Tasking-Amundo.

[rkbdgurl]

Thanks for the review doc. I'm looking forward to playing it, though I've never done well on anything other than Rockband. I can see this is gonna open up a whole new world for me. Can't wait.

[Lowlander2]

I could not imagine resigning myself to such a miserable existance... Not that I am refering to anyone specifically of course... Just sayin'

:)

Hey, I'm not-- It's just that you're making it sound like a 10/10 game, and the only one within the last two years I would even consider giving it to is Rayman: Origins. As much as I love Harmonix, and I really really do, I don't think Blitz match up to Origins, or hell, RB2, in terms of pure quality.

No doubt it will be fun, and it's a day one buy, but you know how it is. And besides, it does have a definite flaw: it isn't out yet!


There will never be a perfect game.

Well...I'm not sure how you could improve Half-Life 2.

[Doc_SoCal]

I don't think Blitz match up to Origins, or hell, RB2, in terms of pure quality.


I don't seee how or why anyone would rate Blitz based on a comparison to either of those two games. May as well say its sucks because there are no zombies or grenades.

That's my point about people expecting it to be something it is not. There is no way to win over that player.

Maybe the fun of it will wash away the expectations that were never planned to be part of the game, maybe not. Only the individual can decide.

It is, what it is, and judged soley on its own merrits I think HMX nailed exactly what they were trying to do and its quite clear while playing it.

But I am not here to tell anyone how to feel. I just find myself needing to explain why I think it is great.

I am pretty confident I have as much time, money and emotional equity invested in Rock Band as just about anyone out there and that's why I felt compelled to share my thoughts on Blitz.

I want Rock Band 4 as much as anyone and I, just like the majority or Rock Band Manicas, would have traded Blitz for a reboot of the franchise in a new ubber band game with RB4 as its name when I first heard about Blitz but that is not what is happening right now. I was able to put that feeling aside and be more patient for what may be next after playing Blitz.

Maybe it is a nice Sorbet in between courses, maybe it is a lite dessert after an impressive meal. I dont know but I do enjoy it for what it is. A tastey little tidbit of Rock Band awesomeness. :)

Whew... coffee fueled posts are long... :p

[Lowlander2]

I hope time doesn't tell, I hope we can play the damn thing now!

[Pitch-Black]

Thanks for the review, Doc. It really is good to hear a RB fanatics take on it. Personally I value a hardcore RBer's review much more than a whole legion of press reviews. From some of the things you said I find myself a bit relieved, too. Going by my own admittedly basic idea of the game, I thought it could be maybe a little too simplistic for my taste. But I get now that there will be more going on in the game than I had originally thought. Keeping an eye on track multipliers and multitasking makes the game sound like it could, at times, become frantic with strategic elements I hadn't concidered. I like frantic and strategic.

[Icemage]

I think people need to stop projecting their desire for Rock Band 4 and/or Frequency/Amplitude 2 onto Blitz.

As long as the game is fun, so be it. Sure, I'd love to see Rock Band 4 come down the pipeline at some point, but now that I come to think of it, I don't want Rock Band 4 before next year, when we'll have all new hardware from all manufacturers (which will hopefully help resolve many of the issues with Rock Band 3).

In the mean time, if Blitz gives me something else to do with the thousands of DLC I've already purchased, fantastic.

[R1ngmasterJ5]

What's the control scheme like? I've heard there are multiple control schemes, did you try more than one?

[Doc_SoCal]

What's the control scheme like? I've heard there are multiple control schemes, did you try more than one?

D-Pad is the left note and A button the right. (I think was A, it was one of em over there)

RB & LB swapped tracks. I did not mess with alternate setting menus.

[queuemark]

Nice review. Very excited for the game. A couple points of curiosity - how is song selection handled? Is it reminiscent of RB3? Can you sort songs? Does it default to songs or artist, or what?

Minor points, maybe, but I'd love to know!

[Doc_SoCal]

Nice review. Very excited for the game. A couple points of curiosity - how is song selection handled? Is it reminiscent of RB3? Can you sort songs? Does it default to songs or artist, or what?

Minor points, maybe, but I'd love to know!

Thanks

These were dev builds with just the announced songs and no DLC so it never dawned on me to see what the sorting was, etc.

[BVP2K10]

So is this moderator just a Harmonix shill or what?

Has he ever criticized, even constructively, something about the games?

I don't know, I'm relatively new here, which is why I'm asking.

[jeronemitchell]

There is no one here that has never had a problem with anything.

[johnnyboyblade]

Really happy to hear about the two notes not limiting the interactivity/intimacy with the music :-). That was my biggest concern by a long shot.

[Doc_SoCal]

I don't know

Well it's a good thing you opened with an insult to my integrity then.

That's always the best way to approach the unknown.

Sure I have voiced my opinions on short comings, heck I have even twisted a few screwdrivers developing fixes/improvements for them...

[Bront20]

So is this moderator just a Harmonix shill or what?

Has he ever criticized, even constructively, something about the games?

I don't know, I'm relatively new here, which is why I'm asking.
Doc is a RB enthusiest who's only been a mod for a few years (I don't think he was a Mod when I started posting here), and he has his own forum dedicated to modding and creating cool RB hardware. He's not a shill.

[Bront20]

Well it's a good thing you opened with an insult to my integrity then.

That's always the best way to approach the unknown.

Sure I have voiced my opinions on short comings, heck I have even twisted a few screwdrivers developing fixes/improvements for them...I got more of an ignorance vibe than an insult vibe Doc. It's not uncommon for mods of forums like this to be folks who also work for the company, so it's a fair question.

That said, don't trust anything Der_Lex says.

;)

[Bront20]

On a nicer subject: Great post Doc. It's always good to hear a fresh point of view on the game. I'm super excited about it, and think it will breath new life into my DLC library. The wife doesn't care for me gaming with her around, but loves it with RB, and I think Blitz will have the same kind of appeal.

[grimripper82]

Great review, Doc! I, like many other fans, was actually really disappointed when I saw the first announcement of the game. I got my hopes up for a Rock Band 4, with some brand-new gameplay mechanics and such, and felt let down horribly because of it. As I started watching more and more video footage of the game in action, it started to grow on me. I'm to the point now, where I can't wait to get my hands on this thing. To me, it's almost like a whole new instrument to play all of my DLC with. I'm likely to start with the easiest songs, and work my way (slowly but surely) through all of them when this game comes out.

[osteofight]

Well it's a good thing you opened with an insult to my integrity then.

That's always the best way to approach the unknown.

Sure I have voiced my opinions on short comings, heck I have even twisted a few screwdrivers developing fixes/improvements for them...


I got more of an ignorance vibe than an insult vibe Doc. It's not uncommon for mods of forums like this to be folks who also work for the company, so it's a fair question.

That said, don't trust anything Der_Lex says.

;)
It's all about the approach. One could politely ask the same thing with: "I'm relatively new here... Doc, do you work for HMX? How objective are you about RB and Blitz?"

If you go in swinging, tension escalates quickly and that's no way to make a first impression on a community.

[HMXPope]

Thanks for the write-up, Doc. It was great getting to meet you in person! I'm stickying this, as I think it's important for folks to see an opinion OTHER THAN MINE about this game that I genuinely think is awesome and addictive.

I'm looking forward to seeing more reviews from you all here on the forums. In many ways this game was made specifically for you guys and gals.

[MagicMurderBag7]

Thanks for the write-up, Doc. It was great getting to meet you in person! I'm stickying this, as I think it's important for folks to see an opinion OTHER THAN MINE about this game that I genuinely think is awesome and addictive.

I'm looking forward to seeing more reviews from you all here on the forums. In many ways this game was made specifically for you guys and gals.
Send me an advance copy and I'll review it for ya ;)

[Der_Lex]

I got more of an ignorance vibe than an insult vibe Doc. It's not uncommon for mods of forums like this to be folks who also work for the company, so it's a fair question.

When you use the word 'shill', you've gone out of 'ignorance' territory and into Insult Central, as far as I'm concerned. But hey, this is the Internet after all, where the average person has the manners and etiquette of a honey badger that's late for his dinner meeting during rush hour. Maybe he considers this a normal tone for conversation.


That said, don't trust anything Der_Lex says. ;)

Bront20 is a really knowledgeable, witty poster who is a real asset to the community and greatly valued by us all.

[SheSaidSheSaid]

I'm looking forward to seeing more reviews from you all here on the forums.

Then release the game already, duhh!! :p

[Doc_SoCal]

Thanks for the write-up, Doc. It was great getting to meet you in person! I'm stickying this, as I think it's important for folks to see an opinion OTHER THAN MINE about this game that I genuinely think is awesome and addictive.

I'm looking forward to seeing more reviews from you all here on the forums. In many ways this game was made specifically for you guys and gals.

Cheers Pope!

It was a great time indeed!

[Cipher_Peon]

Bront20 is a really knowledgeable, witty poster who is a real asset to the community and greatly valued by us all.
Sounds like somebody else I know *coughs*

[Doc_SoCal]

Sounds like somebody else I know *coughs*

Thanks Cipher, you are too kind.

Some day when you are a grown up you might just get to be awesome too.

Maybe...

[Bront20]

Bront20 is a really knowledgeable, witty poster who is a real asset to the community and greatly valued by us all.
Like I said, can't trust Lex :)

[88sBand]

There is nothing hardcore about Rock Band. It makes for a great party game though. Therefore review invalidated.

[SirDavidTLynch]

That's kind of insulting to pretty much everybody who posts here.

While this topic is up, I might as well say that while I am looking forward to the game, there are a few lingering concerns:

-Online-only items and coins. While just about everybody (or at least everybody who plays XBLA games) has internet on their consoles these days, it doesn't mean their internet is reliable 100% of the time. Just this past weekend I got kicked off of Xbox Live at least 3 times while the rest of my internet was working perfectly fine.

-Coins. While Rock Band 3 you can restart and replay songs as much as you want, with Blitz you're not going to stand a chance on the leaderboards until you grind for enough coins for the items you want, play the song again, then repeat if you want to try the same song with different items

-Long solos. Songs like Green Grass and High Tides and I Heard it Through the Grapevine are great on plastic guitars, but it seems like just two buttons and one active track would get boring after a while. It looks like the way it's set up would work better with standard 8-bar solos than 4-hour jam sessions.

[ErikSarcasm]

There is nothing hardcore about Rock Band. It makes for a great party game though. Therefore review invalidated.

He didn't say Rock Band was hardcore, he said HE was hardcore.

[Bront20]

He didn't say Rock Band was hardcore, he said HE was hardcore.He owns RB3 on both consoles (with DLC), and has enough RB stuff to probably fund several small bands, and his own forum dedicated to modding RB stuff, let alone volunteering to mod here.

I'd say Hardcore is probably an understatement :)

[Lowlander2]

When you use the word 'shill', you've gone out of 'ignorance' territory and into Insult Central, as far as I'm concerned.

Shill just sounds like a made-up word forged into an insult, kind of like what Stealth did back on Destuctoid.

[Doc_SoCal]

After spending a couple days with the full game I wanted to follow up.

If the demo game alone was addicting, the extra features in the full game are the ultimate enabelers.

My name is Doc and I am a Blitz Addict.

:P

[TheStuddz]

Hi Doc.

[metalkorn]

I'll see you in BAA on Tuesday.

[Doc_SoCal]

Hi Doc.

Salutations my lil buddy from the Great White North.

I will now go play One Week on all instruments, in your honor.

[Apples]

I think the thing that is going to surprise people this week is the mental aspect.

In many previous rhythm games, the primary driver of success was your skill in timing and dexterity. While those are still important, there is much more of an emphasis on strategy and decision making. It is a very complex balancing act juggling between ranking up multipliers, collecting powerups, using overdrive, and playing note-dense sections.

Aside from some of the most difficult riffs, the actual playing of the notes is almost of secondary importance. Sure keeping a combo is important, but it is equally important that the combo is on the right instrument for the situation.

[crash13]

It's addicting. Buy it.

[Iron_Lombax]

I'm looking forward to playing this game.

[Doc_SoCal]

I think the thing that is going to surprise people this week is the mental aspect.

In many previous rhythm games, the primary driver of success was your skill in timing and dexterity. While those are still important, there is much more of an emphasis on strategy and decision making. It is a very complex balancing act juggling between ranking up multipliers, collecting powerups, using overdrive, and playing note-dense sections.

Aside from some of the most difficult riffs, the actual playing of the notes is almost of secondary importance. Sure keeping a combo is important, but it is equally important that the combo is on the right instrument for the situation.

Spot on man, spot on.

[Iron_Lombax]

I think the thing that is going to surprise people this week is the mental aspect.

In many previous rhythm games, the primary driver of success was your skill in timing and dexterity. While those are still important, there is much more of an emphasis on strategy and decision making. It is a very complex balancing act juggling between ranking up multipliers, collecting powerups, using overdrive, and playing note-dense sections.

Aside from some of the most difficult riffs, the actual playing of the notes is almost of secondary importance. Sure keeping a combo is important, but it is equally important that the combo is on the right instrument for the situation.

That actually gets me excited to play it even more.

Looking forward to Wednesday.

[Heavens_Saint]

I am loving Rock Band Blitz, I was original only buying it for the songs but I've stayed for the actual game. I can't tell you how amazing it is, one of my favourites this year. But there is one problem...I remember some HMX member on the forums (can't remember who, so won't point fingers) said that when you first launch Blitz all your DLC has to be changed to Blitz songs once and that's it. I booted up the game for the first time, took like 10 minutes to get all the DLC done then it asked me to download the Soundtrack so I exited the game from the menu and went to the Dashboard, downloaded the soundtrack quick and booted the game again. I had to do the DLC thing again! So I've to do it everytime? If so, then that HMX guy was lying. It's such a pain in the ass too. That's the only gripe I have, and it's a big one.

Maybe it's cause I didn't play anything and went straight back to the Dashboard, but I doubt it.

[FairwoodStudios]

I am loving Rock Band Blitz, I was original only buying it for the songs but I've stayed for the actual game. I can't tell you how amazing it is, one of my favourites this year. But there is one problem...I remember some HMX member on the forums (can't remember who, so won't point fingers) said that when you first launch Blitz all your DLC has to be changed to Blitz songs once and that's it. I booted up the game for the first time, took like 10 minutes to get all the DLC done then it asked me to download the Soundtrack so I exited the game from the menu and went to the Dashboard, downloaded the soundtrack quick and booted the game again. I had to do the DLC thing again! So I've to do it everytime? If so, then that HMX guy was lying. It's such a pain in the ass too. That's the only gripe I have, and it's a big one.

Maybe it's cause I didn't play anything and went straight back to the Dashboard, but I doubt it.

(It's just creating a cache, not doing any conversion. That happens on the fly.)

You will always get that 'finding downloaded content' message, just like you always get it with RB3. But it shouldn't take very long after the first run. Things might've gotten odd with the timing of the soundtrack download and any sort of behind-the-scenes caching or any sort of funny stuff like that. Point is, you shouldn't see long start-up times every time.

[abynormal]

I loaded up my Xbox live account with enough points to download the game the day before it came out, and then hurricane Isaac took out my power Wednesday morning and I have yet to get it back. What's really maddening is that every block around my apartment complex has power.

Downloading Blitz will be one of the first things I do with my Xbox once power is restored.

[RickXTN]

I think the thing that is going to surprise people this week is the mental aspect.

In many previous rhythm games, the primary driver of success was your skill in timing and dexterity. While those are still important, there is much more of an emphasis on strategy and decision making. It is a very complex balancing act juggling between ranking up multipliers, collecting powerups, using overdrive, and playing note-dense sections.

Aside from some of the most difficult riffs, the actual playing of the notes is almost of secondary importance. Sure keeping a combo is important, but it is equally important that the combo is on the right instrument for the situation.

Agreed! Blitz is definitely more "video gamey" with a lot to juggle while playing... but it's "video gamey with a beat". :-) I find that on songs I normally hate when playing RB3 there's a certain enjoyment in Blitz.

[abynormal]

Finally got to play a few songs today (thank you siblings with power!). So far it's quite a lot of fun. I only wish I could somehow get my Rock Band characters involved (like having them cheer from the sidelines or something). I didn't five star anything yet so I still have quite a ways to go.

[Bront20]

Agreed! Blitz is definitely more "video gamey" with a lot to juggle while playing... but it's "video gamey with a beat". :-) I find that on songs I normally hate when playing RB3 there's a certain enjoyment in Blitz.
Yes, a lot of unpleasantness is mitigated by Blitz charting, and there are ways to avoid the unpleasant tracks in the game as well.

[CharityDiary]

I'm glad you liked it, Doc! I can't wait to play it, even though I am kind of afraid that I won't be playing it long after I beat all of the songs like Rock Band 3 :/

Yeah, I'm bored with it already. I've gold-starred all the songs, I've gotten all the achievements, and on every song I've played (300+), I've gotten a score near the very top of the leaderboards -- I have many #1 spots on DLC songs, and I had a few number #1s on the base songs, including Bang Your Head and Moves Like Jagger. And I don't even use Jackpot. It's a VERY simple game, once you figure it out.

It was worth the money, I guess, considering I've played 300 songs on the game. But I wouldn't give it the review this guy did... It's an okay game, it's just really simple, and it pretends to be really complex.