Single Player experience

[nicko68]

Ars Technica's review of Rock Band ( http://arstechnica.com/reviews/games/rock-band-review.ars ) says a couple of times that the single player game isn't as good/fun as Guitar Hero.

Does anyone who played it agree or disagree? Unfortunately I'm probably going to be playing solo (unless I can get my wife to sing some songs, but she won't like the heavy stuff so career probably won't be happening). I'm only getting the standalone game (for my PS2... I don't currently have a 360 or PS3, and it's not out for Wii yet), so it's not like it's that much money, but it's still too bad to hear.

[Eman311]

It depends. I would say if you will be starting out on easy for the drums,you will have a lot of fun and a big challenge getting up to expert. DLC will help keep things fresh if you do get stuck on a certain difficulty.

Guitar will prob be as easy as GH1, if youre an expert player you will blow right through it.

If you have no issues singing by yourself and looking like a fool, vocals will be a blast. It just depends how much you personally feel you can get out of the experience

[Xanthous]

I am looking forward to perfecting my drumming on my own. Just making my way from Easy to Hard/Expert will be quite time consuming and enjoyable.

If I get tired of the drums (not as in losing interest, as in my foot and arms are falling off) I can switch to the vocals for awhile. I've never had a great singing voice, and I'm interested to see if I can use RB to help fine tune my pitch.

Then there's also the full guitar solo player mode. I was never a fan of overly-complicated note charts (see GHIII). I'd rather feel that I'm creating music than torturing my fingers with a videogame.

[Ryder35]

Plus you can sing and play guitar/drums at the same time to access BWT. I am thinking guitar on medium plus singing might work. Trying to look at a note chart and lyrics might be a bit tough tho

[Bakkster]

Since the song selection was made to cater towards the band experience, solo play might suffer.

I'm a strong proponent of the sing+play method. It kills two birds with one stone: local BWT and the supposed "easy" and "shallow" single player.

[Eman311]

I am looking forward to perfecting my drumming on my own. Just making my way from Easy to Hard/Expert will be quite time consuming and enjoyable.

If I get tired of the drums (not as in losing interest, as in my foot and arms are falling off) I can switch to the vocals for awhile. I've never had a great singing voice, and I'm interested to see if I can use RB to help fine tune my pitch.

Then there's also the full guitar solo player mode. I was never a fan of overly-complicated note charts (see GHIII). I'd rather feel that I'm creating music that torturing my fingers with a videogame.

I feel the same exact way. Plus, I'll be able to access BWT through guitar/vocals and maybe eventually drums/vocals.

[nicko68]

There won't be any drums, at least initially. I may end up picking up drums down the road if it looks like the Wii version is still as mysterious as it is today.

Singing and playing guitar would definitely be challenging. I should think about that. :)

I'm currently a hard level player on GH (passed all songs on GH1, GH80s (except for Play With Me) and GHII (except for the last 2 songs of last tier and some bonus songs)).

[Eman311]

There won't be any drums, at least initially. I may end up picking up drums down the road if it looks like the Wii version is still as mysterious as it is today.

Singing and playing guitar would definitely be challenging. I should think about that. :)

Yep, and you can use the headset or any USB Mic.

[dragulaAC]

I've noticed alot of the reviewers really hammer on the Solo Tour Mode for RB. Saying it's really boring, just tiers of songs to go through. Is this just because they think that the guitar part alone is too easy? I mean, isn't 'Solo Tour Mode' the exact same thing that makes up all of GH's career mode? Yet, i don't think they say the career mode for GH is all that boring, yet it's the same thing.

[jkilby99]

I was thinking the same thing about singing plus playing either guitar or drums simultaneously as a way to play BWT solo. It was something I was gonna try anyways, but now I might have motivation to actually master the ability.

[Apples]

I am actually looking forward to single player so I can master the new instruments in the privacy of my own home.

[nicko68]

It will be interesting trying to watch the guitar note chart and the lyrics at the same time. :)

[espher]

Since the song selection was made to cater towards the band experience, solo play might suffer.

This is the one statement I just don't seem to 'get' in these reviews, I guess.

The song list has many more song I enjoy than in Guitar Hero, and even though I can finish all of the releases on Expert so far (well, aside from Play With Me), I find myself playing the simpler songs more often than not (I Wanna Be Sedated, I Ran, Higher Ground, Radar Love, Woman, Carry On Wayward Son, More Than A Feeling, Ziggy Stardust, Crazy On You, and most of the GH1 bonus songs).

So 'simpler' charts involving songs I really like will probably keep my enjoyment level on par or greater than GH for the guitar. Vocals and drums will be a whole other bag.

[FatWilma]

I've noticed alot of the reviewers really hammer on the Solo Tour Mode for RB. Saying it's really boring, just tiers of songs to go through. Is this just because they think that the guitar part alone is too easy? I mean, isn't 'Solo Tour Mode' the exact same thing that makes up all of GH's career mode? Yet, i don't think they say the career mode for GH is all that boring, yet it's the same thing.

yeah, this is exactly what i've been thinking as well. were these people really that impressed with the stupid cutscenes in gh3? Saying they added a story to that game is really stretching it. i'm glad HMX didnt add ******ed cutscenes in the solo game just so it would be more like gh3 or the BWT.

[Bakkster]

So 'simpler' charts involving songs I really like will probably keep my enjoyment level on par or greater than GH for the guitar. Vocals and drums will be a whole other bag.

I totally agree. Even the simpler songs in RB are upbeat (Blitzkrieg Bop, Main Offender), unlike GH1+2 (I Love Rock and Roll anyone?).

[jkilby99]

It will be interesting trying to watch the guitar note chart and the lyrics at the same time. :)

You are likely going to have to memorize the vocal part... or I suppose you could memorize the note chart, but I imagine the vocal part would be easier to know by heart.

[Meancode]

Ars Technica's review of Rock Band ( http://arstechnica.com/reviews/games/rock-band-review.ars ) says a couple of times that the single player game isn't as good/fun as Guitar Hero.

Does anyone who played it agree or disagree? Unfortunately I'm probably going to be playing solo (unless I can get my wife to sing some songs, but she won't like the heavy stuff so career probably won't be happening). I'm only getting the standalone game (for my PS2... I don't currently have a 360 or PS3, and it's not out for Wii yet), so it's not like it's that much money, but it's still too bad to hear.

Yes I agree with that statement. GH3 has better single player. Rock Band has much better multiplayer.

[Meancode]

It will be interesting trying to watch the guitar note chart and the lyrics at the same time. :)

It doesn't help matters much that the note chart scrolls to the bottom and the lyrics scroll on the top :D

I only have one song memorized enough that I can play guitar AND vocals, and that is In Bloom. But I am sure everyone knows that song by heart by now.

[Patch_]

I totally agree. Even the simpler songs in RB are upbeat (Blitzkrieg Bop, Main Offender), unlike GH1+2 (I Love Rock and Roll anyone?).

God I hated playing that song. In any case the single player rock band experience looks great, watched a guy play the solo guitar and that looks fun, a lot even looked hard but then again I'm not the type of guy that needs 934874929348290238290 notes coming down at the screen giving me a seizure.
Guitar looks great, drums look amazing, I hate singing but I think this game will make me sing.

[HeXcoda]

Yes I agree with that statement. GH3 has better single player. Rock Band has much better multiplayer.

GH3 has better single player... but not by much. The only improvements it added were cutscenes (cute, but fluff) and battles (badly thought out idea).

Still, at least GH3 TRIED to do something more for solo players. RB is phoning it in, since it knows that the bare minimum is still an okay mechanic. You grind tiers until you're done grinding tiers and enjoy the music along the way.

HMX has specifically said it is just a practice mode, IE it's designed to make you better at that instrument so you can bring your skills into the multiplayer band mode. That's all it was ever intended to be.

Which is fine... provided you have regular access to enough skilled local players to explore BWT, or you're talented enough to carry two harmonies/rhythms at the same time. If so, huzzah, you've found paradise! If not... well, you can still have a basic GH level of fun grinding tiers, but I'd recommend buying the game-alone disc and using a cheap USB mike until the drums come out. It's cheaper for soloists than having a spare guitar you wouldn't be using anyway.

Hopefully RB2, which will have online BWT, will also expand the solo offerings a bit more. As is, RB is only a good single player experience, not an excellent one. (Is there something terribly wrong with only being "good"..?)

[aiq422]

It will be interesting trying to watch the guitar note chart and the lyrics at the same time. :)

ya that is what i was thinking i guess u would have to know the lyrics

[Bullseye]

Hopefully RB2, which will have online BWT, will also expand the solo offerings a bit more. As is, RB is only a good single player experience, not an excellent one. (Is there something terribly wrong with only being "good"..?)


Well put. I think that the big crime of RB (albeit, I haven't played it yet) is that we are expecting something more than GH on the single player front. So we are left with "good" which under normal circumstances we'd be raving over. Fortunately, we're getting the "excellent" multiplayer experience, and for those daring enough to try, we're getting the singer/guitarist option for solo BWT.

[dlisapussy]

How can RB's solo mode be less fun than GH's???


All you do is play a song. You get to create a character in RB. I would have to say GH isn't like RB. It's not really comparable.

[Catalytic]

How can RB's solo mode be less fun than GH's???


All you do is play a song. You get to create a character in RB. I would have to say GH isn't like RB. It's not really comparable.

Yeah, but you don't get the 30 second cartoon frames that tell a compelling story that drives the single player game of GH3 and makes it great!!!! :rolleyes:

The complaint only makes sense if you want RB single player to be as challenging as GH3. If you would rather enjoy the game and not curse the game because you fail the same damn song for a week straight and you feel attached to your wrist and fingers (I haven't played GH3 for a few days and my left hand is still killing me), RB single player game seems just as good to me.

[Meancode]

Yeah, but you don't get the 30 second cartoon frames that tell a compelling story that drives the single player game of GH3 and makes it great!!!! :rolleyes:

The complaint only makes sense if you want RB single player to be as challenging as GH3. If you would rather enjoy the game and not curse the game because you fail the same damn song for a week straight and you feel attached to your wrist and fingers (I haven't played GH3 for a few days and my left hand is still killing me), RB single player game seems just as good to me.

GH3 also has more songs on the disc. Though they were quite lame in making you download "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

[Edgehopper]

GH3 also has more songs on the disc. Though they were quite lame in making you download "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

Technically, yes. On the other hand, they had fewer licensed songs that were playable solo, and the bonus tracks were generally European garbage. Give me Freezepop and the Acro-brats over In Flames any day. And Rock Band, like GH2 but unlike GH3, has an awesome song from a cartoon :)

[Meancode]

Yes I was speaking only of quantity.

But if you want my opinion on quality, RB has that hands down. The bonus tracks are much better than the GH3 bonus tracks.

GH3 has more stuff for 1-2 players to do. RB has more stuff for 2-4 players to do.

[KingofQUEEN48]

omg i played GH3 yesterday for the first time and i hated it sooo much i played it once and i was done

[HeXcoda]

The problem isn't really that RB's solo is worse than GH3's solo. They're about on par, with each doing something differently than stock formula; RB create-a-char, GH3 boss battles and cutscenes.

The problem is more that RB's solo is... well, it's really weak compared to its BWT. BWT is amazing, it's innovative, it pushes the genre forward... and it's multi only. It's like trick or treating on halloween and the group in front of you gets huge Snickers bars, then you ring the bell and you get a fun size one. It's still chocolate, but you feel gypped.

My hope is that the inevitable RB2 (with its online BWT) will also have a more robust solo experience beyond practicing the songs for BWT. Hell, I'd settle for being able to design my own bandmates... but ideally some sort of decision making and challenge variety would be nice.

And *sigh* before it gets brought up again, YES, you can sing+guitar in BWT... if you're skilled enough. I'm talking about a genuine, honest to goodness solo mode that's innovative, not a multiplayer mode you've tricked into thinking you have two people handy.

[admanimal]

RB solo play beats GH3 simply for not having the stupid guitar battles.

I think in RB2 they could pretty much scrap the traditional solo mode all together and just add single player BWT. They could still have quick play if you just want to play a couple songs.

[seafisch]

I think in RB2 they could pretty much scrap the traditional solo mode all together and just add single player BWT.

They could add that via patch to this one - if the game can fill in for two band members, it can fill in for three. I'd gladly give up online BWT if they patched solo World Tour into this first go around.

[HeXcoda]

They could add that via patch to this one - if the game can fill in for two band members, it can fill in for three. I'd gladly give up online BWT if they patched solo World Tour into this first go around.

Unfortunately, HMX has already said they have no plans whatsoever to do this. BWT is "balanced" around multiplayer.

...I'm really not sure what that means when you can play with 2, 3, and 4 people just fine, why not 1? How exactly is that "unbalanced"? It's the same score / stars / fans in the end...

But.. that's the company line on the matter. No solo BWT.

[Werbal]

I really hate to bust Harmonix on the lacking of solo Band World Tour because I think they're a good company with a good vision, but frankly it stinks.

What on earth does balance have to do with Band World Tour? As far as I can tell, its a fairly standard career mode we've seen done thousands of times in other games. Hell, it is the STANDARD option for things like sports games. "Make a team, customize team, go out and play the full season."

There's no excuse for the lack of a solo Band World Tour. None at all. I can only think the lack of its inclusion (and I'm being very cynical here) is due to either a.) laziness b.) rushed deadlines or c.) done to "encourage" people to buy the $170 bundle.

I hate to accuse them of blatantly jerking gamers around, but there's nothing else I can see at work here. I know that Rock Band is all about multiplayer, multiplayer, multiplayer, but thats not an excuse to treat the single player experience as an afterthought.

Even if you live with other gamers or have gaming friends close at hand, do you really want to have them come over EVERY TIME you want to play World Tour mode? What if its late and you're not tired and you want to play? "Hey dude, come over and play bass." "IT'S 3 A.M.! GO TO SLEEP!"

Even more difficult are for people who are removed from scenes where get-togethers are frequent and easy, like high school and college. I work a 40-hour week, 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. each day. It's not exactly easy to get friends to come over when you wake up at 1 p.m. and go to bed at sometime around 5 a.m.

Singleplayer modes are really a matter of basic convenience, and just because you're not playing with other people doesn't mean they can't be rewarding and enjoyable. Harmonix would do well to remember this instead of treating Single Player Tour as a "practice mode."

I'll still be buying Rock Band, mostly because I think the presentation and set list is great (and I'm not happy with how GH3 turned out), but the apparent lack of effort at giving the single player campaign the same attention as the multiplayer campaign has soured me on the game before I've even played it. If Rock Band 2 doesn't show some sort of advancement in terms of a single-player career, then I doubt I'll be picking it up.

[hardyfoster]

hmx saying it's balanced in a previous post elsewhere is all that was said.

i would like the option to choose 1 player for bwt as well. sure i'd be playing with friends sometimes, but sometimes i won't.

when you boil it all down. All Rock Band is is another computer program. Where if the option were given to choose between 1 - 4 people, the computer would play the other players.
I don't know why this is such a hard thing to do. HMX, why is this such a difficult task ? Maybe it's too late to change it or patch it now, but this is no big programming feat.

sure, you want to bring people together, and everyone in your company is in a band, but in the rest of our daily lives, getting together isn't always convenient. When I'm sleeping, my friends are working, when I'm working, they're sleeping. When those I work with are off i'm working, when i'm working they're off.

Just admit your thoughts were elsewhere and you'll try to take care of it in a later version. But don't sit there and say it is what it is. Deal with it.

[Werbal]

Yes, exactly. Video games shouldn't really be something you're REQUIRED to schedule people to come over and play.

I mean, yeah, its awesome when you have some friends over and you break out Guitar Hero or Halo or something and have fun together. But lets say something comes up and your friend can't come over. No worries, just play single-player mode or play against people online.

Not so with Rock Band. If you call a buddy to come over and play career mode and he can't do it, you're out of luck. I realize Harmonix is trying to sort of simulate actually being in a real band, but you're not supposed to simulate the HASSLES of being in a real band. It'd be like if you were playing Madden or something and you had a bad season so the game fired you and you weren't allowed to play your team anymore.

Video games are supposed to be distilled versions of reality. By forcing you to organize with your friends when to play or YOU CAN'T PLAY, you're crossing that line where simulation stops being fun and starts becoming a pain.





Wow, I'm wordy. Basically, BAD HARMONIX! NO! NEXT TIME GIVE US FULL-FLEDGED SINGLE PLAYER MODES!