Should I skip over Rock Band and just get GH3?

[angry-boss]

I was going to buy Rock Band on launch day, but being Canadian obviously I couldn't, I was sort of pissed but now I'm thinking did I dodge a bullet? Ive heard nothing but Mics that wont get picked up, drums that wont register, guitars that fall apart, sound systems with uncalibaratable lag, guitar compatibility issues, unfair Canadian download prices, terrible return/replacement policies etc.
what do you think?

[jkilby99]

When I was in the market for buying a TV, I was worried because I kept reading about each model having all of these horrible problems. And then I made a realization: if it works, people don't go on forums posting that it works.

Get Rock Band.

[toelessfoot]

When I was in the market for buying a TV, I was worried because I kept reading about each model having all of these horrible problems. And then I made a realization: if it works, people don't go on forums posting that it works.

Get Rock Band.

right as rain.

[MrGrieves]

Don't get GH3, there been a lot of problems with their guitars too, online play is broken and the note charts are horrible. If I were you I'd wait for RB, that's just my opinion though

[evilzom]

my copy of GH3 was laid to rest today.

get rockband.

[pelemerengue]

Eh... depends. If it's just the tech problems that are freaking you out and you're otherwise still interested in Rock Band, I'd hold out. The kinks will likely be ironed out in the near future. But if you absolutely can't wait for a fix of playing music with a toy guitar, go nuts with Guitar Hero.

[trilidar]

my copy of GH3 was laid to rest today.

get rockband.

Ditto. No disrespect to Neversoft (because they did a fairly well job with an established franchise), but after playing RB for hours and hours straight: there's no going back.

GH seems like a simplier time now.

tril

[vulgarmessiah]

as a ps3 owner of both rockband and guitar hero.........the hell with both of them!

I greatly anticipated rock band and guitar hero for months and months and instead of delivering quality products....both companies decided to rush out their games in direct competition rather than actually making sure their respective games work properly so their consumers will be...i don't know .....satisfied!!!

GH3 has horrible lag issues that you'll never quite fix correctly and you end up simply trying your best to ignore it......and Rockband has a terrible guitar since my own guitar has a defective downstrum after only two hours of play....not too mention we also got the news of the Les Pauls not working after being told for months and months that the les paul would be compatible, so guess what?....I cant play guitar at all in RB now....and everyone seems to be ignoring the tremendous lag with the microphone that makes singing in the game just tremendously off key.

Sorry for the rant guys......but Im terribly upset with both companies and question whether or not I'll ever buy another rhythm game again. This is a mess!!

[Ventura]

When I was in the market for buying a TV, I was worried because I kept reading about each model having all of these horrible problems. And then I made a realization: if it works, people don't go on forums posting that it works.

Get Rock Band.

Eh what?

If that were the case, wouldn't it be impossible to put out a product that didn't work?

Given that the Australian retail markup on this thing is probably going to be like 400% (as per usual), if it sucks I wanna hear complaints.

One guy I saw even posted a youtube vid of his drums not working properly when he beats em anything but softly.

That's the spirit.

[Ghandi]

So far, I havent had any problems with RB. Been playing for approx 4 hours with a 4 person band, only prob was with my error (didnt switch 360 cable to HDTV mode >.>).

Soo far my Strat is a champ, I love it compared to the Gibson or x-plorer. And my drums are fine. Mic is also great.

[crabhammer]

If I were you, I would get Guitar Hero 3. I have not purchased Rock Band yet, but I expected that all these problems would happen. When they announced that BWT mode wouldnt be avaliable online, I realized that Harmonix was not focused on making a quality product but was hell bent on releasing Rock Band in time for Christmas.

Plus, if you like metal, hard rock, or classic rock at all, Guitar Hero 3 has a MUCH better set list for you. Personally I hate crappy modern pop rock (my main reason for canceling my reserve). Guitar Hero 3 may not be perfect, but I love the Les Paul controller and it was definitely entertaining.

If anything, you can do what I'm doing and waiting. I've decided that I will buy the game once all these hardware problems get fixed and also once HMX decides to add more good music to the game. (needs a maiden or priest album)

[ductyl]

It's probably a little biased, asking that question here...

Still, I definitely vote Rock Band. The game is amazing, and you'll find far more complaints about GH3 if you head to their forums. If we get Dragonforce on DLC, I will never need to put GH3 into my system again.

- ductyl

[tf5_bassist]

I'm having pretty much zero issues with my RB bundle... I couldn't tell if it was two days of no sleep basically impairing my ability to accurately drum GGaHT on Expert (we got about 80% through), or if the drums were going dead here and there, I'll report more when I'm actually rested semi-decently... but the guitar's a dream, and the strumming--or picking in my case--is flawless. The mic works fine, the hub's working fine plugged into the front, and I can't wait to get a second strat.

Basically though, it's your call... I'd vote Rock Band, just because it's a completely different experience than GH. Yeah, I'm still going to play GH3 (and GH2 on occasion), but RB is definitely the new hotness for me and my buds. Even my wife is liking it (although she really can't drum at all right now lol).

[tf5_bassist]

duplicate post. :/

[crunchyoverseas]

I was going to buy Rock Band on launch day, but being Canadian obviously I couldn't, I was sort of pissed but now I'm thinking did I dodge a bullet? Ive heard nothing but Mics that wont get picked up, drums that wont register, guitars that fall apart, sound systems with uncalibaratable lag, guitar compatibility issues, unfair Canadian download prices, terrible return/replacement policies etc.
what do you think?

It's simple, they dropped the ball on BWT mode. So if you have friends around that are interested in spending the amount of time required to get your fix, then ****ty guitar aside, get Rockband. It is, by far, the funniest rhythm game I've ever played.

However, if you don't have friends that will play in your living room, you might want to get GHIII instead. It's more fun by yourself (except the boss battles which S-U-C-K). And the guitar is amazing. I love the GHIII guitar. LOVE IT. The game however...well...let's just say I'll probably mostly use the GHIII guitar to play GHII and Rockband. :D

[MaxMeanie]

Rock Band blows GH3 out of the water. Get the bundle and forget GH3 ever existed. They are both fun to play but the visuals on Rock Band destroy GH3. GH3 is cartoony and goofy looking and their career mode looks like something they took about a week to develop.

Geez watch the drummer on GH3 for about 10 seconds and it reminds you of something you would see on a PS1 very robotic. Then watch the visuals on RB and see the singer actually look like she/he is singing the song and the guitarist actually playing the correct chords on the guitar. Then listen as the crowd starts singing along. It totally sucks you in.

I started playing the drums and was hooked. Then i decided to try singing(something i thought i would never try) and playing guitar at the same time and now i am officially addicted.

Granted there have been some technical issues, but it's not like HMX wont fix them. Also you might have to wait for a replacement for a defective piece of equipment, but trust me its worth it.

[Quinarvy]

Yea, we can basically assume all the technical issues will be fixed. Also, more people complain on forums then not because a thread that says "My rock band works fine, just to let you know" would be...weird.

Also, your musical taste can alter which you get, but remember that RB is gonna have a lot more DLC then GH3 likely.

Plus, as IGN put it Rock Band is the greatest party game of all time. ;)

[KazerX]

I have not had any problems with my bundle as of yet. Played for 6 hours last night. I'd still be playing it right now if it wasn't 8am in my area. I was afraid to purchase RB as well because of all the problems that I was reading on the forums.

At first I thought that I was missing notes because of my guitar. Later on I got used to the strum bar and the fret buttons and have not been missing notes anymore on hard. I guess I was just too used to the GH guitars. Now I find that the Stratocaster guitar not only feels more comfortable than the GH guitars but that it is easier to move my hand to the 5th fret button as well as doing fast strumming.

Played drums on medium for a bit to try it out. Didn't miss too many notes. When I missed it was because I was tapping my foot on the bass pedal by mistake. I'm too used to tapping my feet when I play the guitar. My younger sister is the main drum player and she doesn't have any problems either. She really likes it.

The mic worked really well for me and my sister as well. It's more fun to sing in RB than in some karaoke games on the PS2 that we have. By default the songs original singer drowns out most of my voice so that was pretty nice because I'm not much of a singer, lol. When you use overdrive on the mic you get a nice echo effect on your voice which was pretty neat.

All in all I think that RB is a great game. I think you will really enjoy it if you don't get a defective bundle, have someone to play it with, and take you're time to get a feel for the new guitar and drums.

[Bigjohn]

my copy of GH3 was laid to rest today.

get rockband.
I second that. I may play Bulls on Parade everyonce in a while, but if rockband gets some Rage Against the Machine (hint hint) Guitar Hero 3 is done.

[sonicbrew]

I am starting to think that the positive posts I am seeing are being submitted by Harmonix employees, trying to distract the public from the truth of the matter. The game is junk! In one way or another (kick pedal malfunction, voice lag which cannot be calibrated, loose screws in guitars, drums breaking down, lag on fill sections, no other guitar compatibility, non bundle games sold with no means of obtaining a peripheral for three months, etc, etc.) most consumers are having an issue with this game, (including availability).
Now that I have spat my rant, I will say that when it works, it is a thing of beauty...however, those times are far and few between, or short lived until something malfunctions.
Solely going off of the attitude Harmonix is displaying (not caring except to point the finger in an attempt to get people off their boards, complaining) I would have to say, HELL YEAH, skip it for at least a couple of months, if not till the extra controllers come out in February. That way when it does break, you can replace without having to wait three months for them to fix. People are buying this game with a lot of hope, and it is not paying out any rewards except a tough lesson in life. You dont always get what you ask for and people will take advantage of you for your money, ALWAYS!!!
Still waiting for you to take responsibility, Harmonix, and fix YOUR blunder.

LOL! Man , I don't work for HMX and I am surely not a fanboy. I posted what my experience has been so far. I imagine there are issues as people say. Hell, every freaking car that rolls down the assembly line is not 100% correctly built. Anything mass produced has the ability to have issues. For me, as I stated clearly above, everything is working great out of the box so far. If something does go haywire at some point I will try to get it replaced through the proper channels.

Sorry your having so many issues. I had massive issues with GH3 and finally took the crap back. I have yet to have an issue with RB and I hope it stays this way for us.

[SmokaCola]

I'm probably the most neutral when it comes to gaming/music whatever. Ok not the most but usually everything I do I keep an open mind and I can honestly tell you man. Owning both Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band, i'd say go with Rock Band. Yes GH3 is pretty sweet and it has the Les Paul but honestly, the strat destroys it. One main thing you'll want to look at is "realism" and difficulty. If you like the more "realistic" note charts but about the same difficulty as GH2, go with RB. If you like insane note charts and a really high score, go with GH3.

Either way man they're both pretty kick ass, RB is missing some features I wanted and somethings (instrument-wise) are a bit different than expected but I'm getting use to the guitar and the drums are really really fun. Besides looking at how the games play, you might also want to see what you can afford. GH3 is 100 and RB is 170, yes you get drums, a guitar, a mic and the game but still, that's $170 definitely a good deal but if you don't have the cash to throw at it, don't do it. Nothing is so amazing to put yourself in a finacial bind.

However if you have 170 to spend on something, Rock Band would definitely be your choice.

[TigerVoss]

HMX is selling the game alone on platforms they can because they know a lot of people have GH guitars, and it's easy enough to find s USB mic that will work with the game. But demand for their own peripherals is so high right now that they are focusing on bundles, which they probably assume will be the most desirable. I wouldn't fault them for this decision, I think it's a good one.
I agree with you, that a USB mic will work and they do know a lot of people have GH guitars. However, I also believe that they knew about the non compatibility of the other guitars and did not want to discourage potential buyers with the news "you cannot play with four people (two guitars) unless you buy two bundles, or have a friend who sunk in the handful of 401k they need to buy our somewhat playable game"
I do fault them for this decision, as they should take responsibility for all aspects of their product.

[Emowii]

While I have enjoyed all of Harmonix's games over the years, I would tell anyone on the fence about this game to skip it and wait for next year's game.


Rock Band is a mess for two simple reasons. First, the strum bar is a utter joke, and should have never passed testing as it is. It's destined to fail for nearly everyone with some time, and the older guitars worked far better and were built for the long haul. This one is clearly not.


Second, the drums are far too difficult, and the kick pedal is required on even the easiest setting, which is just ridiculous game design.


Overall, the game itself has an incredible amount of polish, but it's those two bad decisions on key parts of the game that just about break it.

[jkilby99]

my copy of GH3 was laid to rest today.

get rockband.

That's the second best quote about Rock Band / Guitar Hero I've heard. (The best is the opening paragraph of gamesradar.com's review.)

As far as TigerVoss's comment about Harmonix employees... I'm one of the ones posting good things about the game but I don't have any association with the company. My only bias is that I thought Guitar Hero 3 was crap. I loved GH, GHII, and even GH 80's... but I wasn't having any fun with it all and I placed most of the blame on the note charts. They appealed to the hardcore players and the n00bs, but they left out everyone in between.

Rock Band is by no means a perfect game, but it takes what worked with Guitar Hero and makes it better. And that is enough for me.

[sonicbrew]

as a ps3 owner of both rockband and guitar hero.........the hell with both of them!

I greatly anticipated rock band and guitar hero for months and months and instead of delivering quality products....both companies decided to rush out their games in direct competition rather than actually making sure their respective games work properly so their consumers will be...i don't know .....satisfied!!!

GH3 has horrible lag issues that you'll never quite fix correctly and you end up simply trying your best to ignore it......and Rockband has a terrible guitar since my own guitar has a defective downstrum after only two hours of play....not too mention we also got the news of the Les Pauls not working after being told for months and months that the les paul would be compatible, so guess what?....I cant play guitar at all in RB now....and everyone seems to be ignoring the tremendous lag with the microphone that makes singing in the game just tremendously off key.

Sorry for the rant guys......but Im terribly upset with both companies and question whether or not I'll ever buy another rhythm game again. This is a mess!!


GH3 was horrible on the PS3. However, with RB I have yet to have any issues and everything is working great. The setup was simple and worked the first time through. RB, in my opinion, surpasses GH and as far as I am concerned, GH has been slain. I was a huge supporter of BWT on solo mode, but all in all, solo mode still blows GH's away imo.

RB is a blast and has far exceeded my expectations and everything continues to work fine. My wife hated GH and so far shes having alot of fun with RB. Even with no WBT on solo, you have 3 instrument options plus vocals. I experience no lag, the action with the guitar and drums is much tighter for hitting frets/notes than GH and takes a bit to get used to (generally speaking, you cannot be as sloppy).

I had issues with the two piece GH guitar but have yet to have any problems with the RB guitar and I love the features. I honestly beleive that one huge problem is that people beat the crap out of the strum bar. It takes very little action to respond at least in our case.

RB simply rocks for our family and we are having a blast with the game and it has been loads of fun.

[Maherj]

I don't know how I can make a post without seeming biased or a fanboy, but I'm on a RB forum. If you don't like it, skip over.

I absolutely loved, LOVED, GH2. When RB was announced, I was here the first day when they had the flyer teaser screen up. I've been HYPED for this game since it was announced on April 1st and praying it wasn't an April Fools joke!

When I saw GH3, I was very meh about it. Probably because of the RB hype train, but I still pre-ordered it and I still bought it and I still played it. Did I enjoy it? Not really. The notecharts felt like button mashing, and the boss battles are the dumbest idea ever. Why the hell is Tom Morello in a cheap strip club playing guitar, and why is Slash hanging out at a prison just to jam with you? Lamesauce. GH3 could have been a lot better, but it was rushed right out the door. They tried to sell their name to big companies to make a buck and not focus on the formula Harmonix has put together for years.

After playing RB, it was a sense of relief. I felt like I was playing music again! I had an absolute blast not caring about my score, or if I 5*'d that tier, I played the songs and enjoyed it. That's what makes a game for me. Its the fun of getting everyone in a room to play or playing online with friends.

RB is definately the progression of GH2. GH3 doesn't even fit into the mix. I won't be playing GH3 again, but I may use the LP for a Bass. Red Octane still makes a good instrument, but I really do prefer the Strat now that I've used it for awhile.

So to answer the OP...Should you skip RB and get GH3? I wouldn't, in fact if I had the choice to do it again, I would have done the opposite, but I didn't. Different tastes aside, you may like the tracklist for 3. I didn't. You may also like button mashing. I don't. To each their own.

[TigerVoss]

I am starting to think that the positive posts I am seeing are being submitted by Harmonix employees, trying to distract the public from the truth of the matter. The game is junk! In one way or another (kick pedal malfunction, voice lag which cannot be calibrated, loose screws in guitars, drums breaking down, lag on fill sections, no other guitar compatibility, non bundle games sold with no means of obtaining a peripheral for three months, etc, etc.) most consumers are having an issue with this game, (including availability).
Now that I have spat my rant, I will say that when it works, it is a thing of beauty...however, those times are far and few between, or short lived until something malfunctions.
Solely going off of the attitude Harmonix is displaying (not caring except to point the finger in an attempt to get people off their boards, complaining) I would have to say, HELL YEAH, skip it for at least a couple of months, if not till the extra controllers come out in February. That way when it does break, you can replace without having to wait three months for them to fix. People are buying this game with a lot of hope, and it is not paying out any rewards except a tough lesson in life. You dont always get what you ask for and people will take advantage of you for your money, ALWAYS!!!
Still waiting for you to take responsibility, Harmonix, and fix YOUR blunder.

[nicko68]

...non bundle games sold with no means of obtaining a peripheral for three months, etc, etc.)...

HMX is selling the game alone on platforms they can because they know a lot of people have GH guitars, and it's easy enough to find s USB mic that will work with the game. But demand for their own peripherals is so high right now that they are focusing on bundles, which they probably assume will be the most desirable. I wouldn't fault them for this decision, I think it's a good one.

[Jealleo]

So far, I havent had any problems with RB. Been playing for approx 4 hours with a 4 person band, only prob was with my error (didnt switch 360 cable to HDTV mode >.>).

Soo far my Strat is a champ, I love it compared to the Gibson or x-plorer. And my drums are fine. Mic is also great.

Ditto. <insert>