Rock Band Turns 5 Years Old! Stories From The Community

[brookfieldworldorder]

Simply put, this is the best experience I've had in playing video games, ever.

It started with Guitar Hero 3, then World Tour, then it stopped for a while, then it became Rock Band 3.

It started with not knowing a thing about playing online, then it became finding players on random searches, to finding this wonderful forum and learning proper gameplay etiquette, to meeting other players through Skype, to building a friend roster with amazing people from North and South America, Europe and Australia who have been gracious enough to invite me to share in this wonderful experience.

Now it's playing every day, organizing tournaments on dlcquickplay, wading through the back catalogue of discounted songs, agonizing about not having Aerosmith until March 12, despair over the end seemingly being near for this franchise, but mixed with the knowledge that, though a latecomer (joined in August 2011), this has been worth every ounce of my effort, every minute of my time and every cent of my money.

Thank you so much!

[*Josie*]

Rock Band has been the most enjoyable game that my husband and I have played. We've been playing regularly for years. We finished our basement to look like a Rock Band club just in time to celebrate the release of Rock Band 3. I would have to say that playing that new disc with our online RB friends, who were just as excited to play it as we were, in our new RB club is my fondest memory of RB.

What has kept it fun and exciting for us all these years is new dlc, that we like. Hubby and I will be excited to hear something we like is being released and then when our online friends tell us how excited they are to play it too it just makes it soooo much more fun. It's almost like playing a new RB disc. All it takes to keep it fun and exciting is just one good dlc tune a week... just one.

[moltenowl]

Well, I remember about four years ago, or maybe even when it was released (I don't recall the date that much) I was at my cousin's house, all the family was there. I think it was a birthday party but that really is beside the point. I remember I was really bored and wanted to leave but I started walking around and I suddenly asked myself "Where are my cousins?", I hadn't seen them in a long while. So I went to see if I could find them and ta-da, I found all of my cousins and my sisters huddled around the television playing a music game which was none other than Rock Band.

I sat down and watched them play and it really seemed fun but I was too shy to play. The song I recall the most was Sabotage by the Beastie Boys. It was so hilarious when my cousin sang it, you couldn't understand a single word except when he shouted "SABOTAGE!". After that I played the game with my other cousin two or three times but then I stopped playing.

Two years later, my sister got her hands on Guitar Hero: Legends of Rock for ps2 (borrowed it). We had a blast playing, it was so great. At first we really sucked, we had to play Slow Ride by Foghat on easy like 50 times until we passed it (It's like the first song and the easiest in the whole game!). We really did stink. But in the end, we got better and played every song in the hard difficulty. We had the game for a few months and then she had to return it.

And now, getting to current events, I got older and thus learned to manage my money better and I said to my sis one day "I want Rock Band". So we went out and bought Rock Band 2 on October 2012. We had to wait a few weeks after we bought to play as we purchased a guitar online. Then, with the Xbox 360 microphone set, we jammed out to that game, playing for hours! We lacked social lives for a while.
The fever was strong but a bit fading as we played every single song over 20 times! So we bought DLC but that still wasn't enough, so we got Rock Band 1 and exported the songs (sadly can't export Metallica) and bought Rock Band 3 on December 2012. We bought a new microphone and... geez, our addiction to this game got worse! We play for even more hours, even wasted away our day getting 'The Endless Setlist III" goal. Totally worth it.

Anyways, getting to my point (the story was longer than I thought and possibly even more boring xD), games like this are more that just a game. I would even go as far as to call it a lifestyle. It's really broaden my music taste and finally made me say 'I'm going to play guitar', something I've wanted since I was 12. And I've started, I'm getting lessons and I'm just so happy. This game means a lot to me and I don't think I can ever call it quits to it, it's really marked my life in a way I can't begin to explain.
So with a smile, I give a bow to Harmonix and say thank you.

[Meliphagidae]

Ok well this is a little late, but wow five years! Congrats!

My experience with RB has been amazing I can't rememember playing a game so many times and never getting tired of it oh and also investing a lot of money on a game XD (has been pretty hard on the wallet not to mention frustrating looking for RB hardware). I'm still a newb; I first played RB 1 like two years ago at my cousins's house but have officially played RB 1, 2 and 3 since Oct 2012 with my little sister and it has been great! Looking forward to playing online and if possible RB 4.

[sillystou]

remember that time when Rock Band died? Ya, it sucked.

[jordan15b]

I remember waiting in the cold Montana rain outside of a Best Buy to snag that giant 170$ or so RB1 box set. Best buy only had 4 Xbox and 2 ps3 boxes so i waited there for hours as the very first person in line. lucky me as 30 minutes later there was a large line behind me.

[--Tay--]

Not being a gamer, I had no idea about RB until my son had expressed interest in getting it for Christmas way back when. Of course, being the good mom I am, I got him the game and from Christmas day to current, the game gets played constantly.
I didn't join in the fun for a few months, but I got my share of hearing it every day. I almost grew to hate Foreplay/Long Time and Green Grass and High Tides, I had to hear them played so much cos my son was determined to beat them. lol

This game changed my son from a shy and introverted kid into a plastic rock star. Whenever we invite friends over to play, they are amazed to see him. He can play a lot of songs without even looking at the notes, so he's jumping around, singing and wandering off into the next room (showoff!)

We have a room in the house dedicated to Rock Band, complete with amped up sound system and light/smoke show....18 guitars hanging on the walls or on guitar racks throughout the room... the ION/Simmons/Roland frankensteined massive drumset... keys... all prominantly displayed.... and there's the retired instruments display (3 broken guitars, lots of shattered drumsticks and drum heads that no longer register, as well as broken mics.) No, we don't like this game... we LOVE it!!

It's been our family game night for almost five years... to the point that we make our other plans around playing RB. Note: this is a multi-family household (10 people) and EVERY member of the house plays... ages 11-45... and nobody plays less than expert difficulty. Needless to say, we're all sad to see the DLC ending.

Rock Band was used in a school project for my son's video class. He documented his evolution of play and how his musical tastes have grown. It was a lot of fun making that video. We even had one of the little ones running around wearing a sheet while we filmed Ghostbusters. Of course, he got an A for the project!

For the past four years, we have set the plastic rock band up in the driveway every Halloween, dressed up as rockers and put on a show for all the trick or treaters. This last year, we all had to work a bit later than normal and people were actually coming to us and asking if we'd be setting up and playing cos it just wouldn't be the same if we didn't. We always leave a mic open and allow people to jump in with us if they wanted. There's always been a crowd of people watching and making requests.... and with the massive library we were able to have from all the DLC, we were almost always able to satisfy the requests.

The following is a few pics of the gear we have accumulated... including guitars that our Bass player has customized for us... and, yes, there are GH guitars as well... we have a player who simply won't conform. lol

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

[FujiSkunk]

Awesome story, Tay. I wish I could devote a room to Rock Band. Even now I still would if I could. I have to settle for taking up the entire living room when it's time for a Rock Band gig. Fortunately my name is on the deed, so what I say goes!