Rock Band with all the LEGO charm
LEGO Rock Band will be instantly familiar to anyone who's played Rock Band 2. From a distance, this game may look like a cheap cash-in. While evidence of this is apparent in small forms, LEGO Rock Band manages to be its own unique product.
Traveler's Tales have found tremendous success with past properties, adding their own unique “LEGO humor”. This style of silliness returns in LEGO Rock Band without being distracting to actually playing the music. Trust me, this game totally abides by the standard structure of a Rock Band game, but adds some LEGO charm into the mix. You'll be playing on stages such as a spaceship, a graveyard full of ghosts, and a pirate ship getting attacked by a giant LEGO squid.
The problem with LEGO Rock Band is that the track list is all over the place. You'll play songs like Ray Parker Jr's Ghostbusters, Spinal Taps Short and Sweet, Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name, Good Charlotte's Boy and Girls, and The Final Countdown along with a bunch of stuff I've never herd of. Traveler's Tales succeeded in implementing a bunch of songs that are recognizable by the average person, but they seemed to have wasted a lot of track space with filler. Also, LEGO Rock Band has literally half the quantity of songs Rock Band 2 introduced. Should we expect less from a title not in the main series of a franchise? Not if it's full priced.
With the family-friendly vibe comes with a more casual tone. LEGO Rock Band introduces a new “Super Easy” mode for your totally rhythmic disabled friends. What is great for family play is the lack of failure, or at least an extremely forgiving career mode. It's nearly impossible to fail out of a song so long as you're attempting to complete it. If you're trying to get your family or girlfriend into these types of games, LEGO Rock Band is defiantly your best bet. Keep in mind, however, NO online modes present whatsoever.
Traveler's Tales take on the Rock Band franchise is kind of clumsy, but ultimately successful for a family-friendly setting. The LEGO cut-scenes are as silly as ever, and building your LEGO band as a fantastic charm to it. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend paying full price for this title, it's good for anyone buying for the family, friends, or the younger crowd. Also, if you exported your Rock Band 1 songs and/or bought anything in the music store it'll show up in this game. That's great if you're sick of playing Bon Jovi.
Steven
