Why I want Rockband over Guitar Hero III

If you know anything about me at all you’d know how much I love Guitar Hero II. It’s my most played game on the 360, well besides Halo 3. I do alright on Hard difficulty, and I just barely squeek by on Expert. Everybody has that “rockstar” vibe deep down, and GH II brings that outta me like no other game. With Guitar Hero III right around the corner, you’d expect me to have my copy reserved and fully paid off right? Here’s why my money is betting on RockBand instead..

1. The multiplayer in RockBand is hands down going to kick ass. Playing co-op with only a bass and lead doesn’t cut it anymore. Being able to play as a whole band online and off is awesome, and I don’t think GH III’s “unlockable” co-op can match that.

2. I’m convinced that the GH II guitar is handicapped. Pull-off’s and hammer on’s on Expert are insanely difficult with the square fret buttons on the 360 controller. With RockBand’s newer design, and separate smaller fret buttons just for this, I think nailing those crazy solos passages will actually be fun now, instead of frustrating..(and painful.)

3. The Drums. Even though I’m loving the design of the guitar, playing the drum set in RockBand is really hard to ignore. The singing I can probably do with out.

4. With RockBand having three instruments in solo career mode instead of Guitar Hero III’s one, you get many single player experiences in one. Replayability? Yes, please.

5. RockBand is being pitched as a platform by its developer. GH III will have downloadable songs, but thats it as far as extending the life of the game. RockBand could get more instruments, which could lead to all kinds of options. Keytar maybe?

With the price now announced at $169, it’ll definitely be an expensive game. What’s 40 more dollars though? Didn’t we all just drop $129 for Halo 3??

-tfb