Rock Band 4 Reviews
Its on-disc soundtrack may be more filler than killer, but backwards compatibility, solid instruments and wig-out solos make it awesome
While the total package has been scaled back, Rock Band 4 still has what it takes to be the complete life of the party. There is simply no better game to be played with your friends.
Burn the keyboards and smash those 102-button guitars, because Rock Band 4 has axed all the fiddly bits - and plays like a dream once more.
Despite the omission of pro guitars, keyboards and online play, Rock Band 4 remains a very good, impressively well-made and infinitely replayable rhythm game that fans are sure to enjoy. Harmonix also sees it as a platform instead of just a game, meaning that this is just the beginning of what's to come.
Rock Band 4 is the same fun game driven by plastic instruments as you remember, just for current game consoles.
Of course Harmonix will need more than just the diehards to make this game a success, and that's the biggest problem the game faces. Five years is a long time, but it doesn't seem like it's been long enough to jumpstart the kind of nostalgia needed to make these games feel fresh again. The game itself is everything you'd expect from Rock Band, but are enough people expecting anything from Rock Band in 2015?
Rock Band 4 is just a heck of a good time.
More an update than a new game, it's great to be able to re-access your songs and freestyle solos rock.
Rock Band 4 is like a glorious reunion of wizened rock stars. Everyone looks and sounds great, but a little bit of the twinkle in their eyes has dimmed. The band plays all their hits in the same way that you remember with the same exuberance of youth, but you can detect that something's wrong, something's off with the entire package. But there's plenty of time to get back into the groove of things, and with the updates Harmonix has planned to implement going forward, I feel confident Rock Band 4 will blossom into the game it was meant to be soon enough, especially since support will go on in lieu of annual game releases. I'm no fairweather fan, and I'll be a groupie 'til the end, even when it seems like it could be time for a curtain call in the near future.
In the end, Rock Band 4 offers up plenty of fun, especially if you can regularly gather a group of friends. It's an excellent party game and an enjoyable way to pass the time solo. However, it isn't really an upgrade from Rock Band 3. Rather, Rock Band 4 is more like a straightforward HD update for the current generation of systems.
When a favourite song comes on, it is impossible not to feel like you are a part of the music, making it happen, and it is a glorious feeling when you nail that song at 100 per cent accuracy.
The over-arching theme of Rock Band 4 has been fan service. It seems like every aspect of the game from its' backwards compatibility for both instruments and DLC, to its playable music platform approach, ultimately has every Harmonix fan at heart. This culminates in a very welcome return to form for the series, and a very worthy first entry to the new console generation.
Rock Band 4 is stripped down to the essentials, but despite its leanness, it's pulled off something encouraging: It's made me want to play Rock Band again, even after the dozens of hours and countless parties I've spent with the series. It isn't Harmonix's boldest or biggest game. But Rock Band 4 lays a foundation for Harmonix to move forward.
It's neither revolution, nor true evolution, but when the planets align, with a few like-minded friends who've had a few drinks, there's nothing that can touch it, and you'll have tremendous fun.
If you've never had a Rock Band game before, this is as good a time as any to jump in, but be aware that you'll be wanting to peruse that huge store of downloadable content in order to get a setlist you're happy with. Series veterans, however, will have no such trouble, and very little reason not to check this one out. It's a good basis for something that has potential to get even better as the years go on.
Overall, there really isn't much more I can say about Rock Band 4. If you enjoyed the series before, you'll enjoy this one. There are some nice neat touches that will appeal and keep things fresh for absolute veterans of the series, but it's still accessible enough for you to throw onto your system when your friends have had a few beers at a party. The best party game of the last generation finally makes its way to the new consoles, although there is a question of its relevance hanging over it, particularly with the price tag of the full band kit. Issues around the DLC should really have been sorted before launch, as the confidence I have in the store has waned a little, but assurances have been made that they're working on this asap. It's these issues that leave a sour taste in what can otherwise mainly be described as "the most Rock Band that Rock Band has ever Rock Band-ed".
It's still a good proposition, but without something new to get people talking again, Rock Band 4 argues as strongly for the series' depreciation as it does its relevance.
Rock Band 4 recaptures the unadulterated gratification that made the series such a hit half a decade ago, but mainly because it's a relatively unchanged, repackaged Rock Band 2. A lack of content and general stagnation hold this particular iteration of Rock Band back, but new ideas like Freestyle Solos genuinely enhance the core experience, which remains a sincere and joyful celebration of music.
Rock Band 4 is a bit of a conundrum. On one hand, it's not only a hassle to switch generations due to the fact that so many elements don't work with the new one, but additionally -- Rock Band 3 is still a thing, supports all of your DLC, and has more features. On the other, there's nothing inherently wrong with this iteration, and for those of you who missed out in the past or have broken 360s or PS3s, you'll still be able to rock out into the night with friends and have a whole lot of fun.
Rock Band 4 is fundamentally an excellent update to what was arguably the finest rhythm-action game of the last generation. However, it currently feels like it lacks ambition, and some features haven't been given the update they could have had while others have been removed. As a platform it's certainly a solid, and highly enjoyable, base that at its best makes you absolutely feel like a rock star. Fundamentally, with its series of planned updates still to come, only time will tell if Harmonix can make this generation's Rock Band a truly essential purchase.