PlayStation Holiday Preview Event
LEGO Rock Band
By Shaun Hatton - October 14th, 2009
I remember having to track down a store to purchase my copy of the original Rock Band back in 2007. I played it so much that I got a passive aggressive note taped to my apartment door by my old neighbours complaining about the noise who, get this, ended up buying Rock Band themselves and serenading us through the walls with Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead Or Alive” for weeks afterward.
It’s hard to believe that it was only two years ago.
Now we’re about to have another Rock Band title unleashed upon us. LEGO Rock Band is set to release this holiday season and from what I’ve seen and played, it should be a big hit – particularly with families.
The game’s premise is very much the same as previous iterations in the Rock Band series. However this time around, the LEGO brand has been cleverly and cutely incorporated into everything from character customization to venues to the actual notes scrolling along the fret boards (they’re LEGO bricks!).
By now most gamers have played some form of Rock Band, and as far as the music-playing portion goes, you won’t have much time to appreciate the LEGO hijinx of the band members while you’re playing. But for all your friends looking on (and let’s face it, Rock Band is the ultimate party videogame), it’ll be a blast.
There are also specific challenges unique to the game such as the Rock Power Challenges in which players might have to defeat a giant octopus, summon a storm, or bring down the house. After a gig, the band earns studs (a carry-over point nomenclature from previous LEGO games), which can then be put toward upgrades such as vehicles, venues, and character and instrument modifications.
Apart from the cute appeal of the LEGO characters and settings, LEGO Rock Band has a very family-friendly song list with tunes ranging from classic rock to contemporary artists. The song I played was Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name” and on the drums it gave me ample opportunity to show of my prowess with drum fills while Paul and Alice from NextGen Player showed off their guitar and bass chops, respectively. When the song was over I got up to speak with the Warner Bros. representative, and while I did, I was half distracted because the next group of rockers were playing “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr.
Seriously – the game’s got the Ghostbusters theme in it. These means I have to have it.
Check out our LEGO Rock Band gallery »
