Band Hero (Wii) Review

The Guitar Hero franchise has now well and truly saturated the market, with no less then five Guitar Hero instalments, plus various offshoots like Guitar Hero: Metallica. Taking the franchise in a new direction reads as a logical move, with Activision deciding to develop the Band Hero franchise as a more widely appealing take of Guitar Hero. Personally, I am not convinced that this approach is going to work, and after putting some hours into Band Hero, I am a little bit dubious as to whether it was a good decision.

For those who do not know, Band Hero is essentially just Guitar Hero with a track list more orientated towards more popular, Top 40-type music. The thought process behind this franchise offshoot appears to have been something along the lines of making the game more appealing by not just focusing on guitar, but creating an experience that tailors to the entire ‘band’. While such an approach seems good at face value, the fact is, the songs in previous Guitar Hero games are much more effective in allowing multiple players to experience being part of a band. Many of the songs included in Band Hero are quite boring to play using the Band Hero instruments, even if they may be more suited to the karaoke elements. The songs on the more recent Guitar Hero games, particularly Metallica, are far better suited to the guitar, bass and drum elements of the game. These songs, after all, are originally performed by an actual band, as opposed to some sort of computer-generated music that plagues the songs in Band Hero.

There wasn’t screenshots of Band Hero on Wii available, but there was a picture of Taylor Swift who is in the game. Enjoy.

Despite my concerns with the game, the fact remains that personal taste in music is going to be the number one factor that influences whether you like it or not. With the popularity of games like SingStar, it is no surprise that Activision have gone down this route, and I am sure that plenty of people will snap up Band Hero and enjoy it immensely. If songs by Maroon 5, Taylor Swift and Hilary Duff appeal to you more than Dragonforce, Metallica or System of a Down, then Band Hero is right up your alley. With a few friends around and less emphasis on shredding on the guitar, Band Hero is sure to strike the right cord with some gamers, particularly the more casual crowd looking for a means of entertaining friends. I guess it is important to reiterate the point that it comes down to what type of music you enjoy in the end.

In terms of overall experience, Band Hero could really be considered Guitar Hero 6, with pop music overtones. The experience is largely the same as its predecessors, minus a few new additions. The game includes the usual modes you would expect, including career, quick play, multiplayer (including online), and Guitar Hero studio. Wii-exclusive modes are also back, including Wii Freestyle Mode and, for DS, the Roadie Battle mode, which are nice additions. I won’t ramble on about the various modes, because they have, as mentioned, remained largely unchanged. The career mode does include new challenges, which is a welcome addition. For every song, there will be a specific challenge you can try and complete. This might include tasks like hitting a number of notes consecutively, attaining a certain score on a specific instrument, or singing in the right pitch. Getting the highest ranking on these challenges is quite difficult at times, so the replay value is improved by giving you more of a reason to replay a song. Unfortunately, if you’re not a fan of the music in the first place, you’re unlikely to concern yourself with attempting the challenges. Another new feature is Fan Requests, which requires the player to have a DS and Band Hero DS. I could not try this mode due to not having Band Hero DS, though it seems to involve linking up with the DS to play certain songs. If you successfully complete the song, you can transfer characters from the DS version to the Wii version.

Another important feature to discuss is the new instruments that come with the game. The guitar, whilst looking different, feels and plays the same as other guitars released for the franchise. One difference is the addition of dots on the top side of the fret board above the touch sensitive notes. This is a sensible addition that helps you locate the right note when you have sections of song that include these tap notes. The drums have had a bit of an overhaul and seem to be much improved over the old drum kit. It terms of looks, the cymbals are now round, and there are some other changes in looks such as the location of the Wii Remote holder. The foot pedal is far sturdier, and has grooves underneath it that allow it to sit in place without moving. This is a much appreciated change, as I always had problems with the pedal moving as I was playing. The drums are very sensitive and it was great to be able to nail a series of drum notes in succession again. It remains to be seen if the drums lose sensitivity with more play.

Visually, Band Hero is a mixed bag. Like previous games, the main character models are well detailed and animated. There are plenty of bright colours in Band Hero, and the visual side of things helps create the right band atmosphere. The crowd looks poor though, though thankfully there seems to be much less focus on the crowd this time. There seems to have been more attention paid to performance animations, with characters moving and singing along with the songs accurately. The game sounds great too, with master tracks again being the flavour of the day. You might not like the track list this time around, but the quality of sound is great.

In summary, I still remain sceptical as to whether or not Band Hero is taking the franchise in the right direction. I can see the logic of such a game, but I feel that releasing it as Guitar Hero: Pop Hits (or something along these lines) would be more suitable. The game doesn’t stray away from the same Guitar Hero formula enough to warrant the ‘Band’ prefix, and there is an argument that some of the preceding games offer a better band experience, but this will depend on personal taste.

Graphics 7.0

Not a significant improvement over preceding Guitar Hero games, but it looks good and runs smoothly.

Gameplay 7.0

All the modes you could ask for plus more. The addition of challenges for each song and DS-capable modes are welcomed. Song choice may appeal to some and not others.

Sound 7.0

Sound is crisp and master tracks are still the order of the day. Taylor Swift, Maroon 5 and co. will be the selling point of the game.

Tilt 8.0

Plenty to do as usual, but will again depend on your taste in music. A great party game though. 65+ songs included.

Value 8.0

Its hard to be critical of Band Hero due to personal music taste. It is an impressive package overall, but it definitely isnt as challenging due to slower, more basic music.