With two products that are so similar, the question must be asked... Which one is better? Both games have their pros and cons, but in the end, there is a clear winner.
Track List
Both games score immediate points by realizing that cover songs just aren't as much fun as originals. The tracks lists for both games consist entirely of master tracks. This is a vast improvement over disappointing covers of Social Distortion and Rush songs, to name just a few. Disappointing though, is the fact that Guitar Hero World Tour offers only 84 tracks and 55 downloadable songs from 22 different bands. This just doesn't cut it for the core purpose of the game which is extended play as a band.
Rock Band 2 offers a total of over 500 songs. The original Rock Band track list is automatically uploaded to the Rock Band 2 catalog. The total available track list is extended to over 500 songs once downloadable content is included.
Rock Band 2 wins this category!
Visuals
Guitar Hero World Tour features some stunning graphics in the game introduction and during song play. The visuals are bright, sharp, and punchy. The downside is the cartoonish avatars. The characters are over the top in appearance and awkward on stage. Overall, Guitar Hero appears to be trying a little too hard to look cool.
Rock Band 2's graphics are more lo-fi than the competitor, in a good way. The avatars are extremely customizable and look like real rockers. They move with ease on stage. Not at a lot has changed between the first Rock Band release and this one, but if it's not broke then don't fix it.
Rock Band 2 wins again!
Ease of Use/Party Play
Both games feature the same levels of difficulty - Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert. The Easy mode on both games is simple enough for almost any novice to play along to. Both games allow each individual band member to play on the difficulty of their choosing.
The biggest advantage to Rock Band 2 is that the song menu shows the difficulty of each song for each instrument. This allows the gamer who usually plays on Expert to see that the drum track for Tom Sawyer, for example, is unusually challenging and gives him/her the opportunity to decrease the level of difficulty for that song.
Rock Band 2 wins by a hair!
Miscellaneous
A couple small features that I feel compelled to mention. I love the addition of the "note streak" counter to let you know how many notes in a row that you've hit on Guitar Hero World Tour. Both use the same 5 star rating system to rate success. Unfortunately, Guitar Hero does not display the star meter throughout the song. You have no indication of how many stars that you've earned at any point or how close the song is to completion. Rock Band 2 features the same star counter display in its predecessor and that's a major delighter. Rock Band 2 has also added a new feature, the No Fail mode. This allows players to rock along to any song without failing out, no matter how poorly they play. This is great for parties where novices want to join and for families with children who want to play.
Rock Band 2 takes this category!
Rock Band 2 wins this competition hands down! It's seemingly endless track list, cool visuals, and ease of use make it a better choice over the competition.
I personally am an avid fan of both the Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises. Although Rock Band 2 comes out the winner in a head to head comparison, both games are great fun and either would make a great gift for any gamer.
Up next, I will be reviewing the new Wii game Skate It. This game utilizes the Wii Fit balance board and allows the player to control the skate board with physical movement instead of a hand held controller. Look for this review shortly after Christmas!
Rock on,
Michelle
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