Rhythm Games (Guitar Hero, Rock Band, etc.)

Anyone around here a fan of fake, plastic instruments?

I've been toying with the idea of purchasing Rock Band. But I only have a PS2 (and not enough money to upgrade) so no downloadable songs for me.

I have Guitar Hero III and enjoy it but adding drums seem so much more exciting.

I am! My bf was a big fan of the Guitar Hero series. I tried to learn to play with him, but I wasn't able to master the guitar as well as my friends had. So Rock Band was great for me in that it gave me other options - namely vocals. Those who aren't rhythmically challenged like me also seem to enjoy the drums greatly.

But the real highlight of Rock Band for me is the multiplayer. It's great for party play. You won't have the option for online play on the PS2, so I think it'd be helpful if you have some local friends who'd like to play with you.

i love rhythm games! Rock Band is great fun (for all instruments)
it would definitely be better if you have local friends who would play with you because you have 100 times more fun when you have 3 other people making a full band with you.

btw, they are releasing a track pack disc for $30 for ps2 that includes 30 songs

I did notice the track pack and that is a nice option to have.

Luckily, I live with my sister so I pretty much always have at least one other friend to join me and at least a couple of my other friends enjoy the game (but don't own it.)

Aside from the drums (I was a percussionist in high school, though I never played trap) the biggest appeal for me is the music. Guitar Hero is fun but the majority of the music isn't to my taste. I don't listen to much classic rock. I'm more of an alternative-indie type person and Rock Band seems to be much more friendly towards alternative music.

Have you seen Guitar Hero on Tour for the DS? I really want to grab that :) Here's an "instructional video":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZvksGoUB1Y

I'm also very keen to get Rock Band, if it's ever released here in Aus.

The GH:On tour is a little too abstract/silly for my tastes. Also, it makes me feel bad for my touchscreen, just thinking about all that strumming.

I'm loving even my limited PS2 Rock Band. Makes me wish I had a current system to download content.

Glad you're enjoying it, twomoredays.

I won't let my bf get anymore DLC until we're done with the Band World Tour. It's annoying to pick a mystery setlist on Expert and have it randomly select a song I've never heard before.

I love Guitar Hero III, currently one of my favorite games.

My problem with music games, especially those with vocals, is that I have a tendency to improvise and interpret (probably due to my music background) than strictly playing what I'm given.

But, I do love them.

I want to get my son Guitar Hero or Rock Band for Christmas. He's getting a new PS2 as well. Any thoughts on which is better?

WELL.

By "Guitar Hero", do you mean Guitar Hero III (or one of the variants) or Guitar Hero: World Tour (which is due for release very soon.)

Both GH:WT and Rock Band allow players to use guitars, drums and a microphone to simulate a whole band. Rock Band has been doing this for a while (Rock Band 2 is available in the US), while it's a new feature in the Guitar Hero series. However the instruments for GH:WT look pretty good, and they have a reasonable pedigree from their previous versions.

GH:WT and Rock Band 2 are supposed to have full instrument compatibility on the PS3 and Xbox 360, so as long as you have a set of instruments you can buy the other one as a standalone game and have them both. In that case it probably comes down to the set list:
Rock Band 2 set list
Guitar Hero: World Tour set list
Rock Band 1 set list (importable into Rock Band 2, but maybe only on the XBox 360 version?)

The PS3, XBox 360 and Wii versions will all support downloadable songs, as far as I know. I'm not sure if this is available on the PS2 - a PS2 doesn't have a harddrive, and the last time I looked at it their online functionality was.. limited, to say the least.

I haven't played either of the games, because Rock Band hasn't been released in Australia yet. In fact, an official release date for Rock Band 1 was only announced after confirmation of the release date for GH:WT in Australia. I've ordered GH:WT mostly because I think the instruments look better, but partly because I'm annoyed at how Harmonix/EA have treated us over the whole Rock Band thing.

I am crazy excited about getting my hands on GH:WT - but Rock Band is also a very popular game. As long as the instrument compatibility works out I'll eventually be able to have them all if I want to.

>10 felius:
Thanks for all that info!

He's been playing GH3: Legends of Rock at the library, so I know he'll be happy with that, but I didn't know of the impending release of World Tour. Off to investigate...

I've looked all over for an answer this this question with no luck, so I'll ask here: Does anyone know if the peripherals for Guitar Hero are compatible between the PS2 and PS3?

Looks like the answer is that they're not compatible out of the box. Kotaku mentioned a third party adapter which allows you to use PS2 controllers on a PS3.

I also found this guitar compatibility chart which lists which controllers are compatible with which games - but only on the same system. It's also a little out of date, and doesn't mention RB2, GH:Aerosmith (which I'd assume is the same as GH3 for these purposes) or GH:WT.

Also, if you really have to have the most awesome guitar when you're jamming with your mates, Logitech are releasing their own (gorgeous) third-party guitar controller - for USD$250.