Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero, Round 2

你要摇滚。但之间摇滚乐队2和吉他英雄世界巡回演唱会，还有的带回事因为假期将近一个真正的战斗。这两款游戏竞技场承诺填石神的梦想，都是不错的 - 所以让我们来看看是什么让每场比赛打勾。（我估算了Xbox 360个的版本，这些游戏的，但两者也可在PlayStation 2，PS3和Wii。）

The latest吉他英雄提供了许多新的功能, but you have a couple of big questions to answer before taking the stage: Do you invest $180 dollars to form a Rock Band, or do you spend 190 bucks to go on a World Tour? Which game offers the better selection of songs? Which has the better instruments? We had a jam session with Activision Blizzard's newest gig, so we can give you a detailed, hands-on breakdown of what you'd get for your money and how it compares to Rock Band 2.

齿轮

Used to be, you had to own更多的塑料玩具吉他比艾迪范海伦的孩子发挥出全部的音乐游戏在那里。但是，那些日子已经一去不复返了：吉他英雄外设仍然在摇滚乐队的工作;和摇滚乐队控制器现在吉他英雄的工作。我在两场比赛之间的测试外设回往复 - 他们的那样工作。互操作性提出了一个大问题：哪款游戏提供了更好的控制器？

摇滚乐队2：启动时，原来的摇滚乐队客场挑战要求要随叫随到24/7。吉他会随意停止工作 - 而不是后一个节目仪式粉碎的结果。泉抢购，感应开关坏了，......嗯，EA吸取了教训。因此，对于摇滚乐队2，它生产的齿轮这是一个很大坚固，更可靠。无线吉他的设计变化不大：控制器保持耳语般安静，它的仿木纹饰面帮助它做的看起来像真实的东西比较好走。同时，更坚固，更安静五鼓包可以让你听到的音乐 - 而不是你自己敲打的外观。此外，售后升级套件不久将可用于通过鼓疯狂卡茨(one cymbal for $20 or a three-cymbal set for $40). A drummer buddy of mine found that Rock Band's drums were just a hair more sensitive (but more on that in a second).

吉他英雄：世界巡演：添加鼓一个叫吉他英雄游戏？这是一个大，明显的变化。一个六鼓包，由脚踏踏板的，三个汤姆斯和两个高帽子是标题抓取器。但是，它看起来好像GHWT运行到几个技术难点with the first units out the gate. According to reports, the drum pad sensitivity is off--a problem that, hopefully, a good support policy can help solve. I'm a fan of the pressure-sensitive pads and cymbals, though I wonder how long the kit will last if I start acting like Animal from the Muppets. And anyone who has played drums for real will find it a little disorienting to have the crash cymbal positioned in the middle of the note chart while playing. My first instinct is to bash something toward the far right.

The Guitar Hero axes are definitely more toylike, thanks to distinct colored buttons and an obnoxiously audible click with every note. The bonus, I guess, is that you can pull off an unplugged acoustic set. On the plus side, I really like the addition of a series of slide-guitar-like buttons toward the bottom of the neck. It adds a new dimension to guitar riffs as you slide and tap your way through songs.

Interestingly the new Guitar Hero game can detect the presence of a Rock Band controller and adjust the buttons accordingly (since the RB guitar has fewer features and the RB drums have fewer pads).

该集列表

这两个游戏集列表的头对头的批评将是非常主观的（虽然我可以做一个非常强大的情况下GHWT的列入‘打败它’是明显非摇滚天神般倾向的初步证据。）你可以找到一个complete set list for all Rock Band games on the associated Web site, and similarly you can检查guitarhero.com那场比赛的歌曲. Some tracks, such as from the Foo Fighters, appear in both series, while battle lines are drawn with exclusive offerings by other musical acts. Missing something? You can always buy more tunes retroactively at the games' online "stores."

摇滚乐队2：认为对于游戏世界的iTunes。这slickly包装市场举办全专辑和曲目的一个巨大的选择，你可以下载到原来的游戏或成今年的续集。事实上，最近的一个版本中，AC-DC直播，可以作为一个独立的演唱光盘，你可以玩。虽然结果将在技术上不是一个摇滚乐队的比赛，Harmonix公司（开发商）本周宣布，它的工作的一个名字Beatles "experimental journey"that will follow the band's entire career. We don't know whether there will be any connection between the two franchises...but I just had to throw that bit of info out there for any Beatles fans in the audience before the journey launches in Q4 2009.

Guitar Hero World Tour: Guitar Hero is still working out some of the kinks--which is to say, songs you bought in previous GH games don't carry over here. There are some popular song choices, but not nearly as many up front. However, GHWT trumps all in user content. Rock Band may be iTunes-ish, but Guitar Hero follows a YouTube model that invites players to record original tracks in Recording Studio mode and upload them for sharing with the community. Then, users download and rate submitted songs. The potential for this feature is fantastic--limited only by what people produce. Me? I'm waiting for someone to re-create巧克力olate Rain.

The Extra Features

It's not a huge surprise that the developers add songs with every new rock game at this point. But what are some of the standout features of each game this time around?

摇滚乐队2：摇滚乐队是可玩作为唱独角戏，但他们称之为“摇滚乐队”的一个原因。而真正的游戏，就是在庞大的世界巡回赛模式进行播放。乐队的领导者选在乐队演奏，你赚更多的球迷 - 然后你仔细挑选你客场挑战及乐队经理订下一个演出。

Guitar Hero World Tour: Though obviously a huge jump from earlier Guitar Hero games, a large part of World Tour is a crash program to catch up with what Rock Band already does--create custom rockers, form a group, and take on the world. There is still more of a single-player campaign (the guitar duels from GHIII: Legends of Rock are back and streamlined) in this game than in Rock Band, but the key innovation is the Recording Studio. I already mentioned the YouTubey-sharing angle, but only briefly touched on the music creation aspect of GHWT. In practice you can really dig deep into the game to create music. It's no GarageBand, but it operates on the same principle of recording MIDI data. Up to four players can jump in and lay down tracks. My only warning is that it's a little unwieldy to control. Maybe if the long-rumored DJ Hero game gives you a little more control, it'll go a bit easier. Actually, that last part isn't a joke.

Playing the Game

There's a fundamental difference in the ways Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2 play out: One punishes you, while the other is all about the music. Let me explain.

摇滚乐队2: If you were to buy the game, plug everything in, and throw a party, you'd have all of the songs waiting for you and ready to roll. If you plan on hosting a few of your less-talented buddies, you can resort to No-Fail Mode, which lets everyone blast away regardless of how off-key the playing is. In short, though plenty of challenges are available for the serious gamer, you can also flip a switch and just have fun. Crazy idea, eh?

Guitar Hero World Tour: With this game you need to unlock all of the songs you want to hear. So, if you plan to throw a Guitar Hero party at your house, you'll need to make sure to hold a marathon jam session ahead of time to unlock all of the songs. Arguably, performing that initial step gives players a sense of accomplishment--a feeling that they've won the fight for their right to rock. But what about songs you don't like or don't want to play through? To unlock more of the music you want, you have to take the good with the bad.

The Opening Acts

当你走进当地的商店，你可能会看到很多手头上岩革命的副本 - 但不要被诱惑。这也然音乐崇拜者承诺跨控制器的兼容性与摇滚乐队和吉他英雄。不幸的是，唯一缺少的是乐趣。相信我在这一个：一起移动;没有什么可以在这里看到。

Another item with potential appeal is Nintendo's recently released WiiMusic. This game is a fun and interesting experiment in how to use the WiiFit balance board and the WiiMote in completely different ways--but sometimes you just need the feel of a guitar in your hands or have a drum to bang slowly. Besides, though you can have miniature jam sessions with the Wii, the universe of popular tunes available for you to play is awfully small (unless, of course, Madonna's "Material Girl" and the theme songs for a couple Nintendo games are universe enough for you).

Building the Ultimate Rock Band

Okay, you have a feel for the ups and downs of the newest Rock Band and Guitar Hero games now. The two are similar and yet different enough to make both of them worthy additions to your collection. Never bought a plastic guitar or a game drum kit in your life? Don't worry, here's the bottom line on the essentials you'll need to cram into your tour bus.

主唱

捆绑话筒的工作，但他们都没有使用最好的选择。为了让歌曲的选择，你需要保持控制器附近，所以你可能会发现自己摸索着抓住麦克风，集之间的控制器。几乎岩石神值得。疯狂卡茨's M.I.C.gets a full 50,000-lighter salute for not only creating a rugged microphone, but also integrating basic controls that let you do everything with a single device, instead of two. The Xbox 360 version of the M.I.C. sells for $60;a PS3 version is coming soon.

Lead and Rhythm Guitars

On one level, I'm inclined to recommend that you buy at least one of the Guitar Hero World Tour guitars. Though I'm not a huge fan of the toyish feel or the clickety-clack of the buttons, the new slide button feature low down on the neck is a seriously cool addition to game play. If money is no object, you can get an amped-up version of this new controller from Logitech.The Wireless Guitar Controller Premiere Edition是没有笑的问题在$ 249的PS3 / PS2版本（无字的Xbox 360设备上尚未）。樱桃红色面漆，木的脖子，金属音柱掩盖事实，你走动镇相当于一个玩具。这也恰好底漆与吉他英雄的新的幻灯片垫使用。

Bass Guitar

Though Rock Band's guitars lack the nifty slider pad that graces the latest GHWT' models, those plastic axes are more sturdily constructed and feel more substantial in my hands. I'm not saying that bassists don't deserve the extra play option, just that they probably won't miss it quite as much.

Drums

现在到了最后一个大问题，答案实际上取决于个人的偏好 - 和你在你的客厅里有一个鼓包多少储藏室。我喜欢准备与两钹鼓包摇滚，不需要额外的外设。而GHWT使用所有这些垫好。所以，我可能会买吉他英雄为中心的鼓包。当然，如果你真的想进入的行为，为什么不买真正件事 -Ion Audio's Drum Rocker？For $300, you get a heavy-duty rig that you can subsequently upgrade to the real deal (with the optional Alesis DM5 professional Drum Module).

Roadies

获得从一个工作到下一个是至关重要的,尤其。公众y if you want to keep the heckling to a minimum. After all, people won't mistake you for a real rock icon when they see you schlepping around with a toy guitar slung on your back. Maybe you should consider investing in one of Mad Katz's Coffin Cases. The hard case's exterior looks ominous, and the plush red lining inside pampers your faux axe. Of course, when you get to the venue, you need to put on a good show for the crowd. May I recommend that you check out PDP's over-the-top but amusingly coolRock Band Stage Kit？对于一个只有100块钱，你可以把一个烟雾和灯光秀，将喜悦的邻居（假设他们知道发生了什么事情，不调用在恐慌中，消防部门）。舞台套件确实读从摇滚乐队的轨道，创造一个适当的灯光秀加紧演唱会体验令人印象深刻的工作。无可否认它是在荒谬/浮华侧一点 - 但自从当有被认为是摇滚乐坏事？

Until next time....

Casual Friday columnist and Senior Writer Darren Gladstone geeks out over gadgets, games, and odd uses for humdrum tech. In other words, he's a nerd--and he's okay with that.

This story, "Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero, Round 2" was originally published byPCWorld .