LEGO Rock Band: Table for Two

By Heather Bartron & Sean Mirkovich
October 30, 2009 15:03 PM PST
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A game so good it takes a minimum of two to rock.

Heather: When I heard that there was going to be a LEGO Rock Band game I was skeptical to put it lightly but man was out of line. It is no mirror of the original Rock Band series granted it's the same premise.

Sean: Yeah, same here. The LEGO brand, although awesome, leads one to think it's going to be specifically for kids. But, after seeing it in action, I think it looks like one of the best Rock Bands yet.

Heather: The playlist is what got me all worked up. The mixture of Queen titles, Ghostbuster theme song, and old metal callouts like Europe had me at hello.

Sean: Absolutely, you get old staples like Bon Jovi, but you also get unexpected tracks from Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and Iggy Pop which is pretty awesome. Plus, being able to download the track lists from other Rock Band titles adds to the replayability.

Heather: I am also a HUGE fan of the way they handled inexperienced rhythm gamers. Not only have they added the Very Easy difficulty for the slow at hand, they also have a sweet new fail mechanic. If you fail out of a song you now no longer affect other rockers. In LEGO Rock Band you have a small waiting period and then its back to rocking with a chance to get back the points you just lost upon failing. This comes in handy when you are way above someone's level and they are constantly ruining a song for you. Now you can both play all the way through with no snags or hard feelings.

Sean: Yeah, that's pretty rad. What sold me though was the overall creativity of the title. I loved the new venue stages. Unlike other Rock Band installments (except for maybe the Beatles Rock Band), you're not just playing on a stage, but on various locales like the moon, a pirate ship, a city zoo. I was really impressed with the variety and charm of it all.

Heather: Also, every venue has specialized rock-based challenges. For example, the pirate ship has a Rocktopus challenge where you rock an octopus's socks off. If you fail to do so the ship is destroyed. This also is a great example of how they work a story into the game. The octopus is from the band audition in the beginning of the game and can't get in the band due to the "no octopus" rule. He returns with his gigantic daddy and a fat grudge.

Sean: Totally. The humor that the LEGO games are known for is totally present here in full force. It even applies to the level of customization you're allowed to have within the game. Not only do you get past Rock Band characters in LEGO form, you can create completely bizarre creations. For example, your lead guitarist can be decked out as a ninja, while your bassist is rockin' a werewolf head. There is so much fun variety and it's oddly satisfying to see your strange creations acting in the cut scenes.

Heather: Something else that is notably sexy is the band name creator. I can't tell you how much time I've spent sitting around trying to come up with something clever. With each new release of Rock Band titles comes a new band name and my brain can't handle that. The band name creator saves time and creativity making me a huge fan.

Overall, LEGO Rock Band is not what you expect. It is neither purely aimed at kiddies or a direct mirror to the original series. Come November you will see for yourself. Viva La LEGO!