Missing the Mark

Earlier this week, Weevil and his progeny (cool, a word that can be both singular and plural simultaneously) arrived at casa de Boom with a new music game. Rock Revolution.

The first thought was "fantastic. All involved enjoy Rock Band and Guitar Hero, so another music game should be fun."

This new offering is from Konami. These guys practically invented the genre. Guitar Freaks, Drum Mania, and Dance Dance Revolution pretty much laid the ground work for the monsters Guitar Hero and Rock Band would become. Things seemed promising. We were excited. We were hopeful. We were wrong.

First, the game is only available as a stand-alone game. The drum kit is not supposed to be available until November 11th. So, Konami is counting on the players of this game to have access to guitars and drums from other games. That's fine. I own way too many compatible guitar controllers, and one drum kit takes up plenty of space in the living room.

Relying on me to have access to other games in the genre, however, is also the game's downfall. If you expect me to already own another, similar product, you had better bring something new and interesting to the table. That, or be so in line with the other product that I can view yours as a sort of expansion pack. Rock Revolution does neither. At least half of the songs are already available in Rock Band or Guitar Hero, so there is very little new content. The game looks like it isn't quite finished. The note charts look slapped in, almost like they built everything else first, then tried to fit the note chart in. This design flaw becomes apparent as red notes are swallowed up by the predominantly red backgrounds.

The biggest flaw, however is the music itself. If I were making a music game, I would think to myself "self, whatever you do, make sure you don't fuck up the music." I don't think anyone had this thought in the entire development cycle for Rock Revolution. Sure, there are 40 songs on the disc, and every one of them is playable right away (good choice), but that's where the praise both begins and ends. Every single song on the disc is a cover. Rock Band and Guitar Hero learned their lesson, and focus on original masters as much as possible. Covers can be forgiven if they are good. These are not. Very few sound anything close to the original band, and the mix is usually horribly muddy. I commented to Weevil that I couldn't distinguish between any of the instruments. It was all just "sound" to me. Even while we were playing, I could seldom hear Weevil's drum tracks.

The final verdict is this: If you are planning on buing Rock Revolution, don't. Instead, might I reccomend sending your $50 to Boom's Triple B Fund. Your contribution will help ensure that not another weekend goes by for Boom without ample exposure to Beer, Beastie Boys, and Boobs. With your contribution, you will receive a picture of Boom simultaneously enjoying Beer, Beastie Boys, and Boobs. Periodic updates will follow as Boom tires other beers, listens to more Beastie Boys tracks, and enjoys more boobs.

Thank you for your support.