Band Hero delivers a laid-back, party-friendly game

Band Hero is a more party-minded game than the Guitar Hero series

As if the Guitar Hero franchise was enough of a party hit, Neversoft thought it was necessary to try and make it so that there would be no doubt in the minds of partiers what game would be spinning in the consoles.

Band Hero looks to combine the party friendly aspects of the Guitar Hero series with songs that people who might not be the biggest fans of classic rock and metal will not only recognize but will actually want to play.

History

Ever since Guitar Hero World Tour was released, the Guitar Hero franchise has been all about the full-band experience. While this has certainly expanded the scope of the series, it has left many plastic guitarists wondering why the game had retained the title "Guitar Hero" when half of the songs usually don't deserve to bear that title.

In response, Neversoft has released Band Hero, a game that features songs that aren't necessarily a blast to play on guitar, but are well-known in pop-culture. The songs are the basis for Neversoft's bid to create a game that will have casual players of the Guitar Hero series excited about playing some of the biggest pop hits of the past 50 years.

While the graphics are basically the same as Guitar Hero 5, there were minor tweaks made
(Screenshot: Neversoft)

Features

The game is based around the Guitar Hero 5 engine, which is more than rich with features. Band Hero pretty much keeps the same feature list as Guitar Hero 5, but adds just enough to make the game more party friendly.

The biggest addition is the "Karaoke Mode", which somewhat goes hand-in-hand with Quickplay and Party Play. Basically the way it works is the gamer will choose their song from the library of tracks in the game (like Quickplay), then sing along with the words on screen with no chance of failing (like Party Play). Sure it seems like a little thing, but something like that could really be a hit at parties.

The best feature that Neversoft has implemented since taking over the "Hero" name is the ability to import songs from previous games into the newer games. That feature will be put to use here, including 69 of the 85 songs from Guitar Hero 5 and exporting all but four of the songs from Band Hero into Guitar Hero 5.

The imports are very cheap relatively, but there is one looming question. Why in the world did Neversoft not license every single song on the Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero discs for the Guitar Hero platform. If the company knew going in that they hoped to have the songs work for several games, why tease gamers by having all the songs import except a few.

While it's understandable why some songs from the Guitar Hero World Tour era didn't export, since that wasn't a plan back then, and it's even a little understandable for songs in Guitar Hero 5, since the licensing process can be a long one, it seems as though there would be little excuse for songs not to export from Band Hero. While it may seem like a small nitpick made into a big issue, it's tough to say it's understandable when every single song imports from Lego Rock Band into the Rock Band platform.

Presentation

Guitar Hero 5 had some of the best graphics ever seen in a video game. The characters were crisp and clear, the arenas and venues looked amazing and the celebrity guest stars looked scarily good. Band Hero carries all of those elements over into it's experience and adds a fresh coat of paint.

While the actual gameplay graphics are based on the same engine as Guitar Hero 5, the non-gameplay graphics have gone through an overhaul. Instead of the dark, rock-based color scheme of Guitar Hero 5, gamers are now greeted with a pop-influenced purple and pink menu. It may not be the most metal color scheme, but it's executed well and it's very pleasing on the eyes.

The characters have gone through a slight retool. Instead of being decked-out in their most hardcore rock outfits, the characters are a lot more clean-cut and fitting to a game based more around pop music than rock. Also, Guitar Hero staple Lars Umlaut, who has always represented death metal in the series, has been pulled in favor of the Japanese pop character from Guitar Hero 3, Midori.

For Band Hero, Neversoft motion-captured Taylor Swift, Adam Levine (of Maroon 5) and the entire No Doubt band. Each character looks amazing and is available to play along with any of the on-disc songs from Band Hero, which has proven problematic when it came to No Doubt.

Taylor Swift look magnificent in the game
(Screenshot: Neversoft)

Gameplay

While Guitar Hero 5 lacked songs that were challenging on guitar, Band Hero is much less centered on the guitarist. The singer is the one that really takes the spotlight. The game might be the most difficult game to date for vocalists, giving even top-tier players difficulty five-starring many of the songs in the games.

Other than vocals, nothing is really all that challenging. There are a few drum charts that can prove difficult, but nothing on bass or guitar really has the potential to trip up even the casual player.

That's not what this game is about, however. The game is about getting friends together and playing through songs that everyone can enjoy. The game is very successful in fulfilling that mission.

The Verdict

Band Hero does not appeal to the hardcore players, other than vocalists, but it never meant to. Band Hero set out from day one to appeal to the partiers and the casual players of the Guitar Hero series. The game is full of some of the biggest hits of the past 60 years from The Rolling Stones, Styx, Taylor Swift and even Culture Club.

As mentioned earlier, the game succeeds in creating a great party experience, but in the same breath, it works to alienate some of the more hardcore players. That was completely expected, however, as that is what Neversoft said the game would be from the beginning of development.

Other than not having every song import into the Guitar Hero platform, the game is an incredibly successful venture on the part of Neversoft.