Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero World Tour Comparison
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Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour Comparison and Review
If you found this info helpful please take a moment to add a comment, or click the stars at the top of the page! New follow up Post Christmas Feedback added near the bottom, be sure to read it and offer some feedback on your Christmas music playing.
Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour Versions
- Rock Band 2 Standalone Version
- Perfect if you already have the instruments and already have Rock Band 1 or a compatible Guitar Hero version - Rock Band 2 Special Edition
- Includes drums, microphone and 1 guitar controller *note you require one additional guitar controller for four players - Guitar Hero World Tour Standalone Version
- Perfect if you already have the instruments or previous versions - Guitar Hero World Tour - Guitar Kit
- Includes one of the new guitar controllers, nice fit if you already have the other controllers and want the game and a new controller - Guitar Hero World Tour Complete Band Game - Includes drums, microphone and 1 guitar controller *note you require one additional guitar controller for four players
Do you already own Guitar Hero or Rock Band?
Rock Band 2 and Guitar World Tour - The History
Since then I was dragged over to the neighbors to play Rockband and suddenly I was having fun. Now I am not saying Guitar Hero isn't fun now, it's just that Rockband helped me turn the corner to this new breed of music games.
So first, some history. Guitar Hero was the first into this arena and was guitar based only. The premise was you clicked buttons on the unique guitar shaped controller at the same time you strummed the guitar as it streamed down the screen to the music.
The more accurate you were with the clicks the higher you score. As your score increased more songs were unlocked and you advanced through the game.
There were also settings starting at easy for the coordination impaired like myself up to expert for the 12 year old players with incredible hand eye coordination. Easy level used only three buttons which made it more manageable, while expert used all five buttons, sometimes several at once.
Then Rockband came out and raised the ante by including a drum set and a microphone along with the guitar. Now it felt like a real band to us rock wannabees.
The drums used the same concept of hitting the appropriate colored drum in time to the notes streaming down the screen, while the microphone was based on hitting the appropriate tones. Best of all you could now have up to four players jamming at the same time, if you purchased an additional controller.
Guitar Hero went through a couple more variations (Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Aerosmith) before the latest version Guitar Hero World Tour which introduced drums and a microphone to the guitar hero world.
Guitar Hero World Tour upped the ante by adding cymbals to their drum set and from all the reviews also a much sturdier unit.
According to many sources both the guitar and drum controllers from Guitar Hero World Tour are of higher quality and more durable. Unfortunately there have also been way more technical issues with the World Tour drums, probably due to their slightly higher end nature.
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These little cymbals plug into the expansion ports on the Rock Band 2 drum kit (note it only works with Rock Band 2 Drums) and help expand your playing experience, making you feel like a real rock drummer!
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So Which Version is For You?
The Songs (aka The Track List)
The songs included on either version cause arguments to break out all over the internet. The track lists are quite long so check out the link list at the bottom for links to the full list.
GHWT seems to lend itself to more mainstream bands like Jimmy Hendrix, Van Halen, Tool and even Lenny Kravitz. RB2 also has some mainstream bands like Duran Duran and Alannis Morrisette, but also throws in some more new wavish style bands like the Talking Heads and The Replacements.
Both will have downloadable songs (DLC) to increase the size of your playlists, but RB2 has the advantage of being backwards compatible with the original RB's soundtracks and has a year headstart. RB also has released an AC-DC standalone track disk and plans on releasing more albums in the future.
All this DLC will of course cost you either on a per song basis or artist basis, so this can really increase the overall price of the game. In GHWT you can however create your own songs through the built in music creator.
Also, if you are looking at the Wii versions you will only be able to purchase track disks. Both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 have internal hard drives for downloading songs to. At this time the Wii supports memory cards, but I have not been able to find any information on being able to download songs to the memory cards.
The Game Play
This is what's it's all about. Isn't it? Everything I read about GHWT talks about how challenging it is and how it seems to be playing catch up with Rock Bands band aspect. Guitar Hero is still based around a guitar game and it's earlier history of a single player style game.
Although there are probably cheat codes out there for this already, out of the box Guitar Hero only has a few songs available for you to play. You have to finish these songs off to unlock the next levels.
Rock Band however has everything available from the beginning and even has a no fail mode for the less button clicking gifted. Another feature unique to Rock Band is the ability to "save" another member who crashed. This all combines to help make it a team effort.
Former Guitar Heroes though will relish unlocking every new song and all the accomplishments they will rack up.
The Equipment
This one is also all over the map. The original Rock Band had many issues with controllers breaking and they apparently took these issues to task making the new controllers significantly more sturdy and reliable.
This is Guitar Heroes first foray into the drum and microphone arena and they are apparently going through some learning curves with the drums. On the other hand the new Guitar Hero guitars have a new slide button feature to use instead of strumming.
In addition the raised buttons on the GHWT neck may make it easier to track where you are and really it just looks a bit cooler than the RB2 version.
Other than the technical issues with predominantly the red drum pad and calibrating, the GHWT drums seem to be the preferred choice by most reviewers. The new RB2 drums are a significant upgrade from the originals, both being quieter and sturdier. They seem more like toys than actual instruments seems the problem, which is funny since they are actually toy instruments?
Final Battle of the Bands
So you have the information on the games, the instruments and some of the features, but what game will win your battle of the bands?
Here is a quick recap from my research, if you have a hardcore game player you are buying for it appears Guitar Hero World tour is the way to go. It's a bit harder to play, has some bonus features like the slider pad, the music creator and the tricked out drums.
If you are more of a casual gamer, want more DLC and want to involve people coming to visit, the family or just to break out a jam session spur of the moment Rock Band 2 is the way to go.
I don't think you can lose either way. Another option for the undecided with big wallets is to spend the little bit extra on Guitar Hero World Tour Band Edition, pick up the extra guitar and also pick up the standalone Rock Band 2. As long as the games are on the same format (Xbox 360 or Playstation 3) the controllers are cross game compatible. If you have a Wii, you are not quite as fortunate.
There is word out the controllers are compatible between PS3 and Xbox 360, but are definitely not compatible with the Wii, so be sure to confirm this before you part with your money. ***UPDATE*** if you have an Xbox controller, it will not work on a PS3 or vice versa, they use different technology***
As a final task hopefully this information has helped YOU make a decision. I have one more poll at the bottom of the page, so take another second or two to click your choice and let me know if I helped!
Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour Xbox Versions
Note I have broken this down into versions for the Xbox, Ps3 and Wii
Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour Playstation 3 Versions
Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour Wii Versions
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Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
And I Ended Up Buying . . . . Drum Roll Please . . . .
So hidden away in our guest room this year is a Xbox 360 Rock Band 2 Special Edition
set for the Xbox. My thoughts are with this I can buy Guitar Hero Standalone at a later date
Did this help you make a decision?
If you found this helped, let me know about it! Leave me a comment, click on the stars at the top to rate the information and tell what other information I should add.
If you are still stuck undecided about which one to get check the availability of each version and that may help you decide right away. They will be one of the hot gifts for Christmas, so don't miss out! It already appears the Guitar Hero World Tour full Band kit is out of stock almost everywhere, so if you find it, and you want it, grab it!
Sam wrote
One thing to add is the fact that Harmonix, the creators of the Guitar Hero franchise quit after GH2 to go on to make Rock Band. GH2 was by far the best game in the series. GH3 was developed by Neversoft, famous for running the Tony Hawk franchise into the ground, just like tthey are doing to Guitar Hero. Harmonix consists of real musicians. Rock Band 2 all the way - Over 600 songs!
Posted June 15, 2009
i wrote
rock band will always be better then GH guitar hero completely copied the style and instruments from rock band and really the instruments look more realistic and the songs are better. guitar hero is more of an arcade game where rock band makes it fell more real.
Posted June 03, 2009
Mitz wrote
I'd choose guitar hero over the rock band. Both are great stress relievers playing guitar has been one of my hobbies since childhood. And honing a single talent is a perfect way of shaping a musician's identity so whether we like it or not, the guitar hero changed the gaming landscape in the world. it's a total entertainment without losing the importance of time. you'll get to learn playing guitar just like owning a real acoustic and be able to entertain yourself. i hve downloaded populars from this Wii downloads Sites. I hope this would be of help. Thanks.
Posted February 19, 2009
Marc_Sandford wrote...
Cool lens. I've got a nephew that's really into this.
Posted January 26, 2009
chefkeem wrote...
Great review lens, Bill. 5*s and a SquidAngel Blessing! :)
Posted January 03, 2009
BikoBill wrote...
in reply to Myles Hi Myles,
Both GH and RB have solo modes that are enjoyable, GH may just be slightly more challenging in that aspect. Sometimes you have to check with your friends as well to see what they are getting, if all your buddies are GH fans, you will have a more enjoyable experience with GH. If they have RB, vice versa. The bonus is if you play online you can still play with them, even if they are not there. Hope that helped!
Posted December 24, 2008
Myles wrote
Great review - thanks! I am also trying to decide which way to go for the PS3. I like the "pick up and play" aspect of RB, but I also know that there will be many times I want to play either solo or with just one other person. I feel like either is not an option at all with RB (but is with GH), but am not sure. Could you please help me clarify?
Posted December 23, 2008
BikoBill wrote...
in reply to kage Hi kage,
The RB 1 instruments are fully compatible with RB2, but the RB 2 instruments have some definite improvements. The guitar is sturdier and feels nicer, the drums are a huge improvement as they are quieter and they fixed the kick pedal breaking problems.
Both the RB1 and 2 instruments work with GHWT on the Xbox 360 and PS3, but not the Wii. For the drums the Rock Band versions have one less drum surface, and GHWT automatically detects this and configures it to work properly.
Here is a link to a compatibility matrix for the Guitars, http://rockband2controllercompatability.weebly.com/ hopefully that helps too!
Posted December 22, 2008
kage wrote
thanks bruh. Well so far that GH tracklist looks sick but it's not really that big a deal. How's the compatibility as far as the 1st set of Rock Band instruments with RB2 and GHWT? I'm guessin' they work better wit RB2, but do you kno how well they work wit GHWT? And jimi hendrix might sway me to go wit GH lol
Posted December 22, 2008
kage wrote
thanks man. Well, so far, that GH tracklist looks sick but it's not really that big a deal. How's the compatibility as far as the 1st set of Rock Band instruments with RB2 and GHWT? I'm guessin' they work better wit RB2, but do you kno how well they work wit GHWT? Thanks bruh
Posted December 22, 2008
BikoBill wrote...
in reply to kage Hi kage, I'm not that familiar with hip hop music, but I did put some links just a bit further down on the page to the track lists for both games. Perhaps that will help your decision? The capability of making music on GH also sounds like it requires a bit of work, you may want to search on YouTube to see if you can find any tracks made by other folks to see if it is worth the effort for you. Good luck and let me know how it works out.
Posted December 21, 2008
BikoBill wrote...
in reply to Steeph Congrats on the new PS3 Steeph, sounds like you are going to have some fun over Christmas. If you are playing with family RB2 definitely sounds like the way to go for you, I would love to hear how you enjoy it!
Posted December 21, 2008
kage wrote
Wow, these games will be ill. But I still can't decide. I just bought all the Rock Band 1 equips from my boy for 20 bills and now im tryna decide on which game. Which game is more hip-hop influenced? I know it's a rock game but still. I wanna make hip-hop styled tracks on GH but RB seems more casual for a group of friends and thats what I want as well. Any ideas? and gud job on the compares
Posted December 21, 2008
Steeph wrote
Yes this helped me because I'm a girl and not a hardcore gamer yet i was told i should get the new guitar hero so i thought id do some research on which one was better for me and my family. Im getting rock band 2 just because im okay at it and ive played it before so im going and getting it tomorrow so we can play it :) just got the new ps3 for a early christmas present so im buying games and I LOVE GUITAR HERO AND ROCK BAND!!!! ROCK ON!!!
Posted December 20, 2008
wii mum wrote
in reply to BikoBill
Thank you Bill, yes, clarify it does, 'tho unfortunately not in my favour!!
Thanks for your time%u2026
Posted December 20, 2008
Stazjia wrote...
Great lens. I hadn't considered buying either before I read it but now I'm interested.
Posted December 19, 2008
awelldressedbullet wrote...
Hi Bill, I'm lucky I can use our VCR LOL, but a great lens! - Kathy
Posted December 17, 2008
BikoBill wrote...
in reply to Matt Hi Matt, You are correct that it works fine on the Xbox and the PS3 since the last patch for it, but for some reason they were not able to make the Wii versions compatible. That may also just be an eventual patch, or a patch that has already been completed, but so far everywhere I read about it, there is still an issue on the Wii with drum compatibility.
If there is anyone with a Wii and both versions who could confirm this it would be great!
Posted December 17, 2008
Matt wrote
in reply to BikoBill I don't think that's entirely true. Not sure about the Wii edition, but on Xbox 360, GHWT recognizes if you have a 4-pad or 5-pad drum set. So basically the Rock Band drums should work with GHWT.
Posted December 16, 2008
BikoBill wrote...
in reply to wii mum Hi wii mum, the Wii controllers seem to use slightly different technology between the GH series and the Rock Band series, so from what I have read neither the Rock Band 1 or 2 guitars work with GHWT, but the GH II and GHTWT guitars do work with both Rock Bands.
Also neither Rock Band 1 or 2 drums work with GHWT, while the GHWT drums do work with Rock Band 2.
Some of the information I found was a bit sketchy, and if there are updates or patches it may change over time. So presently all the GHWT instruments work on Rock Rand 2, the guitar works on Rock Band 1 and none of the Rock Band instruments work on GHWT (except for possibly the Microphone, which isn't an instrument and is the cheapest component).
Hope that helps clarify the muddy waters.
Posted December 14, 2008
wii mum wrote
Hi,
Great review! I've already bought Rockband - I think it was the right choice - I have kids too!
Do you happen to know if the GHWT game will work with the Rockband accessories? I found another article that said they weren't compatible and would love confirmation to the contrary!
GH seems to work on my NTSC-J wii, but the Pal version of Rockband i have does not%u2026 :o(
Thanks for your help!
Posted December 13, 2008
BikoBill wrote...
in reply to Vikster What a great Nana!!! And what lucky grandsons too. Glad it has helped, one thing I didn't mention about the Wii version is that they are not currently set up with any downloadable tracks, Rather they have track packs you can buy on a disk. I am trying to put together info on the instruments, but it is a slow process.
Posted December 10, 2008
BikoBill wrote...
in reply to coLoneL poGi Excellent choice poGi, there seems to be some headaches with the GHWT drums, but they are working them out and the majority of people with them up and running prefer the GH drums. Now you have the best of both worlds!
Posted December 09, 2008
Vikster wrote
***RELIEF*** This Nana is buying WII GHWT Band Kit and RB2 Game for grandsons and family. So thankful for your research-I've been online for days-and was still confused. Plz let me know which 2nd guitar u go with. Happy Holidays and Hugs
Posted December 09, 2008
So did you make a decision?
Place your vote, and take a minute to leave me a comment about which version you went with and why.
For the Hardcore RockBand Fan
Post Christmas Followup
My daughters and their friends have been over playing and although they like the drums, they seem to have issues with the guitars (even on easy) and they ALL want to sing which causes some discussions. We have come up with an arrangement where they have to rotate through singing, drums and guitar which seems to work.
A few other other issues with the singing is that one daughter is in grade 1 and cannot read the words well enough or fast enough to sing most of the songs and the other only wants to sing about three different songs. So we are starting to get a bit tired of Eye of the Tiger, Hungry Like the Wolf and Pretend We're Dead (that one concerns me!).
Final issue of note is that someone became a bit to aggressive with the foot pedal and have caused it to now work in reverse. Rather than registering when you step down, it registers when you lift your foot up. Think of how hard it would be to tap your foot upward on the beats rather than downward on the beats.
We think it is my one daughter who had to almost jump on it to make the pedal go down and apparently over stomped. Tech support was a bit tough to get a hold of over the Christmas New Years break, but when I finally go through they were great. Although he had never heard of this problem before. I can only think it was somehow a combination of static and stomping that may have reversed the polarity of the magnets that form the contact, but I am guessing at this point.
It's been about four business days since the RMA was issued, and they are sending a replacement pedal as part of the 60 day exchange program, so it should be here anytime. Here is your reminder if you are having any issues, get on it right away before that 60 day window closes!
UpdateAnother problem seems to be developing with the yellow drum pad and the kick pedal not working together, it's an either or situation. I'm concerned I may need to get it replaced as well, and I am hoping it is not the main drum unit. So after 15 days and no sign of the replacement pedal, I called EA again and found a very helpful fellow. He apologized for the delay and informed me it still had not shipped and someone had made an error originally submitting it on the other end. I also updated him about the yellow pad issue. So he redid the original RMA and created a second one for the pad, he then updated their system and here we are continuing to wait for up to another seven to ten business days.I'm hoping when it arrives that solves everything and live becomes good.
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Framed Mounted
So that is the bad, now for the good. We are having a blast, my wife LOVES the drums and cannot wait to get back into it once the new pedal arrives. If you move off of easy level there is way to much pedal action and that doesn't work for here right now.
We've created two bands, one for just my wife and I and the other the whole family. You get to create your own characters and you start playing small locations earning money. The more you play and the better you do on the songs the more money you earn, the more fans you attract and more locations open up to play.
As you play more locations you also enter into "competitions" where you compete for a used van allowing you to travel to new cities, eventually a tour bus and even an airplane. The competitions really only involve completing the sets, but as you move forward they become more and more difficult.
As you continue to earn more money you can also start to buy new clothes, instruments, accessories and even makeup and tattoos for your character. Everyone is really enjoying creating their own "unique" character, and is one of the funnest aspects for the whole family.
For anyone else who picked up either Rock Band 2, or Guitar Hero World Tour I would love to hear some of your feedback, so be sure to leave a comment and if you come up against the Bindares in any online competitions be sure to say hi!
Here are some handy links to answer any questions I may have missed.
- Guitar Compatibility List
- Wondering if your Guitar Hero 3 Les Paul guitar works on Rock Band 2, confirm it here! Info on guitar compatibility between different game versions, but only platform specific.
- Rock Band 2 Track List
- Wondering what tracks come with Rock Band 2? Find out if one of your favorites are here.
- Guitar Hero World Tour Track List
- Wondering what tracks are included with Guitar Hero World Tour? Check out the link.
- Want to customize your guitar and make your friends jeaous?
- From customizing your guitar with a custom skin to adding a real string to make playing more authentic, check out some modding options here.
- Looking for More Great Xbox 360 Games?
- Christmas is just around the corner, check out the 5 best rated video games for Christmas 2008!
- The Beatles Rockband is Coming, Find out all about it!
- The latest version of Rockband is coming out September 9th, 2009 and it is all about the Beatles, find out about the instruments, the music and the game here.
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Lightning Colors Skin by WraptorSkinz fits Guitar Hero 4 World Tour Drum Set for Nintendo Wii, XBOX 360, PS2 & PS3 (DRUMS NOT INCLUDED)
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Fire Red WraptorSkinz Skin fits Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar for Nintendo Wii (GUITAR NOT INCLUDED)
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Rock Band 2 Double Cymbal Expansion Kit
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Rock Band 2 Single Cymbal Expansion Kit
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 07/06/2009)
