Rock Band

Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV games, and distributed by EA. It was released in the United States on November 20, 2007 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. It was also released December 22, 2007 in the United States on PlayStation 2 and Canada for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Then it was released in Canada January 2, 2008 for the Playstation 2 before being released in the United States for the Wii on June 22, 2008. It also came out on May 23, 2008 in Europe as a 1 day release on the Xbox 360.

Characters

Alysha McBride
American Phil
Amy Valentine
Big Boy
Bill Justice
Billy Boy
Bird
Blackie
Blinky
Brett Uniqua
Carrie Sherman
Chris Cook
Chuck Norris
Dan LaMona
David Penderghast
Dill Johnson
Dude
Duty
Eddie Feygin
EGBDF
Emily Jones
Farrah Palmer
Hamilton Barsano
Helen Moonbeam
Izzy Stone
Jack Donavan
Jaime Hudson
Jasmine Brown
Jee Reyna
Jenna Goness
Jennifer Deja Dupree
Jeremy Kitty
Jimmy Kurtson
John Mateo
Jonathan Riter
Jordan Jackson
Josh Price
Kaitlyn Suzi
Kennedy Anderson
Kiki Rosalina
Krista Becker
Little Boy
Makenna Block
Marina Slade
Matt Hoseman
Max Cleaveland
Maynard Winter
Megan Scott
Moon
Moosejaw Boudreau
Nicholas Pooter
Ol' Smokey
Penelope McQueen
Punk
Rachel Harmony
Raquelle Jihiman
Raven Saunders
Sarah Flores
Sharky
Sir Thomas
Spike Lannister
Spikey Vandevanter
Spring Samson
Squiggles
Summer Samson
Tanner Toddler
Taylor Snyder
The Duke of Gravity
Thirteen
Toby Turner
Vanessa Jones
Yammy Flores
Zach Oliver

Instruments

Guitar

The Rock Band guitar resembles a Fender Stratocaster. The guitar has 10 fret buttons, a whammy bar, and an effects switch. It has 5 fret buttons at the top and 5 fret buttons at the bottom. The guitar also may be able to do hammer-ons & pull-offs without even strumming.

The effects switch feature for Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3 has the effects of:

None
Wah-wah
Flange
Chorus
Echo

Though the PlayStation 2 effects are:

None
Doubler
Slap back echo
Medium echo
Long echo

This guitar is compatible of being wired or wireless. Rock Band also features a "Lefty Flip" for people that are left handed. The PlayStation 3 version was originally not compatible with Guitar Hero controllers but it later received an update on September 11, 2008, allowing Guitar Hero controllers to be used. However, Guitar Hero controllers do not work with the Wii version.

Drums

The Rock Band drum set has 4 rubber drum pads and a kick pedal. Each pad has a colored ring around it to show you the notes on the screen.

"Snare Drum" (red),
"Hi-Hat" (yellow),
"Tom-Tom" (blue),
"Crash Cymbal" (green).
The kick pedal is for the use of a "Bass Drum" (orange).

There is also a lefty flip mode for the drums. The drum kit has buttons in the middle to navigate through the menu. There are some instances in which changing some pad sounds come into play. In songs like "Orange Crush" by R.E.M., the red pad becomes a hi-hat while the yellow pad becomes a snare drum. Changes in these pads make it easier for the consumer to play in most situations.

Microphone

The microphone is very similar to the microphone on Karaoke Revolution developed by Harmonix. The microphone can be used with the headset and is USB. The singer is usually the one who changes the pitch & how closely they match it to the lyrics.

The microphone also can be used as a tambourine or cowbell by tapping it when prompted.

Rock Band 1 on the PlayStation 2/Wii

Unlike the XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Rock Band 1, the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions have features that were stripped-down including Band World Tour mode. In the Band World Tour mode for the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions of the game, players cannot create their own create characters, nor can they travel to cities around the world, choosing a venue, or a setlist to play. The online features are also not available in these versions of the game, as it only supports 2-4 local players to play as a band.

Setlist of Songs

Main Article: Rock Band Setlist

Picture Gallery

See Also: Rock Band/Gallery