Ah, the never-ending debate between Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Both of these games are really good and I suggest getting both (I own Rock Band 1 and 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour). But if you have to get one here’s a little help to get you to make a better decision.
Single PlayerThe single-player of these two games is very different. Guitar Hero’s single player is designed to get you to get all of the songs relatively quickly. Songs are preset on playlists and you never need to play them again after you beat it. Rock Band on the other hand has a very very long Tour mode. You play in different cities around the world and it can take really long to unlock some songs. If you are looking to gend the game fast, Guitar Hero is for you. If you want a long drawn out Tour, then Rock Band 2 is for you. Hard to pick a winner, this is more or less your preference.
Edge: Draw
Customization
This one is a no-contest. While Rock Band gives you some pretty hot guitars, it is nothing compared to the custom instruments you can make in Guitar Hero. You will have a great time making an instrument that defines who you are.
Edge: Guitar Hero World Tour
Presentation
Rock Band is by far the cleaner looking game. The note highway is a lot easier to follow. The flat notes are much better than Guitar Hero’s round notes. The character design is also better in Rock Band. The only thing that I can give to Guitar Hero is its cameos. Seeing Jimi Hendrix and Travis Barker is awe inspiring.
Edge: Rock Band
Songs
This is extremely hard to decide on. First, id like to mention that there are about 16 songs that are in both games. Outside of these songs, these are pretty different set lists. Both have a great balance of popular and unpopular songs. Guitar Hero seems to be tailored more to rock fans, so new rock listeners may feel out of the loop while songs like “Any Way You Want It” will leave people feeling right at home in Rock Band 2 ('cause seriously, who doesn't like Journey?). From personal experience, more people seemed to just have more fun with Rock Band.
Edge: Rock Band
Instruments
The instruments for Guitar Hero are very advanced compared to Rock Band. The guitar can let you string together notes using something called a “slider”. The bass in Guitar Hero has an extra note that you can play by strumming and not holding any notes. That adds another element to the bass, making it way more challenging. The drums have cymbals that add a bit of realism to the game. Overall Guitar Hero’s instruments are more challenging than Rock Band. That adds extra long term value to the game. It should also be noted that both sets of instruments are compatible with each other.
Edge: Guitar Hero World Tour
Gameplay
Comparing the gameplay is basically splitting hairs. At the core, these are the same game. As I said earlier, the presentation of Rock Band is cleaner and more user friendly than Guitar Hero World Tour, making it easier for newbies to get into it.
Edge: Rock Band
Downloadable Songs
This also comes down to personal preference. I like Guitar Hero World Tour’s downloadable content better because it has a bunch of songs I didn’t expect to see (The Vines, The Raconteurs, and Incubus).
Edge: Guitar Hero World Tour
Overall, Rock Band Prevails as the better game. Gamers looking for a challenge will disagree, but to them I would tell them to think about what they are playing. This is a party game that is made for a group of people. Not everyone is meant to play on expert (I am). With that in mind I would recommend buying Rock Band, and then Guitar Hero World Tour if you crave more of a challenge.
Winner: Rock Band
Score: 9/10
Download or Buy: Buy!
Guitar Hero World Tour
Score: 8.5/10
Download or Buy: Buy!
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