Top 10 Things That Suck About Rock Band

Posted by Chris Jensen | Mar. 26, 2008 10:54AM PST | 15057 views | 2 comments

FILED UNDER: Features, Opinion. Games.

My love for Rock Band knows no equal, but that doesn't mean I'm blind to its defects. The more obsessed I become, the more the little (and not so little) things bother me. Nothing I'm about to bitch about can't be fixed or addressed...assuming Harmonix is paying attention. At least the latest patch brought us the superb in-game music store, which does kick much ass, but there are still issues I'd like to see solved before I'm forced to buy Rock Band II.

1. Multiplayer Downloadable Content

I'm one of those nuts who has purchased every single damn song for Rock Band. I even had to move to the larger hard drive because the writing was on the wall for the 20-giger. As much as I love all of the downloadable content, there is one glaring problem that drives me nuts: I seldom find anyone online to play with in a Quickplay multiplayer match.

The folks over at Harmonix have totally dropped the ball on this front and it's unfortunate. In a perfect world, Rock Band would group players based on their DLC purchases so they can actually play these new songs online. As it stands, it's pure blind luck if you stumble upon someone with the same songs, ultimately hurting the value of these purchases.

2. People Who Ask, “Do you have a mic?”...and Then Kick You

This one kills me and I suffer from it at least once a day when trying Quickplay mulitplayer. You enter a room with three other random people and the host will suddenly ask, “Do you have a Mic?” He'll repeat this question 2-3 times and, not getting an answer from me, presses the Kick button.

Let me tell you something, mystery host. I have a mic. Everyone has a mic. It came with the f'ing unit. Fact is, the game is called Rock Band...not Talk Show. WTF do you want to yap about?

3. People Who Disconnect During Song, Ruining it For Everyone

You're busting your ass on a song but someone in the band is stinking up the joint. Instead of waiting for a fellow member to revive them with Overdrive, they bail from embarrassment, ultimately spelling doom for all involved. That's just lame, especially when your fingers are bleeding from The Outlaws. The song should continue on as if nothing happened.

4. Can't Create Multiplayer Set List

In World Tour mode you can opt to create a set list of several songs, which is great because it minimizes loading between songs. Unfortunately, such is not the case in Quickplay multiplayer. Why? How hard would this be to integrate? We all want to jam, not get dumped back to the song selection screen after every song. Let us at least pick 3 songs for a set! Better yet, let each person in the group select a song.

5. Can't Choose to be a Host

One of the great mysteries of our day is how Rock Band picks a host. No one knows, it just happens. Problem is, the host has all the power. He can kick you for no apparent reason and he has full control over song selection. I've never tried the singing element of Rock Band, but I imagine you virtual vocalists out there would love a little more say in what song you're going to get stuck with. If nothing else, singers should be earmarked for the bulk of hosting duty.

6. Not Enough Singers

Speaking of singers...where are you people? I'd estimate that about 90% of the time I try multiplayer, it's without a singer. Either there just aren't enough people to fill all the gaps or hosts aren't waiting long enough for a singer to appear.

7. Lighting Effects Obscure Notes

Rock Band has no shortage of great lighting effects, but unfortunately when you add Overdrive to the mix your screen becomes a psychedelic acid-trip that makes detecting notes more difficult than it need be.

8. No Multiplayer Leaderboards

How awesome would it be to get a World Ranking in Quickplay multiplayer after a song? Very. As it stands, there really isn't an incentive in playing Quickplay multiplayer, save for the sheer joy of doing so. Granted, that's enough for me, but this extra bonus would go a long way in feeling a sense of accomplishment.

9. No High-Score Display When Playing

I grew up in arcades, so I have a special place in my heart for High-Score displays. I like to know what score I'm trying to beat when I attempt a song for the billionth time without having to remember the exact number listed on the song selection screen.

10. No “Ranked” Grouping

I usually play on Expert and really don't mind joining up with people using different skill levels, but sometimes you just wanna jam with equal (or better) talent and go for some serious scoring.

Those are my beefs. Am I wrong? Did I miss something? What drives you nuts about Rock Band? And no, saying the drums make annoying sounds doesn't count. That's one thing we all agree on.

(Source: InfoAddict Original)

Tags playstation 3, xbox 360, electronic arts, mtv games, lists, harmonix, rock band