It’s a banner day for youngsters looking to get their music game on. Here’s what the press has been saying about the Taylor Swift-fronted Band Hero. So far almost no one has posted reviews, but I’ll update this post as new ones roll in. Because I care, that’s why.
1UP: A-
“Band Hero proves that Activision is finally treating their Hero franchise as a music platform and not a series of unrelated titles. And in this case, you get to choose which graphical skin you like: ‘Top 40′ Band Hero or ‘Hard Rock’ GH5.”1UP: C+ (DS Version)
“When it comes to bringing the full complement of instruments to the DS, Band Hero represents a very rocky start. If it weren’t for the game’s shortsighted and unintuitive peripherals, there might actually be something worthwhile here”G4TV.com: 4/5
“[For a] casual audience, Band Hero is a good package. It combines pop hits for younger players with classic tunes for their parents. It contains many of the mechanics that made Guitar Hero 5 a much-improved sequel. Although it has some of that game’s quirks, it adds some charm of its own.G4TV.com: 2/5 (DS Version)
Band Hero DS has translated the button-pushing function in a workable, if compromised way, but the exuberant joy of rocking out just doesn’t come through. … Band Hero might hold the attention of some younger gamers for a few hours, but it’s a game that deserves to be forgotten.GameDaily: 7/10
“If you haven’t played the latest Guitar Hero or are looking for something that all ages of players can get into, it’s a respectable choice. However, its mostly flat song list and almost complete lack of anything significantly new may have you feeling a sense of deja vu that can’t be shaken. Rent it first just to be safe.”Game Informer: 7.75/10
“It’s hard to take Band Hero out of the context of its recent music game brethren. Band Hero is the least innovative of the bunch, but that certainly doesn’t make it bad. For players who found previous releases too hard-edged for their tastes, Band Hero is exactly what they’ve been waiting for.”GameSpot: 8/10
“There’s a lot of good stuff here, unless, of course, you already own Guitar Hero 5, in which case it is little more than a full-price track pack. But if you’re looking for more songs or interested to see what this plastic video game rock craze is all about, Band Hero is a great option.”GameSpy: 4.5/5 [Disclosure: I made this!]
“[I]f you’re interested in even half the songs, I can almost guarantee you’ll find at least a couple more surprisingly entertaining. And that pretty much sums up Band Hero for me: It’s not a revolution for the genre, but it is a surprisingly solid, well thought-out, and just plain entertaining game.”IGN: 7.9/10
“For better or worse, this is a re-skinned version of Guitar Hero 5. Now, that’s not bad because that game was great, but it is disappointing if you were expecting something special from Band Hero.”IGN: 7.5/10 (DS Version)
“[D]on’t get me wrong; Band Hero’s fun. The trouble is that it’s just a noisemaker that you pick up and jam out with before moving on to the next thing. You’re not going to get super involved with your band and you’re going to be lugging around a bunch of add-ons if you want to get the full experience.”IGN: 5/10 (PS2 Version)
“This game is the same Guitar Hero you’ve been playing on the PS2 for years. Perhaps it’s worse because we’ve seen the franchise grow on the other systems and stay stagnant here.”TeamXbox: 8.4/10
There’s no doubt that Band Hero is fun to play, but Activision could have had so much more to show if it had evolved it better in relation to the other Hero games.
And if the word on the street has whet your whistle for some ‘tweentastic rocking, you may satisfy your dark urges via one of the following Amazon links.
360 Disc
