Both Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World tour had a pretty big presence at PAX. I didn’t feel like waiting in line for either of them but I did find myself stopping to watch various nerds’ rock just about any time I was walking by them.

The showdown: Rock Band 2 vs. Guitar Hero: World Tour

Harmonix had a single setup on a large stage that gave a rock concert vibe aside from the occasionally terrible singing. There was almost always a crowd around the stage watching or waiting in line to play. Overall it looks like a nice update to the original. Same basic setup with some minor tweaks like better sorting options on the song selection screen. One feature that I’m excited about is the inclusion of a no fail mode which should make it easier to get amateur fake rockers into the game. The new drums seemed quite a bit quieter but of course there was loud music all over the hall so it’s tough to say for sure.

Activision on the other hand chose to have 4 or 5 smaller GH: WT setups. It wasn’t quite as cool to watch but it did allow for more hands on time for anyone who was interested. Really GH: WT looks almost exactly like Rock Band. There’s a slight difference in color and the notes are round but in general the layout is pretty much the same. Of course the drums are a bit different, there are 3 toms and 2 cymbals.

I’ll probably end up buying both RB2 and GH: WT eventually. I’m more excited about Rock Band 2 but since Guitar Hero: World Tour is compatible with my current RB setup I don’t see any harm in getting both.

Tagged with Guitar Hero: World Tour, PAX-08, Rock Band 2 .
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