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LEGO Rock Band Xbox 360
User Score
7.1 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 24
  3. Negative: 5 out of 24

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  1. CalebH
    Nov 12, 2009
    8
    If there’s one genre in the industry that is being milked for everything it’s got, it has to be music games. The plethora of choices to fulfill your plastic peripheral needs is staggering on a level music lovers have never seen before. Music games have been fully embraced by the youth of this decade and developers are now finding ways to get everyone else in on the action. While games like Guitar Hero: Metallica and The Beatles: Rock Band are pulling the older generation into the mix, one key group is being forgotten: the children. What about em’? They have their action figure and Barbie dolls. They don’t need no stinkin’ video games rotting their brains! Especially one focused around ‘devil’ music! They could be doing something productive with their minds; like playing with LEGOs! Wait a minute! What if we brought the imaginative world of LEGO into the ever-growing video game music genre, and made all the music in the game ‘family-friendly’? Considering the astounding success of LEGO branded games, LEGO Rock Band seems like a no-brainer, but with music games being flipped out like hot cakes, it’s hard to stand out amongst the masses. This also begs the question, has the music game genre gone In Too Deep with no hope of innovation? LEGO Rock Band proves to be a small step in the right direction. To be honest, there aren’t many ‘family’ games on the market right now; at least any that are really worth mentioning. The only one I can think of that is any good is Boom Blox, so it’s nice to see one of my most trusted developers delve into an area where most others would stray. Being politically correct in today’s world is not any easy task and it’s hard to find anyone willing to try. Especially when everyone else is trying to push the envelope and come up with the next “WTF?!” moment. Harmonix’s ability to thread the needle and walk the fine line between over the top and too kiddish is in one word, brilliant. The quirkiness of LEGO’s humor is mixed so delicately with the edgy art of Rock Band, and neither of their individual charms is lost in the unlikely merging. In short, the presentation is second to none. Graphics maintain the sepia-toned, grainy look of Rock Band and incorporate the glossy fluidity of LEGO characters; However, the overall color scheme is of a darker hue and much more vibrant than past Rock Band or LEGO games. Because of this change though, gameplay suffers somewhat. The notes (colored-lego bricks) have become darker and the highway has a more transparent look to it. This makes it easy to get lost on tricky parts and even easier when hammer-on’s and pull-off’s show up. There is a definite learning curve, even for veterans. Frame-rate is steady and unflinching, albeit a bit slower than usual during gameplay. Background animations are fantastic as always, even though the drummer is completely off-time one hundred percent of the time. After a few play throughs, however, animations will start repeating fairly frequently. Loading times is an issue that has never been a problem with past Rock Band titles, but has become an annoyance in this iteration. If there is any transition to be had, expect to have a decent load time. Customization has been expanded and retuned. Everything from the manager you hire to the ‘rock den’ you dwell in can be customized to fit your bands image. By playing well at gigs you can earn gear to deck out your pad and ornaments to throw on stage while you’re jamming. The aesthetics have been refined, but at the same time down tuned. While there are more things to customize than ever, the ways in which you can modify them are severely limited. Character creation is pathetically uninspired when you consider all the doors that open when you bring Lego into the mix. Instrument choices have been reduced. Creating art and adding art have been scrapped for pre-set logos. While all of the new features are welcome additions, and hopefully here to stay it would be nice to add to the formula without removing some of the best ingredients. Another missing element is the addition of online multiplayer. The Music Store is the only feature that carries over out of all online abilities. Even though this oversight is one that is very disappointing, I can sympathize with their decision to scrap it. Trying to create a family experience is probably much easier when not having to deal with the filth that can be encountered through online play. Now, one could make the argument that that kind of audience won’t be caught dead playing a game like LEGO Rock Band, but Harmonix isn’t taking any chances. It’s not all so bad. The game costs ten dollars less most likely because of its exclusion, but if you’re looking to play these songs online, you’re going to have to fork over an extra ten bucks to export it. That rounds up to a total of sixty dollars, and one can assume that by purchasing LEGO Rock Band (the first game in the series to not include peripherals) you have played the series before. The game play fans have come to know and love is still intact with a few bursts of fresh ideas. To create a ‘family’ experience, Harmonix has incorporated a couple of game play switches one can turn on if a ‘newbie’ shows up. In an effort to appeal to the masses, an aptly titled Super Easy mode has been added requiring players to hit any button on the guitar, or drums on time. For those of you who say the only reason you can’t play expert drums is because of the bass pedal, an option has been added to automatically take care of that little nuisance. Sound production is as fantastic as it has ever been, and note charting is an art that the people of Harmonix have perfected. Although though the average difficulty of all the songs is far easier than usual (just look at “We Will Rock You”), it’s all about how you play it. Tour mode has been made into a story of sorts (think along the lines of Guitar Hero), although the premise is still very much the same. Start a band. Rock the world. Only this time with hilarious cutscenes of you and your entourage as they progress through their career, traveling across the venues by van, speedboat, jet, and even submarine. These intermissions often come at points to further progress the story along or to introduce a Rock Band Challenge. Rock Band Challenges are by far the best part about this game. As we all know, every band runs into problems while they’re touring. However, I’m sure no band has ever had to deal with a ravaging T-rex or a man-eating octopus. These, along with several other inane crises, are encountered by your band and are the bases behind Rock Band Challenges. Each challenge is based upon a specific song, usually tailoring to the objective (trying to help a farmer’s crops grow by rain dancing to Boys Like Girls, “Thunder”). During the song, if you’re playing with a few others (which you should be), each player will be given several solos allowing them to take center stage and steal the spotlight while the others enjoy the action in the back ground (unless you’re singing, in which you will always be busy). As the song comes to a close, the entire band reunites to complete the challenge in a glorious montage of explosions and sounds. Every instance is beautifully rendered and always entertaining. At least for a while, music will solve all of your problems. The rest of tour mode is compiled of ‘building’ and ‘surprise’ set lists. These can grow very tiresome very fast and the only way to help with the monotony is to have a fairly large amount of downloadable songs. Even still, some downloadable songs are not compatible because of their content rating. I guess this is to keep the ‘inappropriate’ songs off of the game, but tell me why “Gone” by Montgomery Gentry gets axed, and “Who’s Going Home With You Tonight?” by Trapt slips through the system? Not only that, but some songs are included in the downloadable list, but cannot be played, such as “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen. It’s on the download list when choosing songs, but it cannot be played. All I’m saying is either include all of the downloadable songs, or none at all. It’s up to the user to download the “appropriate” songs. While a set list of 45 songs might seem sparse, being one of the most off-the-wall music selections ever heard, compensates for it. Having the title of ‘family game’ has heavily influenced the variety of music, but not in the way one would think. The eclectic choice of songs insures that there’s definitely something for everyone, but you’d think they would pick songs that are mostly ‘family friendly’ considering how they handled downloadable songs. Choices such as “Suddenly I See” and “Naive” make me think that they weren’t caring about their lyrical content as much as they were trying to appeal to all age groups. Not that this is a big issue by any means, it just seems that a family game would stray away from ‘questionable’ songs. Instead, selections have been made so no one in the family feels left out. There’s something here for the kids and the parents. In that sense, this is indeed a family game. When it comes right down to it, LEGO Rock Band is a sign of better things to come and is a true music experience the whole family can enjoy, not matter the age. Inclusions such as Rock Band Challenges and the ability to hire multiple staff members are features that should stay. Also, after completing a song in a setlist with multiple players, your individual note streak is shown for every song instead of just the one song at the end of a setlist. High scores as well as star count for each song are shown before playing them so you know what standard must be beat. Rock Band, as a platform, is expanding in many innovative and imaginative ways. LEGO Rock Band is an obvious building block meant to experiment with a few new ideas. My belief in this genre has been cemented because of LEGO Rock Band and I can’t wait to see what Harmonix and MTV Games build next.… Expand
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  2. Rockhammer
    Nov 6, 2009
    8
    Not as expansive or as polished as Rock Band 2, but just as much fun! Traveler's Tales signature LEGO humor is definitely here, so the cut-scenes for the big challenge events are entertaining. The interface and graphics all got a LEGO-themed overhaul, and some of the new images will make you smile with nostalgia. And the Rock Den is a nice addition: its a customizable home-base for your band, which functions as the hub for the various modes and as a place to fill with unlocked items. The game has about 45 songs, and while the setlist may not be for everyone, I found it very satisfying. I very rarely found a song I didn't like - I'd say 1/2 the songs were ones I knew and loved, the other 1/2 were pleasant to play but forgettable. So even if you're just using this as a cheap 45 additional songs, you'll get your moneys worth. The game does have some drawbacks, mainly its smaller setlist and its more-confusing progression. The first few hours I spent in it were a blast, but after that songs started to repeat more than I'd like, which got a bit dull. And for a kid's game, its not as clear about what to do to progress, I was stuck for a few hours in some spots trying to figure out what gig I needed to do to progress. These 2 nitpicks both bring the score down a bit, but in the end, Harmonix has made another great music game, and TT has made another entertaining LEGO game.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. Otend
    Jan 7, 2010
    9
    I am a hardcore gamer (playing everything from Shin Megami Tensei to Half-Life), and I've loved the Rock Band series. This entry is solid as usual. There's a sense of humor here that's irresistible, and the song list, while seeming hit-or-miss at first glance, provides enough to keep you satisfied.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. Mikes
    Nov 5, 2009
    1
    I picked up both LRB and Band Hero and expected two very fun games. Band Hero surprisingly surpassed my expectations... whereas Lego Rock Band was seriously lacking. I liked the lego presentation, but the setlist is by far the most boring in ANY GAME TO DATE.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. AJ
    Nov 21, 2009
    0
    Skinned differently and repackaged with new songs....it feels like hardly any effort was put into it. Normally I would have given this a 3...maybe 4, but I'm making up for fanboy scores.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. ReggieS
    Nov 4, 2009
    9
    I love this game. I am a big fan of Harmonix and their Rock Band series and if you have good sense of taste in music along with a comedic appreciation for it, this is a worth while set list. I got so pumped the second I heard the lyric 'Shot through the heart you're too blame' at the start of "You give love a bad name" by Bon Jovi. After that, its really just all rise!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. RomecoolR
    May 22, 2012
    8
    It could use some better songs, but for a Lego game it is pretty good. This game is really cheap and is a must have. I only have the Drum Set and Mic though. :( Oh well. I will get both guitars sometime.
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 50 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 50
  3. Negative: 2 out of 50
  1. Game Informer
    80
    It's easy to be skeptical of LEGO Rock Band as a quick cash grab, but Traveller's Tales' trademark LEGO silliness blended with a few interesting new mechanics from Harmonix elevates the game to a level fans of both series shouldn't brush off.
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  2. IGN
    70
    It's a kind of pricey track pack of a bizarre setlist for a really fun rhythm game.
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  3. GameSpy
    60
    I'm left wondering who Lego Rock Band is really for. It seems to be trying to cater to everyone, but it ends up simply unfocused, and occasionally outright sloppy. It doesn't actively offend, but it's nowhere near a must-have, even for serious music-game fans.
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