Rock Band 4

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 107 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 107
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 107
  3. Negative: 28 out of 107
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Tridus
    Oct 26, 2015
    7
    It plays well, it's still fun, and the freestyle solos are a lot of fun to play. But for people who had multiple games with exported tracks in the past, having all those songs be missing is a major letdown. The included list is weak, especially compared to Rock Band 1 and 2.

    When they get all that old content back into this game, it will be much better for it.
  2. Captiosus
    Oct 7, 2015
    5
    Why is this game being rated so highly? It takes so many steps backwards it's not even funny.

    Pros: + Typical, refined, Rock Band gameplay that made the franchise fun to play. + Better solo system. Cons: - Scaled back character creation. - Scaled back production (text only loading screens, for example). - NO ONLINE COOP OR COMPETITION (something this franchise pioneered back in    Why is this game being rated so highly? It takes so many steps backwards it's not even funny.

    Pros:
    + Typical, refined, Rock Band gameplay that made the franchise fun to play.
    + Better solo system.

    Cons:
    - Scaled back character creation.
    - Scaled back production (text only loading screens, for example).
    - NO ONLINE COOP OR COMPETITION (something this franchise pioneered back in RB2!)
    - Lackluster on disk set list.
    - No Midi (pro) drum support.
    - No old keyboard/keytar support.
    - Increased cost per track of all old DLC.
    - Problems importing old RB1 and 2 DLC and tracks.
    - The instruments use the same original design and still feel flimsy.

    I get that nostalgia is a powerful thing but looking objectively, this game isn't even on par with what Rock Band 2 brought to the genre back in 2008! The lack of online coop and online competitions basically turns this back into the PS2 era all over again... newsflash, not all of us can get together and have epic band play in the same room all the time. That's what made the online coop and the battle of the bands functions so meaningful when they released them. Yet those got stripped out...

    This feels like a cash in, a cheap indie title designed to upsell you on endless DLC tracks - and if you switched platforms or didn't use your old import license, they'll be happy to sell you all the tracks you've already bought again for a higher price.

    I sincerely hope no part of the Amplitude reboot was delayed due to this and I regret letting nostalgia drive my purchase decision.    … Expand
  3. NegativeCreep
    Oct 21, 2015
    6
    I am a pretty serious Rock Band veteran. My main instrument is drums and I've been playing at expert level since 2008. Rock Band 4 had consistently existed on my "dream sequels" list for the past several years and so I was thrilled when it was finally announced. That's what makes it a special shame that this game, in its current state, is pretty disappointing.

    I'll start off with    I am a pretty serious Rock Band veteran. My main instrument is drums and I've been playing at expert level since 2008. Rock Band 4 had consistently existed on my "dream sequels" list for the past several years and so I was thrilled when it was finally announced. That's what makes it a special shame that this game, in its current state, is pretty disappointing.

    I'll start off with what I think is good; The "shows" feature in which setlists are voted on from a random pick of songs is a pretty good inclusion. I didn't think I would care for it at first, but it's refreshing and fun to not know what song is coming next and to be able to make your selection from what is presented to you. As a drummer, I also like the new dynamic fill feature, for the most part. Like setlist voting, the unpredictability of it is what makes it fun and unique. It was a pretty good decision on Harmonix's part to dump the "create your own" fill section from previous titles, as it quickly got boring. The new fills can sometimes be annoying however as it may present you with a totally off the wall fill which doesn't fit in well with the current section you're playing and cause you to get off track, but for the most part I enjoy having a new fill to play every time. I have played with the new freestyle guitar solos a bit, and I think it's interesting although personally I'd probably prefer just to play the charted solos.

    There's a few reasons why I think the game deserves a low score, and it's all to do with its relativity to the other games. The core experience of the game is still well-established in RB4. There's hardly much different about it at all, really, and it's still as fun as it was previous games. This means that the main improvements to the game should have been in other areas in order to enhance the overall experience, and in most cases this didn't happen. Probably the two biggest surprises I had upon playing the game were that there was no practice mode and no ability to create and play your own setlists. These are pretty dumbfounding features to cut from the game, and so it leads me to believe that the game was likely rushed. Online multiplayer is also notably absent, and Harmonix has gone on the record several times to say that it is planned for a future update. I expect that both of those other features will be implemented in a future update as well, but it's still wildly bizarre that they were missing from launch. The career/tour mode, by far one of the most important parts of the series for me, is a bit better than RB3's, but still a let down. Some of the game's marketing before launch portrayed the career mode as "practically a full-on RPG", which is absolutely untrue. It's so frustrating how Harmonix has had 4 iterations to work on this mode and it's still nowhere near achieving its potential. At least you can choose your own cities again. But this leads me to another point: There are 3 venues in the entire game. A lot of people aren't going to care about that, but to me I found the venues thematically important and it's really disappointing that such a huge step backward was taken here, and it contributes to the feeling that the game was rushed. Something that especially hits hard, given that this is the first Rock Band game on next-gen is that the animations in this game are absolutely dreadful. The guitarist/bassists arms are so stiff that they look like robots and half the time the on-screen musicians don't seem to be playing the actual parts. This is especially disappointing as I loved how in Rock Band the avatars would accurately play the songs, and you could see it. Not so here, and it's extremely puzzling given that they have all the more power to work with. The game's UI and menus also feel really lackluster and it's apparent that they were having budget trouble as a new independent studio.

    The hardware itself is ok, but I've been having consistent issues with drums. From 16th notes and on, I have trouble hitting the notes even if I play them the exact same way I did in previous games and got credit for them. I don't know if that's a calibration issue or what, but it's pretty annoying.

    The core experience of Rock Band is still totally in tact here, and it's still fun. But the lack of improvements made, and the flat-out steps backwards that were taken are disappointing and upsetting.    … Expand
  4. Aldaniss
    Oct 8, 2015
    7
    I've played a LOT of Rock Band 3, so I was really looking forward to this new installment. Overall it's a pretty good experience, the new guitar controller feels more solid and the buttons make less noise which is nice. The drum set doesn't feel like you'll break them with a nice bounce to the pad. And the new Freestyle Solo system really makes you feel like a rock star shredding away onI've played a LOT of Rock Band 3, so I was really looking forward to this new installment. Overall it's a pretty good experience, the new guitar controller feels more solid and the buttons make less noise which is nice. The drum set doesn't feel like you'll break them with a nice bounce to the pad. And the new Freestyle Solo system really makes you feel like a rock star shredding away on stage.

    My complaints are there isn't much added to the genre. The whole thing feels more streamlined and it's still a blast to play with friends but if you are looking for something new, Freestyle Solos are the only real noteworthy addition. The character creator seems to be lacking. Only two body types "Masculine" and "Feminine", it would be nice to have a little variety with that, but it's purely cosmetic and doesn't affect gameplay. No online co-op or vs mode at the moment, but it is possible these features will be added in the future. If they do I'd bump the score up, but as of now the game could use some work.    … Expand
  5. LandonT
    Oct 6, 2015
    7
    The new design of the music tracks and the songs are good, but what I don't like is the lack of character customization options. They didn't include near as many as the past games. The song selection menu is nice because it tells you all the instrument difficulties, the year the song was made, and the genre it is. Another thing too, they didn't put RBN songs for purchase on the store. ButThe new design of the music tracks and the songs are good, but what I don't like is the lack of character customization options. They didn't include near as many as the past games. The song selection menu is nice because it tells you all the instrument difficulties, the year the song was made, and the genre it is. Another thing too, they didn't put RBN songs for purchase on the store. But overall, this is a good game for the series.… Expand
  6. Tinagowtfay12
    May 2, 2016
    6
    Okay, so when this game was first released I gave it a fairly positive view, but sadly i'm going to have to change my review. I got the game early as I was chosen to be a part of the Rock Band Crew. I'm a huge fan of the Rock Band series. Buying the first Rock Band game changed my life. It was all I ever played and I loved it. It was a huge game in my family. We always threw parties andOkay, so when this game was first released I gave it a fairly positive view, but sadly i'm going to have to change my review. I got the game early as I was chosen to be a part of the Rock Band Crew. I'm a huge fan of the Rock Band series. Buying the first Rock Band game changed my life. It was all I ever played and I loved it. It was a huge game in my family. We always threw parties and had such a blast. I've kept those memories very close to me as they brought friendships and relationships closer. I bought every rock band game and each one amazed me, I think Rock Band 2 was my favorite. Had a really great setlist and brought in new game modes that I really enjoyed. Sadly, Rock Band 4 didn't do that for me. I was very excited when they announced it, but, the game is too broken. Without MTV and EA maybe thats why it didn't do as good? The setlist wasn't great and I can't even play the game. I've updated all instruments and yet they still don't work and I've recalibrated multiple times and sometimes the calibration can't even read the instruments. I've loved what you were putting out Harmonix. Guitar Hero 1 and 2 were incredible and the three Rock Bands were a lot of fun, but my family can't even enjoy playing this game. The game can be enjoyed if we weren't hoping for higher scores from previous scores, but other then that, the game isn't in sync at all and maybe they should update it. I'm not exactly sure if any update can help the gameplay of the game, it may be too late. I still have the urge and want to play this game, thats why i'll give it a 6, but it could've been soo much better.… Expand
  7. VertexEspada
    May 17, 2016
    6
    As many people have already stated, this game definitely takes a step back from Rock Band 3. No Pro mode, keyboard is gone, no bass effects, not to mention they moved the modifiers to the MAIN options menu.

    However, the setlist is...not "brilliant" as such but "great" at best. The interface is a lot tidier and clean. Freestyle guitar solos! Live pausing is also good too so you don't    As many people have already stated, this game definitely takes a step back from Rock Band 3. No Pro mode, keyboard is gone, no bass effects, not to mention they moved the modifiers to the MAIN options menu.

    However, the setlist is...not "brilliant" as such but "great" at best. The interface is a lot tidier and clean. Freestyle guitar solos! Live pausing is also good too so you don't have to disrupt your friends by changing options, difficulty etc.

    It's worth the buy if you're a Rock Band veteran, if you're a newcomer, best going with RB3.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best PS4 Game of 2015
78
#78 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
89
#89 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 51
  3. Negative: 0 out of 51
  1. CD-Action
    Dec 16, 2015
    65
    In comparison to Guitar Hero Live the new Rock Band game is way too conservative. There’s a certain tradition in the music business: when a performer grows a beer belly and can’t climb to the top of the charts anymore, you send him to tour Japan, so he can grab some more money from a bit more loyal local fans. After seeing Rock Band’s current shape all I can say to it is “sayonara”. [12/2015, p.63]
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Dec 15, 2015
    80
    Go in expecting a “next-gen” evolution of Rock Band 3, and you'll wind up booing. Expect a slick, party-in-a-box, and you'll be wolf -whistling. [Christmas 2015, p65]
  3. PlaySense
    Nov 30, 2015
    70
    Pros: the gameplay is still awesome and enables us to use old instruments is a cool move by the developer. Cons: calibrating is way more of a challenge than it should be, and the lack of Rock Band 3 songs and online multiplayer is a downer. In this case, however, the good outweighs the bad.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »