The great musical divide is what some are calling this upcoming battle of the bands on Xbox 360. Guitar Hero III and Rock Band are going to release soon and create an interesting choice. How will you decide to unleash your inner rockstar? Will you stick to the proven band or change venues for the new kid on the block?
I wanted to let you know that I’m right there with you and your frustration so I’ve decided to pit the two against each other. I hope this helps in figuring out which is the best title for you to shred guitar or dance to the beat of a different drum. I gathered as much information as I could to throw these two titles in the octagon. After reading this you’ll see my choice for unleashing your innner rockstar. (or I’m sure you’ll just skip to the end)
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Publisher: Activision, RedOctane
Developer: Neversoft Entertainment
Price of the game: $59.99 Price of the game with accessories: $99.99
Accessories: Gibson Guitar’s Les Paul Wireless Guitar
Modes: Practice, Career, Battle Mode
Online play: Yes
Wireless: Yes
Songs (era): Various (not sure of the era)
Release date: October 28, 2007
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock isn’t being made by the fine folks at Harmonix who brought you previous Guitar Hero titles. Will this be a bad thing? I doubt it as RedOctane is still on board. It’s a “music” title though so the competition, as well as the comparison to Rock Band, is inevitable. That’s where I come in to hopefully help clean up some confusion.
The one question mark with GH3 is the fact that it’s being developed by Neversoft Entertainment. What’s the last title from Neversoft that you rocked out to? Exactly. They aren’t exactly known for their amazing music titles. Again though, with RedOctane still on board to guide the title I’m expecting good things.
The best part about Guitar Hero III is that you can do all of your rockin’ with one guitar. You don’t have to depend on your friends to have an additional piece of the puzzle to have the best experience on Xbox Live. It’s simple yet effective especially for those not playing the stock market. The wireless guitar lets you jam from anywhere and however you want. You’ll also be able to customize your guitar this time around with different guitar face plates.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Trailer
Rock Band
Publisher: Electronic Arts, MTV Games
Developer: Harmonix
Price of the game: $59.99 Price of the game with accessories: $169.99
Accessories: Fender Stratocaster Guitar, Drum set, Microphone
Modes: Quickplay, Solo Tour, World Tour, Band Co-op, Head-to-Head, Practice
Online play: Yes
Wireless: No
Songs (era): 60’s 70’s 80’s 90’s 2000’s
Release date: November 20, 2007
It’s the stepchild of Guitar Hero. It’s like Sigourney Weaver in Alien: Resurrection when the uber baby Alien comes after its mother. Guitar Hero in this case is ofcourse Sigourney Weaver and Rock Band is the big bad Alien baby thing that’s coming to kill that from which it was born.
Having Harmonix on board to deliver Rock Band is a huge plus for the title. Harmonix brought fans the Guitar Hero series so you know they’re well prepared to deliver on how well Rock Band plays. The one question mark is if they can match the performance of the guitar with the drums and microphone. If they can do that then fans are in for a wild, enjoyable ride.
The band aspect of Rock Band is pretty intriguing along with the assortment of modes to play. You can form a band of friends who also have the game and rock out online together. (you’ll have to have some rich friends apparently) How many of your friends will buy the game and just the drums to play as your drum boy? Or only buy the microphone to sing vocal? The image of forming your own band is tempting, but I don’t suspect people will purchase the game and only one accessory. What’s the point of not owning them all? Everyone wants to play lead guitar in a rock band at some point ya know. And it’ll prove difficult to mail Rock Band accessories across the world to let Jimmy play lead while Sarah sings for the next match.
It’s called Rock “Band” not Rock Solo for a reason. I think someone behind the scenes is counting on this whole “band” thing a bit ya think? (cha-ching)
I don’t have much media on Rock Band because EA isn’t sharing. I’ve asked for a few things but no such luck. The last thing I heard was that Peter Moore secured all Rock Band accessories to fine tune his skills. So Peter, throw me a bone here. (Edit. I finally got some media for Rock Band and I’ve included the latest trailer and screenshots)
Rock Band Trailer
Pre-release Champ: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
It came down to price for me. Despite the given unknown with developer Neversoft Entertainment, Guitar Hero III will cost less to get the full experience. Couple that with the fact that I want to try the other hot titles releasing this holiday and you have your winner. Buying Rock Band would probably make a severe dent in my hopes of also scoring BioShock, Mass Effect, Halo 3, GTA IV and others.
I’m sure Rock Band will be enjoyable but for average people like myself it may have priced itself out of my “affordable” range. I suppose I shouldn’t worry about the price though because just thinking about the premium downloadable content in store for both scares me. What say you?
July 17th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
dude, you’re the man! i love your articles! and i’m picking up GH3 too. Rock Band costs too much.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
$240 is insane, you can get a real electric guitar les paul on ebay for less.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
thx JTR. i make it a point to write good articles for you guys to read up on.
and yeah, the complete package should cost around that much. insane i know.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Good analysis.
I am torn here. While cost is an issue for me and that pushes me towards GH3, I don’t like the way the GH2 downloadable content was (and is being) handled. They were offered the chance to defend their pricing (on Major Nelson’s show) and declined. That peeves me more than anything and, as much as I’d love more songs, I absolutely won’t buy at $6.25 for 3 songs of their choosing. As far as Rock Band goes, while it looks great, I can’t speak to it until prices / bundles are announced.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
supposedly Rock Band will have loads of DLC. i’m sure it won’t all be free if any. GH3 has plenty planned as well. both titles will cost a pretty penny in the end if you plan to download any of the following DLC.
Rock Band’s DLC i’m sure will be more extensive than GH3’s.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Guitar Hero 3 for me.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
When I play Guitar hero it is the only game I play that gives me the feeling of “This just isn’t productive at all”. When sure no game is productive. I don’t know I like playing it and all, but part of me thinks its not worth my time when I could be leveling my CoH character, or playin a match wit my friends in Shadowrun or photoshopping a new background for my computer. But I really don’t see my self ever buying Guitar Hero 3 or Rock Band I’ll get enough of it from the 20 of my friends that will be buying them.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
David DeMartini is the in charge of Rock Band and I can tell you if he is on board for this project it will be done right. I have a backround in music so for me buying everything offered would make sense, I doubt anyone would pick up everything at once. I like the idea of an online session with freinds.
As for GH III yes the wireless controller looks sweet and it looks so far to have a great selection of music. I am in the same boat with Deac. I will get an interview when they allow it for Rock Band and after that I’ll need to way out both in the end I think both will do well to pick a winner right now would be like quessing that Peter would go from MS to EA and both news items would hit within an hour of each other. All I can say is it should be interesting to see the battle play out.
On a side note I would love either or both to be able to teach younger gamers how to read and play real music. It would help those schools who had to cut thier Music programs. I am old enough to had the pleasure of learning to play while in school (Yea I am that Old) but I think both projects show amazing potential to do more than entertain.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
I agree with EvilTodd.
While I’m leaning towards my unhealthy love of Guitar Hero, I abhor how Activision/Neversoft/RedOctane are handling the DLC issue and pricing. They had a chance to defend it and make amends but they have no interest in appealing to the customers. Because of that, I refuse to buy their product new. I’ll wait until someone puts theirs on eBay or resells to Gamestop. I’ll be damned if they get my money ever again.
On the other hand, Rock Band has MTV and Harmonix backing it (and EA’s supple, yet insatiable wallet) so you know the songs will be plentiful. I see the $200 price tag as a bit high though and it’s holding me back. I would bite at $150 ($60 for the game and $30 for each instrument), but $200 is a bit greedy.
It will all come down to pricing in the long run. I will own both, but GH3 will be used and Rock Band will have to be cheaper than $200 (used or new).
July 17th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
well no doubt GH3 has the better looking guitar
i’m excited to try the new Les Paul.
July 18th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Really? I thought the Fender Stratocaster looked really amazing. Either way, there both winners in my book since they’re both WIRELESS and come in black. That was my biggest gripe about the GH2 guitar was that it looked like you were holding a Fisher price toy while playing, and it was wired..booooo!
Oh’ and I’m gonna try hard to get both titles. Even if that means working overtime everyday till release
July 18th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
i’ll have to give these both a run when they release to see which is best.
July 18th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
…..I’m sure in rock band they’re going to allow you to play with just guitar….just as you can in GH3. And if you have to depend on friends across the country i’m sorry……how about getting friends that live near you, and chip in some money, so you can get the accessories……and for some music game fans all you’ll need to buy is the drum kit……the controllers from GH2 (depending on how much those solo buttons on the Rock Band Strat come into gameplay) and a USB mic from Singstar will most likely work……come on people…….rock band all the way……although i’m getting both =)
July 21st, 2007 at 11:49 pm
yeah you can play with just the guitar in Rock Band.
August 1st, 2007 at 1:55 pm
hey everyone, go and recruit friends to pitch in for rock band, so they can be hanging around all the time in your house….. unrealistic
honestly, it will be rare to get 4 people to sit down and play.. i dont have xbox live so this becomes almost out of the question for me
and who honestly wants to set up a little rock band up somewher in their place.. i personally have no room for drums and 2 guitars to be nicely spaced out
having two guitars playing at the same time is both enough and enjoyable.. Rock band is taking things too far for my preference
the microphone looks super lame.. ill go to a kareoke with my gf if i wanted to sing
look at the price people.. i can’t believe so many people are trying to justify the $200 price (which I’m sure will be higher)
Now comparing song lists… NOONE can say which list is definitely better than the other one.. that is all personal preference (I prefer GH3 from what wiki says so far)
I also speculate that guitar hero will have many more unlockables (being made by neversoft) which is always fun
and who cares if harmonix is doing rock band.. creating rhythm games has been done successfully by many companies
that’s all from me..
i personally see Guitar hero 3 winning the “pro face off” against rock band for these mentioned reasons
August 1st, 2007 at 2:04 pm
well i’m all for GH3 at this point simply because i don’t HAVE to buy all the other peripherals to enjoy the game to its fullest. with Rock Band you have to have those other accessories or someone you know has to in order to get the full experience.
August 10th, 2007 at 12:23 am
Will GH2 (ps2) controller work on with (ps3) rock band?
August 10th, 2007 at 6:38 am
i’ll see if i can find that out.
August 16th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Im definately getting GH3 too..the fact that they have better songs for me is good enough to buy it.
70 songs!!! woohoo!!!
August 17th, 2007 at 11:38 am
yep no doubt..GH3 is looking good!
August 19th, 2007 at 8:22 am
In looking at both games as of what I have found in contenet on the web, they are a dead heat. I am definatley budget sensitive in my house and have to make a decision either way. I will get one or the other but not both. I love GH2 right now. I can’t stop playing it to the point my children are learning all the songs and sing along. I originally was leaning towards GH3 but with all the great things being said about Rock Band, I am questioning my decision. I think it will come down to song lists and what my other friends (who live 1500 miles away) are getting. Multiplayer online is a big thing for me now that it will be available on XBox Live. Any suggestions?
Tough question, I know. It’s the same I have been asking myself since the games were announced. Did I read somewhere that the GH2 or Wireless 3 will be compatible with Rock Band? That could make a world of difference where the game can be purchased seperately from the guitar and therefor be in my library along with GH3. Great articles, I love reading the info you have! Thanks.
August 20th, 2007 at 5:48 am
“It’s called Rock “Band” not Rock Solo for a reason. I think someone behind the scenes is counting on this whole “band” thing a bit ya think? (cha-ching)
I don’t have much media on Rock Band because EA isn’t sharing. I’ve asked for a few things but no such luck. The last thing I heard was that Peter Moore secured all Rock Band accessories to fine tune his skills. So Peter, throw me a bone here.”
I don’t know, but it seems that the writer may have somewhat of a personal axe to grind against the Rock Band team.
August 20th, 2007 at 6:27 am
i don’t make $ to have a personal grind against the Rock Band team lol. that was my off sense of humor at play there.
but don’t be fooled into thinking the whole “band” element isn’t being counted on to cash in. come on. are you going to buy the additional accessories? if yes, then well my point exactly lol
August 24th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
[...] I even let my inner rock star out with some Rock Band action. The game is a lot of fun when you have a “band” with you. The Fender Stratocaster felt and played really good. I’m not so sure where I stand in the battle of Guitar Hero 3 vs. Rock Band. [...]
September 14th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
hey man, I’ve been torn between Rockband and Guitar Hero 3 for like a month, my friend got GH2 for his 360 and after playing that i knew i needed to get one of the new ones for my ps3, i think im gunna go with GH3 becuz the facts u gave me and also my friend prordered it although i wanna check the songs first to see what one has more songs i like and i also wanna check downloadable content for rockband.☺
September 14th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
well Rock Band is pretty solid. i’ve played it a few times recently. i really think they’ll both be pretty good.
October 1st, 2007 at 9:28 am
[...] know a lot of you have been waiting on this little gem for a while. I know personally I’ve speculated what the price might be but now MTV has let it out. Rock Band will retail for $169.99 and release [...]
October 9th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
hmm……really can’t we just play GH2 and turn down the sound. I tried playing the whole Metallica collection on GH2 with my ipod on and xbox360 sound down. I see no difference and no reason to buy more songs for these types of games.
October 10th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
According to the wikipedia page, the Rock Band bundle (guitar, drum set, mic) will cost $169.99 ($159.99 for PS2 version). Could be wrong, I suppose, but it could be true too.
For me, I’ll probably go Rock Band because of the drums and mic. Of course, the songs are somewhat complicating my decision. Both with feature Metallica songs, but GH3 will have Slayer and Iron Maiden. Being a metalhead, the songs may alter my choice, but with downloadable content, that might become a moot point, especially if both games get songs from the same artists.
October 10th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
look about 2 posts above yours Dave
October 11th, 2007 at 6:48 am
yo rock band has lowered its price 2 170$$$$
October 11th, 2007 at 7:56 am
yeah i know. i made a post about that several days ago.
October 16th, 2007 at 8:19 am
just played with the GH3 guitar and it is the roxxors!
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:08 pm
I’m pretty sure that i’m getting Guitar Hero 3. Not only is it cheaper, but the song list is way better, ( raining blood, number of the beast, one, etc.) It has Slash, and if i’m not mistaken you can play co-op ( lead and bass guitars,)
career mode, which, although it isn’t exactly a band, should be pretty cool.
Both games have a lot to offer, but i’m going with GH3.
November 9th, 2007 at 11:38 am
[...] undecided in the Guitar Hero III vs. Rock Band debate? Perhaps a look at the track list for Rock Band will help. Already made your choice? [...]
November 20th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
[...] Allow myself to quote myself (ha) from a Rock Band article here on U360. [...]
November 26th, 2007 at 8:03 am
I’m don’t play a lot of video games, but I have to tell you that I played Rock band this weekend, and the best part about it is playing the drums. I’d buy it just for the drums.
November 26th, 2007 at 8:23 am
the drums are more difficult to learn than the guitar i heard.
December 10th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Does anyone know if the Rock Band guitar can be used to play Guitar Hero III?
December 12th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I found out that they are not compatible.
December 12th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
do you mean PS3 wise? they should be playable on the Xbox 360 version.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Lol forget choosing I’m getting both!!
January 2nd, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Rockband sucks ass GH3 is where its at, its cheaper and better, and harder.