Green Day Rock Band Review

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Green Day Rock Band Review

XXLGaming | Green Day Rock Band Review
- Written by Rick Wallace

Last year Harmonix, MTV Games and EA released The Beatles Rock Band to the masses with great reception and critical acclaim from Beatles Fans and gamers alike. Here we are 10 months later and we are getting another band specific Rock Band title only this time Green Day takes center stage. Now unless you are hiding under a rock; you have heard of Green Day or at least heard some of their music. While Green Day Rock Band will not capture the masses like The Beatles did, it will appeal to hardcore and casual fans of the band and the game franchise. It may be difficult for people to accept this title with Rock Band 3 right around the corner though. Regardless, that does not make this a terrible title or a title you should not at least glance at.

Green Day Rock Band delivers graphically with very true representations of the band members. However, when you scale it to the level of visuals that The Beatles Rock Band had you may feel a little disappointed. It could be the result of different time periods and the different auras and mystique that the two bands hold. I will say fans will appreciate the game though for sure, and they’ll enjoy the unlockable video performances as well as all the snapshots of the band over the years. I do however like how the camera angles used during performance represent almost a documentary style or music video style with candid shots of each band member. Now I am not saying the game looks bad, as that is farthest from the truth, but it does not have the same pop that we got with The Beatles.​

The game delivers some solid audio in the respect to Green Day. There is a lot of the newer music and less focus on the older stuff it seems, so some hardcore fans may find that as a downside. I am sure there will be DLC that includes some of their early works, but that has yet to be announced. But the music that is in the game really does compliment some of the bands high points in their career thus far. You have to remember one thing. Green Day was a niche band back when they started and were labeled as Punk, which tends to limit the fan base a little. I enjoyed them and I had a chance to meet them while I work at a Compact Disc manufacturing facility. They were just down to earth guys and truly enjoyed making music.

This new addition to the Rock Band family does bring some nice elements into the mix. First and foremost, the current generation can appreciate Green Day’s music. Green Day started out as 3 punk rockers but over time gradually became more secular and welcomed into the modern rock and roll world. Their music carries a certain attitude and chip on the shoulder style that really cannot be compared to any other band out there. This whole style reflects well into the presentation of the game.

So unfortunately at the request of Harmonix we were unable to access the online portion of the game due to the servers not being quite ready. But we spent lots of time in the single player career mode. The gameplay is as you would be familiar with from any other previous Rock Band title. However there are some subtle changes to how the game plays and how you advance in the career. You’ll have 3 venues with one set ready to be played in each. Once you have completed a set, a new set will open. Repeat and rinse. In addition to the sets are challenges that can be unlocked using “Cred”.​

“Cred” is earned just from playing through the sets. “Cred” is separate from the “Stars” you earn for completing a song. As the “Cred” adds up you can access the Challenges menu located in each venue’s menu screen. Each challenge you find will require a certain amount of “Cred” to complete. Unlocking the challenges allows you to then play the song set. These song sets will have certain conditions or prerequisites that have to be met in order to unlock the Award. There is a wide range of collectibles and unlockables to view with over 40 minutes of video footage, over 100 images and snapshots. Some of the collectibles are never seen before and exclusive to this game.

The 3 venues that were chosen to be in the game are specific to an iconic Album during the bands career. You will be a playing at The Warehouse, Milton Keys, and The Fox Theater, Oakland. At the Milton Keys venue you will be playing tracks from multiple albums while the other 2 venues focus solely on one album. It is a bit disappointing that there are only 3 venues for you to play at, but I will say that the detail and work in creating the live performances as well as the detail in the venues is amazing. You’ll even see footage on the video screens from the band’s latest tour. I will say I was impressed with the presentation of the performances and that I truly felt at times like I was at the actual performance watching it firsthand.

As I mentioned the game spans the past 15 plus years that Green Day has been in the spotlight. You’ll have a 40 plus song list right out of the gate featuring music from the hit albums Dookie, American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown as well as Insomniac, Warning and Nimrod. There are 6 tracks available as DLC that have previously been released. For those that are wondering, yes you can export the entire Green Day Set List to Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and eventually Rock Band 3 when it’s released. For those that do not buy a copy that includes an export code, you can purchase an export code for $9.99.​

In summary, Green Day Rock Band is a title geared for fans of the band and hardcore Rock Band gamers who must have and play every game and song. Is there a whole lot of new stuff in this game? No, it really captures the essence and attitude of the band and the accomplishments they have made over the years. I enjoy Green Day personally so the game was enjoyable to me and interesting and maybe that is a little bias. Someone who is not a fan of the band may have a little trouble swallowing this pill. To compare it to The Beatles Rock Band is a little unfair. The only thing they really have in common is that they use the same engine and focus on giving a complete history of an iconic band. Do I think there could have been better choices out there for the next band themed Rock band title? Yes. But I am sure a Green Day fan would feel differently about it.

Overall, it’s a good title and you’ll have fun with it if you like Rock Band or any of the Rock Band titles. But with Rock Band 3 now looming in the future, it will be tough for folks to really want to get into this one. Sure, it’s only a game and you don’t have to buy special instruments because it works with all Rock Band instruments as well as Guitar Hero instruments. So if the game fits your budget then by all means I recommend it. Otherwise, some may want to wait for Rock Band 3. The high point of the game is definitely the graphics and edgy presentation throughout the game whether you are in the menus or watching their performance while you play. That really is not a bad thing at all for fans of the game, so be sure to at least give it a rental at the very least.​

Link to Full Story: Rock Band: Green Day

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SETLIST and YEAR OF RELEASE
2009 "21st Century Breakdown"
2004 "American Idiot"
2009 "American Eulogy"
2004 "Are We the Waiting/St. Jimmy"
1994 "Basket Case"
2009 "Before the Lobotomy"
2004 "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
1995 "Brain Stew/Jaded"
1994 "Burnout"
1994 "Chump"
1994 "Coming Clean"
1994 "Emenius Sleepus"
2004 "Extraordinary Girl"
1994 "F.O.D."
1995 "Geek Stink Breath"
2004 "Give Me Novacaine/She's A Rebel"
1997 "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
1994 "Having a Blast"
1997 "Hitchin' a Ride"
2004 "Holiday"
2004 "Homecoming"
2009 "Horseshoes and Handgrenades"
1994 "In The End"
2004 "Jesus of Suburbia"
2009 "Last Night on Earth"
2004 "Letterbomb"
1994 "Longview"
2000 "Minority"
2009 "Murder City"
1997 "Nice Guys Finish Last"
2009 "Peacemaker"
1994 "Pulling Teeth"
2009 "Restless Heart Syndrome"
1994 "Sassafrass Roots"
2009 "See the Light"
1994 "She"
2009 "Song of the Century"
2009 "The Static Age"
2009 "¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)"
2004 "Wake Me Up When September Ends"
2000 "Warning"
1994 "Welcome to Paradise"
2004 "Whatsername"
1994 "When I Come Around"


OVERALL 85
GAMEPLAY 80
SOUND 88
GRAPHICS 90
REPLAY VALUE 75

 

[Skotekal]

Re: Green Day Rock Band Review

I like how they have all of Dookie in it. Buuuuut... I'm not really a big Green Day fan anymore. And I listened to 21 Guns not too long ago. And... It sucked. Badly. So that totall turned me off their new album.