Back in the days of the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero ruled the living room. If you or your friends had a gaming console, chances are a set of plastic drums and guitars weren't far away.
However as the last generation of gaming consoles progressed, gamers grew weary of musical rhythm games as publishers crammed a new iteration down their throats every year. These new installments brought new songs and some worthwhile features into the mix, but the core gameplay of timing your button taps to the on-screen prompt never evolved.
By the time the current era of home gaming systems launched, the genre was long dead - with many of the plastic peripherals stashed in a closet or stuffed in some landfill, never to be played with again.
This year though, it looks like the industry is getting the band back together. Both Harmonix and Activision have new installments of Rock Band and Guitar Hero coming out for the first time in years. The former has already hit store shelves while the latter can be expected in a few weeks.
For now let's see what critics think of the latest Rock Band.
Gamespot gave Rock Band 4 a 7/10, saying the game is still as fun to play as it was all those years ago. However the decision to cut out some key features and modes makes it feel like a step back in some cases:
'Unfortunately, therein lies the problem. Great as that gameplay may be, Rock Band 4 does little to distinguish itself from its predecessors outside of a handful of hit-or-miss ideas and, in some cases, even takes a small step backwards.'
Games Radar on the other hand, gave it a perfect five star rating. The new Mad Catz branded peripherals got a special mention:
'There are definite improvements to be found with the latest kit. The guitar feels more solid than before, with buttons that are more tactile and much less clicky.'
Look for more reviews in the coming days.
