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Review - Band Hero

Formats: PS3, PS2, X360, Wii & DS
RRP from: £24.99
Buy from: £24.96
Released: Out Now

Guitar Hero and Rock Band have both been massive successes. Gamers love the mixture of compelling gameplay, fun peripherals and a chance to show off. The games, though, have always stuck fairly strictly to the rock genre. If you prefer Taylor Swift to Pat Benatar and The Jackson 5 to Blink-182 you weren’t going to get much out of these games and would be left singing your lungs out on SingStar. Neversoft has finally shed the shaggy metalhead hairdo and opened up the game to other genres. Coming hot on the heels of the awesome DJ Hero with multi-genre mixes, Band Hero offers a more mainstream, pop sensibility.

The tracklist features acts like Katrina and the Waves, Janet Jackson, Snow Patrol and the Spice Girls. It’s certainly not cool or cutting edge but in some ways it’s a hell of a lot easier and more fun to play because so many more of the songs are recognisable and catchy. It’s not just the tracks that have had a makeover, though: the whole look of the game is a little brighter, smoother and welcoming to those who aren’t already bedroom Guitar Heroes.

You can create and customise a character for yourself and it’s easy to see from the preset characters, who’ve featured in previous GH games, that they’re all a little less threatening-looking and a little more jolly. The gameplay is mostly unchanged but there are a few bonus notes to hit, some nice additional multiplayer modes and the HUD has had a few tweaks which help clarify how you’re playing as you go along.

The drum kit has been overhauled to address past issues, making the hi-hat pads easier to use and the whole kit a bit heavier and sturdier. For those who already love the game there isn’t a great deal more here, but those who always felt on the periphery because they didn’t know the songs will have a whole new world opened up to them here. About time too!

8/10

Review by Kirsten Kearney