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For a very long time I couldn't decide if I wanted to get Rock Band or Guitar Hero. With these games out for multiple systems, I wasn't even sure which system to get it for. After a lot of research and a lot of consideration, I finally went with Rock Band for Xbox 360. I found it to be in all ways better than the other games.

There were a lot of factors that led me to this decision.

First of all, Rock Band works with 4 players where Guitar Hero can only support 2. It's so much more fun to have 4 friends be able to play at once, rather than taking turns between the only available guitars.

Rock Band not only features guitars, but also a drum set, and singer. It adds a whole new dynamic to the game to have a drummer who has to keep rhythm and anchor the band. The singing aspect makes the game far more approachable for even novice players as it uses an instrument we have all been playing since we were born, your voice.

Rock Band has far more songs than Guitar Hero, and the songs it includes are very well selected. While most Guitar Hero songs are just hard on the ears, almost every Rock Band song has a great beat and fun melodies. The only downside to this is you get the songs stuck in your head quite easily. They are constantly adding new songs available for download for just a couple dollars each.

While the quick play multiplayer modes are almost exactly the same with both games, Rock Band has a Band World Tour mode where you can put together a band of up to 4 of your friends, and tour the world. You jump from city to city, earning vans, tour buses, and even a private jet to carry you all over the world playing gigs and fun events to boost your fanbase and earn your fortune.

Guitar Hero has a set number of characters to choose from, and a few guitars to earn. With Rock Band, you create a character from scratch, customize every part of their features, wardrobe, and even add custom painted tattoos. You can also earn a huge variety of instruments and customize them with your own paint jobs.

The only downside is Rock Band costs a lot more than Guitar Hero. This is because you get 3 functional instruments along with the game, where Guitar Hero just comes with the game and a guitar. When you factor in the price of a single instrument, Rock Band is actually a lot cheaper considering what you get in return.

I got Rock Band for the Xbox360 simply because of the online features. With Xbox Live, you can download hundreds of new songs, post your high scores online, and duel people over the internet. The Wii lacks this kind of connectivity at this time but may end up catching up its network in the near future.  

Im going to have to say Guitar Hero wins over Rock Band but personally I am not a fan of either...

Im just telling you which I prefer

I'm loving Rock Band. I've been playing it occasionally for a few months now and it's quite addictive! I'm usually the singer, and have gone from the Easy mode up to Expert, where I've learned it's much more accusing if you're a little sharp or flat. Usually, to keep the fun in it, I stay on Hard mode. That's enough of a challenge and it doesn't take the fun out. :-) I've made a few bands with my best friend, and while I love the singing and seem to be able to keep afloat (even if that means singing, "hmm mmm mmm mmmm" on songs I don't know), but I've recently been trying my hand at guitar. Oy, can I just say that'll drive you crazy!! It's a love/hate relationship I guess. I love the challenge, but hate how lame I am. Hah. Yesterday I tried my hand once again and did a little better. I think my problem is that I hear too many things in every song - the rythem, melody, not to mention about 5 various harmonies. Sometimes the guitar hits on the downbeat, which throws me off. Ahh well, I'm determined to learn and not give up. It's fun! Oh, and it also gives your right wrist/forearm a workout if you're not used to guitar playing. Next: DRUMS!!

Fancy Rabbit,

Meant to ask you why you prefer Guitar Hero over Rock Band? I've never played Guitar Hero, only seen it briefly in stores, etc. What are your thoughts?

It really is a great game. I'm still amazed how well you can handle yourself with singing. The nice thing about singing is it actually improves your voice. It's like fun voice lessons, constantly teaching you how to raise or lower your pitch to fit with the music. Aside from teaching you good pitch, and attuning your ears to hear the melodies, it gives your vocal cords a real workout. Some of those expert mode songs have you holding a 20 or 30 second note while constantly raising the pitch. If you played it enough, you would really improve your singing quality a great deal.

The drums also teach you to keep a perfect rhythm. You also learn all kinds of patterns and beats. The drum set is modeled after a real drum set, so you could theoretically jump right into a real band and do reasonably well.

The only instrument that doesn't really help you is guitar. The colored buttons don't represent any real strings on a real guitar. While your fingers will build up enough strength, speed, and stamina to play a real guitar, you will need to learn some chords and build up some callouses before you can rock out with the pros.
 

I really don't much like the songs in guitar hero. Most are so forgettable that I can't even remember what songs are in the game. I just remember being so surprised when I found a song that I actually liked. Rock Band, on the other hand, is full of great songs. Out of over 60 songs, there are just a couple that I don't like. Each one was obviously painstakingly chosen for its musical elements. Each has great music, impressive guitar riffs, or crazy drum solos. It's balanced out so everyone in the band has a great time.

I also like how the Rock Band characters actually sing and dance along with the music. Their mouths move to the words, their expressions change as they belt the chorus. They jump around the stage, kick and dance to the beat, and occasionally jump off the stage to do some crowd surfing. On Guitar Hero they really only do interesting things when they kick into overdrive and start spewing flames or puking acid from the stage. It's just not as cool.

Oh yeah, that guitar is NOT meant to be thought of as being modeled after a real guitar. I've played a little bit of guitar (and I mean LITTLE, haha) and there aren't any colors to let you cheat by! It takes work and practice on a real guitar, although the Rock Band guitar is still a lot of fun. I have learned, though, that it teaches you to play not by your own ear, but the way you'd play with a full band. There are many times you're "strumming" on the rythem, only to have it switch up on you and make you then play on the downbeat. That throws me off! But it's also made me aware of guitar playing in it's own right and it's own uniquness.

Yesterday I went shopping at Wal-Mart and stopped in at the electronics section. They had a Guitar Hero demo on display. So I picked it up and started jamming on expert mode. I must have been doing pretty well because after a couple songs, I actually had a small crowd watching me perform. I didn't really know whether to be flattered at the attention ashamed that I was so good at playing on a plastic guitar.

Who knew all that practice and all those virtual fans would actually pay off in the real world. Perhaps I could set up my Xbox on a street corner and jam so people would throw coins at my TV.