Rock Band 4 is the newest iteration to the Rock Band series after years of lying dormant as the game genre is starting to slip away from the highlights. The game feels very identical to the previous Rock Band games that were played last decade. In fact, it feels all too familiar. Newer generation of players might find the game to be quite new. However, those who has been around the start of the 21st century will know exactly what they’re going to get.
Rock Band 4 Feels Familiar, Too Familiar.
While Rock Band 4 presents an all too familiar experience, it does not stray away too much from its original formula of playstyle While it is not ambitious, it is just a reminder as to how fun it was (and still is) when it comes to playing with plastic instruments. The fun even increases when you are now able to try out this new iteration with the latest game systems, and most especially with your friends.
Since the game is available in several versions (due to its welcoming feature of being backwards compatible with older Rock Band instruments), there are variants for the PS3, PS4, and the Xbox One.
The gameplay and structure of the new Rock Band are mostly unchanged from its previous iterations. For the guitar and bass players, they will follow five columns of colored gems as these slide down across the screen. Players would then have to hit the right colored button as they strum the guitar with the right timing. For drummers, they would follow four columns of colored gems as these slide down the screen. There is also an additional challenge for drummers as an orange line will come across their part of the screen. When this line arrives, they have to stomp the bass drum pedal with the right timing.
As with other Rock Band games, up to four players can play at the same time. These players will fill up the guitar, bass, drums, and vocal slots. There are new songs to jam to with your friends but the overall playstyle is entirely the same as with its predecessors.
While Rock Band 4 is pretty much more of the same gaming formula, this is not exactly a bad thing. Said formula was fun a few years ago, and it can still be especially when you have friends over at your house. Harmonix found the game to be a generational game rather than an annual release, and they have thought about this the right way.