June 3rd, 2008 by hylian1

One thing differently we’re going to start doing is reviewing some games that aren’t developed by Rare. This is primarily due to personal obligations but it could help to expand Rare-Elite a bit more as well in the long run. So even though it isn’t a Rare developed title, here is the first of many ‘Other Reviews’ Rare-Elite will house with reviews of Alone in the Dark and Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit coming later this month. Hit the jump for the full review of THQ’s Battle of the Bands.

Battle of the Bands is a game exclusive to the Wii that will feel somewhat similar to Activision’s Guitar Hero using only the Wiimote and a simplified control scheme. It would appeal primarily to casual gamers but could essentially attract the hardcore gamers as well who are familiar with the musical genre. While it may not live up to the likes of Guitar Hero, it has the means of standing on its own two feet. Read on to determine why.

Gameplay 8.0

Like most games of this genre, the gameplay is focused on matching certain notes in the songs with precise timing in a means to keep the songs flowing smoothly. The uniquness, however, of Battle of the Bands is the use of the Wiimote. Instead of an implementing the use of instrument or button mashing, THQ opted for the usage of simply shaking the Wiimote at the correct time. There are several different variations allowed such as Basic Beats (moving the Wiimote in the direction of the shown arrows (left, right, or down)) and Skake and Stab (shake the Wiimote left and right on squiggly lines and stab at the target). During matches, attacking is also possible when items have been collected. Just shake the Wiimote at the red arrow when it is available to launch an attack. To block incoming attacks, a simple press of the ‘B’ button is all that is required. Mastering the blocking technique is essential to winning Faceoffs.

The strongest portion of BotB is the Adventure Mode. In this mode you have the option of playing on Easy, Medium, or Hard difficulties, the decision of which will determine how challenging your quest to become the best band will be. There are several different bands to choose from as well such as Sinisister, Silence Asylum, The Rumbleweeds, Holler Hills, Defcon-X, and quite a few more. After making your selections, you go to compete head-to-head against other bands at various stages across the country. In the other mode, Versus, competitions can be against a computer controlled band or one other human player.

Graphics 7.5
Anyone familiar with Guitar Hero will know exactly what to expect here. THQ took a similar graphical approach as Activision and placed their primary focus on the gameplay rather than opt for excellent graphics. The graphics could have been a bit better, however, and should have taken a more unique approach as opposed to what we’ve seen already.

Sound 6.0
When it comes to the music, THQ made some very awry decisions of the songs they included into the title. Perhaps they had issues with obtaining the rights to hit songs, but evenso they could have did a much better job on their song choices. The majority of the songs will be unfamiliar and fail to enthrall even the most avid of those who constantly listen to music. It’s sad considering this should have been one of the biggest focuses of the game yet THQ failed to deliver.

Replay Value 7.0

The Adventure Mode may not be very long and the music not ‘great’, the variety, however, may keep your attention long enough to want to experience the game several times over. With a friend, the versus mode can sometimes be exciting and enthralling as you both battle it out over and over again to see who can reach the highest score.

Overall 7.1 out of 10
Overall, Battle of the Bands offers a unique experience that its competition doesn’t. The simplified Wii controls allows anyone of any age to access the gameplay from start to finish with no complications. With much better song offerings, online play, and even more game modes, a new outing for this possible franchise could have it ‘battling it out’ with Guitar Hero and Rock Band in the future. So all-in-all, if you’re looking for an game in the music genre that’s easy to access and fun to play, then Battle of the Bands exclusive for Wii may be just what you’re looking for.