If you don't follow videogames with a hawkish and cynical eye, you might see LEGO Rock Band and think it's missing a comma and conjunction, like as in "For Christmas, Billy wants some LEGOs, Rock Band and a baseball cap."
You'd be wrong, as LEGO Rock Band is exactly what it sounds like. Rock Band with LEGOS. It might also sound like this holiday's most flagrant IP cash-in and yeah, it's sort of that too.
No fault of its own. According to NPDs (sales numbers) both LEGO and Rock Band games sell fantastically. And their studios like money. You can almost hear the mad scientist: "Force them to mate and the public will gladly buy the litter." Look, I'm aware this sounds prickly, but as a man whom loves both plastic miniatures and alternative pop rock equally, I'm unashamed to say this game's has been on my radar for some time. I'm ok with my emotion's being exploited a little, so long as I'm having fun.
But that doesn't mean it for you.
Here's a seasonal analogy: This season's rhythm games are like Christmas Trees, remove all the ornaments - the Beatles balls, the Tween Rock tencil - and its just any old tree. Deciding which of these specialty trees is for you then, is much like deciding what type of rhythm game you want.
Of all three, LEGO Rock Band has, perhaps, the smallest audience. Band Hero chose to appeal to tweens and met that goal. LEGO Rock Band thinks it wants a similar audience, but also cool adults. And maybe cool teenagers. And maybe cool little kids. The only unifying factor is the pursuit of cool. If Band Hero's playlist belongs on your city's most popular radio station, LEGO Rock Band's fits in with the second most popular alternative rock radio station.
Instead of choosing a specialty market, LEGO Rock Band's chosen a tone.
The tone, in general, is a bit of a mess. Both Harmonix and and Traveller's Tales write excellent game copy. What a bummer then that LEGO Rock Band's reads more like the back of a LEGO box.
And I know size is a touchy subject, but the set list is small. 45 songs small. For $50, that's not terrible, but charging another $10 to transfer the tunes to Rock Band 2, come on. Charging gamers for songs they already bought will not endear them to your franchise.
But these are trivial snags if 1.) This is on your Christmas List (doesn't cost you anything!) or 2.) like me, you love LEGOs and/or alternative pop rock. The LEGO's adventure is a blast. On your tour, like the one in every rhythm game, you travel through time sorting out trouble. Rock Power Challenges, think Beatles Rock Band dreamscapes, break things up and even play a little different, affording each player a few seconds to kick band and enjoy the music video rolling behind the note highways. And the LEGO mood, somewhere between a silent film and an acid trip, makes for relaxing pick up and play session.
