Choice for gift: Guitar Hero or RB

[General Salty]

besides the actual amount of songs on each playlist, is there a preference, one game over another, based on the actual songs?

[Pelican170]

Originally Posted by General Salty

besides the actual amount of songs on each playlist, is there a preference, one game over another, based on the actual songs?

I think thats just individual opinion of what type of music they like...

[Xerious]

Rock Band 2 all the way...

[General Salty]

Originally Posted by Pelican170

I think thats just individual opinion of what type of music they like...

agreed, but let's say you like/know 65% of GH's songs vs 45% of RB (of the game disc songs, no DLC), is that enough to sway a decision, or would you still choose RB because of the gameplay?

[Dharkanjil]

Originally Posted by General Salty

agreed, but let's say you like/know 65% of GH's songs vs 45% of RB (of the game disc songs, no DLC), is that enough to sway a decision, or would you still choose RB because of the gameplay?

Definitely, especially if you plan on doing a lot on vocals (by far the biggest gameplay strike against GH)

[General Salty]

you guys are definitely swaying the needle to RB's side, keep it flowing...

[Steelmaker]

I definitely vote Rock Band for both the instruments and the game!

[CosmoKid]

I have been going through this for over a year. I wanted to pick up one of the games and everything pointed to Rock Band. I really didnt want to store the drum set in the house and I got a great deal on GH so I went that route.

Seemed like a can;t lose either way.

I ended up getting in o nthe deal for GH, GH WT, the old guitar and the new one for $95 shipped. Figured why not.

[jswilli1]

Rockband 2, I just picked up the cymbol kit for the drums (29.99) and they are built solid. We rented GHWT and finished it in a few days of play (medium). We have yet to finish RB2 but getting there. The Guitar in RB2 has been made to be harder, and I do find it more challenging than before. The ability to use the songs from RB ($5.00) makes it all the more better. With any GH you have to put in that particular game to play the music (I.E. L.O.R, WT, or Aerosmith). With RB2 that added a feature to see the difficulty of the song before you select it while playing and you can change the way the music is listed alphabetically, by genre, difficulty, or band. My vote would be RB2, I will eventually get GHWT when they drop the price way down.

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by Dharkanjil

Definitely, especially if you plan on doing a lot on vocals (by far the biggest gameplay strike against GH)

I'm a top 10 vocalist on PSN for Rock Band and I can attest to this.

Vocals on GHWT are an unmitigated disaster. The scoring is a farce, from absurdly tight pitch detection to weird inflated scoring from freeforms.

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As for which game to get as a gift, it really depends on who you're buying it for.

If you're buying for someone who is a dedicated Guitar Hero 2 or GH3 player who has no interest in migrating away from plastic guitar, then go with GHWT.

If you're buying for someone who is likely to play drums or vocals, however, Rock Band 2 all the way.

I've already touched on the issues on vocals, and drums star power activation in GHWT is jarring and weird because you have to hit both cymbals at the same time, sometimes in the middle of a string of beats, which can be almost impossible to do without breaking streak, especially in long, complex sections of songs without breaks. This is also, sadly, exactly the time when you'd want star power active (to get through tough spots in song), so it sort of sets you up for failure before you even begin.

If the person you're giving the game to has any interest whatsoever in playing online, get Rock Band, even if they're playing guitar or bass only. GHWT's multiplayer design is, in a word, disastrous.

TL;DR: If they're playing solo guitar or bass only, get GHWT. If they're playing anything else, or playing online co-op, get Rock Band 2.