LEGO Rock Band Review

Block party.

Version tested:

This isn't the first family-friendly reskin of a popular rhythm-action game we've seen this month. Band Hero gave Guitar Hero 5 a glittery pink-and-purple makeover and a soundtrack of cheerily meaningless pop in a rather-too-calculated approach to broadening the plastic-instrument market to women and families. The new look was cynical, yes, but what really let it down was a tracklist that was in no way suited to Guitar Hero's gameplay or instruments. Nobody wants to play along to the keyboard in a Spice Girls track on a plastic guitar.

LEGO Rock Band doesn't make the same mistakes. It's just as derivative as Band Hero, but many times as likeable, and the music and gameplay are still perfectly compatible. The style, as with all the LEGO games thus far, is adorable - so adorable that it makes you wish you could import all your Rock Band 2 tracks and adopt it as the default option. Who wants grainy camera effects and earnest-looking frontmen with pink-and-black emovers when you can have LEGO Bryan May?

Importantly, though, it isn't just a reskin. Besides the presentation, things have been tweaked a little to make classic Rock Band gameplay friendlier to under-socialised narcissists with non-existent attention spans (i.e. children). It's impossible to fail a song - you just get fewer LEGO studs as a reward for completing it. Even if you do fail out and lose studs, you can play a 'recovery phrase' and get them all back again. Rock Band has had a no-fail option for a while, of course, but now you don't need to bother nipping into a menu to activate it.

'LEGO Rock Band' Screenshot freddie

Sing, LEGO Freddie, sing your tiny plastic heart out!

There's a new Super Easy difficulty setting, too, in which you just have to strum, hit a drum pad or scream "GHOSTBUSTERS GHOSTBUSTERS AAAAH GHOSTBUSTERS" into a microphone for three minutes without worrying about actual notes or pitch. There's also an automatic setting for the drum's bass pedal to help out tiny musicians who are too short to hit anything but the pads. Lastly, you can play shortened versions of songs in Free Play instead of the full four-minute Experience, but unfortunately the editing is horrible. Songs just suddenly cut out before a chorus or solo instead of being properly cropped.

The tour is different as well. It's been renamed Story mode and is now punctuated by whimsical LEGO cut-scenes and special gigs called Rock Challenges, which have you fighting octopuses or banishing ghosts or tearing a house down with the power of rock. The cut-scenes would be worth a playthrough all on their own were it not for the enormous repetition. You must play the same songs over and over and over again in different venues until you'll be ready to tear Good Charlotte's spiky heads off with your bare hands, if you weren't already.

Rock Band has always had this problem, forcing you to play in your safe zone for ages rather than letting you try new songs at will, but LEGO Rock Band's relatively meagre 45-strong tracklist exacerbates the problem. The small selection of songs means that the repetition is just as bad towards the end of the tour as it is at the beginning.

The Rock Den is the hub from which you can buy new vehicles, access new gigs, watch old cut-scenes, customise your band or hire new tour staff in Story mode. It increases the number of loading screens between you and a song, which is never a good thing, but you can decorate it with things that you earn throughout the tour - teensy LEGO guitars, plants, signs for the walls, couches, speaker sets, all sorts. In true LEGO tradition, there's an overwhelming amount of stuff to unlock, buy or collect as you complete gigs - everything from lovingly-created LEGO-fied guitars to special wall signs for the rock den to plants and sofas to decorate the TV-viewing area. The initially tiny selection of different LEGO heads, bodies and hair with which to customise your band and entourage also broadens with each completed venue.

Despite all this new stuff, LEGO Rock Band is still Rock Band 2 in every significant way. To the extent that this is just a reskin, though, it's a lovely one. It's bright, slapstick and unselfconsciously funny. The scrolling notes now have little LEGO studs on them. The energetic stage shows are full of humour and personality. The presentation is a universal success, managing to retain both Rock Band's passionate rock 'n' roll sexiness and the LEGO games' innocent charm - you want to hug the tiny performers rather than throw pants at them, but this is supposed to be family-friendly after all.

'LEGO Rock Band' Screenshot bowie

Likewise, LEGO Bowie! (Do kids even know who these people are?)

Guest appearances from LEGO Blur, Queen, Bowie and Iggy Pop are absolutely brilliant, though their songs cannot be played as part of a setlist because they insist on their own custom venues. You can't use them for any songs other than their own, either, or recruit LEGO Bryan May and LEGO Damon Albarn to your LEGO rock supergroup. Presumably everyone's trying their utmost to avoid another Kurt-Cobain-singing-Bring-the Noize-on-Youtube scandal, the boring so-and-sos.

The tracklist itself has as much stuff for parents as it does for kids. It's an unusual selection - Elton John next to KoRn, KT Tunstall a few strums away from Bryan Adams, P!nk, Ghostbusters and Vampire Weekend in the same setlist - but undeniably varied. You can import the tracks into Rock Band 2 for 800 Microsoft Points (£6.80 / about two London pints), but it doesn't work the other way around. You can, however, play download tracks from the store or play ones you've already bought as long as they pass a family-friendly filter. God only knows what the criteria for 'family-friendly' are, though - a quick poke around the DLC store didn't really enlighten me, as Iron Maiden and Tenacious D are still there and I couldn't figure out what, if anything, was gone.

'LEGO Rock Band' Screenshot instruments

The LEGO instruments are awesomely detailed. I'd buy life-size versions to go with my 70 other plastic instruments if it were possible.

The tracklist is up to scratch, then, and can reasonably be called 'rock' in all but a few cases, but it's rather short by modern standards at 45 songs. In the end, this is LEGO Rock Band's only real problem; it feels like half a game. I love the presentation, but aside from the kid-friendly gameplay tweaks, LEGO Rock Band doesn't offer much as a standalone release and is more of a quirky track pack than anything else. There's no online play whatsoever, too, and no extra challenges outside of Story mode's tour.

It's difficult to be cutting about a game this energetic and adorable, but LEGO Rock Band is ultimately as pointless as it is lovable. It strips out a few of Rock Band 2's features and half the setlist and still charges you the same money. It's a more accessible, less fully-featured and cutely presented version of a great game, but once you factor in the track transfer fee, it's a £40 track-pack with some LEGO cut-scenes. For younger kids, though, it's brilliant, and the tracklist and visuals will probably make you smile almost as much as them, even if the price-tag makes you wince.

7 / 10

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Comments (43) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ChrisTop #1 2 years ago

    That didn't happen...
  • OllyJ #2 2 years ago

    Iron Maiden are not offensive so that's why they are still there.
  • spadge #3 2 years ago

    Has it got 'Another Brick in the wall' on it?
  • Zomoniac #4 2 years ago

    Not looking forward to going for the 100% Final Countdown solo on expert guitar achievement.

    Still, Two Princes on expert drums should be damn good fun.
    Edited by 1 at 25/11/09 @ 11:37
  • Flabio #5 2 years ago

    So, is there nothing stopping you from renting it, paying the 800 points to put the tracks into RockBand2, and then taking it back?
  • Fitzmogwai #6 2 years ago

    LEGO Bowie, I choose YOU!
  • PlugMonkey #7 2 years ago

    So, is there nothing stopping you from renting it, paying the 800 points to put the tracks into RockBand2, and then taking it back?

    I would also like to know the answer to this question.
  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #8 2 years ago

    I remember the days when Lego was a construction toy.

    I expect James May takes a very dim view of this cynical, franchise-melding bastardisation of the simple joys of making your own designs of toys out of bits of nobbly plastic.
  • danathjo #9 2 years ago

    @Flabio
    as long as you're the first one to rent it and use the one time code..no

    unless they decide to print it on a seperate piece of paper instead of the manual which is unlikely to be passed on from Blockbuster/wherever you rent it from
  • Toothball #10 2 years ago

    I've not been a fan of the Lego games so far, as controversially I don't really care much for Lego these days. Sure I enjoyed playing with it in my younger days, but I moved on to games over time. I've also never been a big fan of parodies which is essentially what the Lego movie games are, although I can appreciate that they've been done well and I'm probably the only one I know who doesn't care for them.

    Rock Band though is a particular passion of mine, and I relish any opportunity to play more of it. My band are all in the camp who enjoyed the Lego games, so I can follow along with that for this one. It will be the first Rock Band game I'm not taking time off work to play on launch. No way I'm taking it that seriously.
  • cnlfailure #11 2 years ago

    Pre-ordered purely to import the lot into RB2.
  • Shadders #12 2 years ago

    It's unforgivable that there isn't a version of this featuring a big box of bricks to build your own instruments.

    Indefensible.
  • jonsaan #13 2 years ago

    That picture of queen made me laugh so hard! Awesome!
  • Zastai #14 2 years ago

    of my 400+ DLC tracks less than a third are playable in LRB. still, if this had online multiplayer, i'd play it much more.
    the Final Countdown trophy is extremely evil though
  • M_of_the_sys #15 2 years ago

    Why does Lego Bowie look like Luke Skywalker?

    Edit: Actually, Lego 'whoever that is on the right' in the picture on the front page looks more like Luke Skywalker.
    Edited by 1 at 25/11/09 @ 12:35
  • makeamazing #16 2 years ago

    Too many Band/Hero games coming out...I suspect this will do better than band hero or whatever it was called, just because its lego, but way to fleece customers with the same old stuff with just a different interface.
  • mostly_harmless #17 2 years ago

    Why does Lego Bowie look like Luke Skywalker?
    Edit: Actually, Lego 'whoever that is on the right' in the picture on the front page looks more like Luke Skywalker.'



    I assume that's supposed to be John 'Tea' Deacon.

    Edited by 3 at 25/11/09 @ 13:10
  • BOFH_UK #18 2 years ago

    Umm, sorry to sound like a raging fanboy but... BRIAN May, BRIAN. not Bryan.
  • ForburyLion #19 2 years ago

    Only a matter of time before Activision release Lego Call of Duty.
  • Beano #20 2 years ago

    "Only a matter of time before Activision release Lego Call of Duty. "

    Hey as long as it is better than the rubbish COD:MW2 :)
  • Shadders #21 2 years ago

    MW2 storyline would probably make more sense if it was in a Lego game, at least it'd explain why it was all cobbled together.
  • Flabio #22 2 years ago

    @danathjo - is it a one time code though? The transfer of Rockband1 into Rockband2 wasn't a one time code, it was just an option in the front end. Once you've paid the points the option stopped being greyed out.
  • Soul_man #23 2 years ago

    So when's LEGO Half-Life coming out? Or LEGO Grand Theft Auto?
  • RobotRocker #24 2 years ago

    unless they decide to print it on a seperate piece of paper instead of the manual which is unlikely to be passed on from Blockbuster/wherever you rent it from

    The Yank version has it on a separate piece of paper like Forza 3 did so no chance of the ol' rent me n' export me do. A few places are launching it at around £25-30 like HMV and Gamestation so the damage wont be too bad either.

    Keza: The Rock Band 2 tracks probably wont be exportable until Rock Band 3 inevitably arrives and Harmonix patch in an export option. So probably next summer at least. Also, they have a list of songs compatible on the big tracklist page here

    [link url=http://www.rockband.com /music
    ]http://www.rockband.com /music
    [/link]

    If its FF, its available in Lego RB. If not, its only available in RB1/RB2
  • danathjo #25 2 years ago

    @Flabio
    Going by the thier AC DC release which was a one time use code they've wised up to the fact that many people will be doing this

    just had a quick google and the US LRB is a one time code
    <a href="http://www.rockba nd.com/lego-export
    ">http://www.rockba nd.com/lego-export
    </a>
    Note: This code is unique and can only be used once!

    Edited by 1 at 25/11/09 @ 14:19
  • Vroom #26 2 years ago

    Sounds good to me.
    Edited by 1 at 25/11/09 @ 14:30
  • Toothball #27 2 years ago

    Well I cracked and ordered it as it's pretty cheap online. Few more pounds to get the track list into Rock Band proper won't be so bad if it's necessary.

    @danathjo:

    Oh, that redemption page is interesting. It's a four block code, which is a bit like the one that came with the Beatles. I guess that how the Beatles one might be used then, although who knows on what?

    I'd also expect to see any such code on the back of the manual instead of a piece of paper, but that's a pretty insignificant detail really.
    Edited by 1 at 25/11/09 @ 14:39
  • Obit #28 2 years ago

    800 MSP to import the tracks to RB2? WTF?
    Importing the Band hero songs into GH5 costs 480 MSP, and that's 61 songs, not just 40ish.
    But we don't mention that, because Harmonix is musicians and Neversoft is the devil amirite.
  • Flabio #29 2 years ago

    I think it's more that you might actually want to import this into Rock Band compared to wanting to import the tracks from Band Hero into, well, anything.
  • RobotRocker #30 2 years ago

    You can import the tracks into GH5 and have Kurt Cobain do the YMCA. Thats got to be worth some comedy value

    800pts isnt too bad considering you can export the Hendrix track as well since the Hendrix estate was quite snippy regarding Guitar Hero importing the DLC too.
  • Caspar_Esq. #31 2 years ago

    I genuinely thought this was a joke. Lego Rock Band?
  • Obit #32 2 years ago

    Not saying the Band Hero tracks are good (some are though) or that I'd want to import them, but the price gouging going on here when they already charge full price for 45 songs is rather lame.
    How good the tracks are doesn't really matter as I'm sure the crap pop songs in Band Hero costs the same to license as the songs in L:RB
    Edited by 1 at 25/11/09 @ 16:01
  • Lee_Morris #33 2 years ago

    (or 3 Yorkshire pints)

    When this drops in price I will as some of the songs on there I love (A Punk, hell yeah) and some which I know will go down well with my friends (good charlotte, hell no). 45 songs really is abit meager.
  • hiddenranbir #34 2 years ago

    Wait... Lego with vocals?
  • vegard #35 2 years ago

  • varsas #36 2 years ago

    Who pays full price for games these days? This can be found at £27 on Xbox/PS3 and £18 on Wii.
  • paulf #37 2 years ago

    I've had this on preorder since the Brian May hairstyle article, looks great fun - and yes around 30 quid online
  • metalangel #38 2 years ago

    I'm with Toothball on this. When I was a kid (I'm not 30 yet, before anyone wonders), Lego characters had one face, :) and they were Town, Space or Castle if they weren't just generic Lego. Technic was likewas just gears and pneumatics. A golden time.

    Now they have Bionicle (spindly things vs other spindly things to see whose power is over 9000!!!!!), NBA Lego, Star Wars Lego (which was the start of all this, really), Batman Lego... the characters have gurning angry faces and stupid anime hair, the models are almost entirely bespoke parts so as to look more 'realistic' and be quicker for this impatient generation of mouthbreathers to assemble. And now this flood of games. Granted some have been genuinely good fun, but Lego Rock Band??? Tchoh. Back when I was a kid, if you could afford the proper electric train set from Lego, that was all your dreams realized. Now it's all DLC and Pimp Lego.
  • Ergates_Antius #39 2 years ago

    @Toothball
    "I've not been a fan of the Lego games so far, as controversially I don't really care much for Lego these days. Sure I enjoyed playing with it in my younger days, but I moved on to games over time."

    You do realise that the lego games don't actually involve playing with lego right? And they're not really parodies either.

    Fair enough if you don't like them, but at least don't like them for the right reasons.
  • TheSaint #40 2 years ago

    If this gets a Beatles style price drop it could be £15 by Christmas.
  • Toothball #41 2 years ago

    @Ergates_Antius:

    From what I've seen while friends have been playing with them, they are essentially versions of the movies they portray but presented in an alternative media (ie. Lego), occasionally to a comedic effect. I was under the impression that these were usually some of the key features of a parody. Why else would they make it if it wasn't funny?

    And while most of the game has you battling your way through scenes from the movies there are optional bits where you find a pile of Lego parts which you can reassemble.

    I can see why people enjoy them. They just don't do it for me. And despite that I'm still getting Lego Rock Band.
  • Big-Swiss #42 2 years ago

    I don't get his, I simply don't.
    A child either likes playing a band sim or not, if it has to do with legos, that doesen't matter for a game like this!?!
    Absolute waste, ridiculous to make Lego Rock Band........what is next? Lego Fifa? That makes about the same amount of sence. Don't get me wrong, I liked lego Star Wars and I figured Lego Indiana Jones was a good idea, but this is bollocks!
  • Ashcroft #43 2 years ago

    The Export just doesn't work. At all. It just tells you it either can't find the code, or that they are out of export tokens, or that the code has already been used. The support people are being completely fucking useless. Some tracks also crash the game. And returning the game, opened and with a code that doesn't work? Good luck.