Rock Band Blitz Review [XBLA]

Click click click. Tap tap tap. Bang bang bang.

That’s probably all you’ve heard when you’ve played Rock Band. Luckily, you’re finally able to play all of those songs you own in a different way. Rock Band Blitz strikes the amplitude, raises the frequency and unplugs the instruments. Is it for everyone though?

Gameplay: The gameplay is reminiscent to Amplitude. If you haven’t played the game, it’s pretty simple. You have a runway that streams down the screen kind of like your typical Rock Band game. You use the bumpers to change instruments and the thumbsticks to slap either left or right, to coordinate with the corresponding runway note. You then juggle each track trying to get as high of a score as possible. Being that it is a Blitz game, you also have a lot of powerups to help you. These can include pinballs bouncing everywhere, bombs to blow up, or extra points per track.

The game is a bit more slimmed down from its precursors. With only two notes per track, it’s a tad easier to juggle. In terms of control, I found the thumbtacks much easier to tap the notes in quick succession with the clacking noising allowing you a little groove too.

You use your power-ups by spending coins you’ve earned in the game. Then it’s a rapid battle on your friends list for top score. The right side of a screen shows a bar that’ll give you an idea of how much points you need to pass a friend, in a Trials-style. With this all said, the more friends you have that own the game, the better it is.

Presentation: Rock Band Blitz doesn’t really go too elaborate with its setting. It’s all about the music in this one. And the music is great!

• The All-American Rejects – “Kids in the Street”
• Avenged Sevenfold – “So Far Away”
• Barenaked Ladies – “One Week”
• Blink-182 – “Always”
• Collective Soul – “Shine”
• Elton John – “I’m Still Standing”
• Fall Out Boy – “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More ‘Touch Me’”
• Foo Fighters – “These Days”
• Foster the People – “Pumped Up Kicks”
• Fun. ft. Janelle Monáe – “We Are Young”
• Great White – “Once Bitten Twice Shy”
• Kelly Clarkson – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
• Kool & The Gang – “Jungle Boogie”
• Iron Maiden – “The Wicker Man”
• Living Colour – “The Cult of Personality”
• Maroon 5 – “Moves Like Jagger”
• My Chemical Romance – “Sing”
• P!nk – “Raise Your Glass”
• Queen – “Death on Two Legs”
• Quiet Riot – “Metal Health (Bang Your Head)”
• Shinedown – “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Give It Away”
• Rick Springfield – “Jessie’s Girl”
• Soundgarden – “Spoonman”
• Tears for Fears – “Shout”

Now I will state that no, these songs aren’t for everyone. Never is a music game in tune with everyone, I feel. Other than The Beatles: Rock Band, but that game is perfect, okay?

If you’re a pop fan, this is a big tracklist for you. I have been into We Are Young and Moves Like Jagger (stop laughing) for quite awhile, and it’s finally awesome to get a chance to play these. And for Rock Band super fans, our missing gems “Spoonman” and “Give it Away” are finally back and able to stick with us permanently.

Value: The game has 25 songs with it. Here’s where the review gets tricky. Rock Band Blitz relies on two heavy factors on if you should buy it or not.

1) How many friends do you have with the game?

2) How invested are you into Rock Band?

I have already iterated why number one is a thing. Point numbero dos though, that is because while 25 songs is a good investment, it’s really a claustrophobic game if you’re not open to getting other games or DLC. Blitz is always advertising new songs and songs your friends have played that you don’t own. Personally I have in the ballpark of 350 songs. Give or take a few due to import issues. So for us fans who have a huge collection, having a new way to play your song is an incredible value. Especially when you consider that these 25 songs export into your Rock Band 3 collection. If these songs were on the marketplace, it’d be $50 to get them all.

Final thought: Rock Band Blitz is a really weird game to score. My reviews are always in the thought of the consumer and a thought of what I, as a reviewer, thought of the game. This game crosses both ends.

Take note, if you don’t have many songs already, or if you’re going to be alone playing this, consider trying the demo and thinking of how it is on your own. It’s a very fun game, and if you like games like Amplitude or Rock Band Unplugged, you’ll still enjoy it a ton.

If you’re as invested as I am, this game is far and away totally and completely awesome.

I give the game an A. The value in this game is enormous to the right audience. The ability to import these songs is great. And, the game has a well done leaderboard infrastructure. It does no wrong.

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