To offer owners of new consoles an episode without frills, which goes back to basics: this seems to be the mission that the developers of Rock Band 4 have given themselves. Harmonix has overlooked the essential contributions of the third episode, too sharp, poorly received by the general public, to backpedal to something very similar to Rock Band 2. Game modes, interfaces, staging of the group and visual level displayed during the songs: the regulars will be on familiar ground. Too bad also not to have taken advantage of the excess power of the Xbox One and PS4 to offer something more successful than a rendering that smells like the PS3 full nose. No difference in scenes, repetitive camera angles, nothing but (very) old. But the continuity translates into luck in other more nifty areas such as the roles offered for example. While Guitar Hero Live will only offer guitars and microphones, Rock Band 4 still relies on its party game side and maintains microphone, guitar, bass and drums. Only the latter retains a legacy of Rock Band 3, with the Pro mode that can be engaged as long as you buy cymbals. Finally, note that the game can manage three microphones simultaneously, for Singstar fans or simply for those who do not know how to use the instruments but still want to blow everyone's eardrums.
NEW OUT OF OLD
The instruments, precisely let's talk about it, since this is also a subject of cleavage with Guitar Hero. You probably already know if you've followed the promotion of the game a bit, Rock Band 4 offers welcome backwards compatibility with most of the accessories released so far for the two franchises. Except for motion recognition (annoying anyway because you have to trigger the frenzy manually), everything works perfectly, without latency. Small problem for owners of Xbox One who would like to use their old instruments: it will be necessary to swing 20 euros more for an adapter which the PS4 apparently does not need. Still, overall, you can play Rock Band 4 with the accessories you already have without any problem, for a much lower price than the new set, also sold alongside it. At a relatively steep price. Count 160€ for the pack including the game and the new Stratocaster guitar, and no less than 300€ for the one who adds the drums and the microphone. A small fortune that we are delighted not to be forced to spend, even if we must highlight the pleasant improvements in the design of these new accessories. The guitars seem more solid and are much quieter (which could disturb some, as well as the accentuated spacing of the neck buttons). The battery forms a much more stable whole than before, thanks to different systems of clips and latches. Its drums have been reinforced (many players have blown them) and padded to muffle noise. The pedal, covered with metal, is that of the Pro battery, manufactured by Mad Catz precisely, for Rock Band 3.WHO SAYS EVENING, SAYS DLC
But Harmonix has even pushed the process of backward compatibility a little further, which we can also salute. You can thus potentially import all the songs of the previous Rock Bands, on disc and in DLC, into Rock Band 4! It will suffice to find via a small search the piece (s) concerned (s), purchased or transferred via the same Xbox Live or PSN account, to simply redownload it (s). A real good point, which comes on top of the huge catalog of songs available for cold hard cash: more than 2000 are currently available, a total that should only increase in the coming months. We regret, however, that the most popular songs, the best known and the most fun to share, are essentially in DLC. The 65 tracks on the disc are really interesting musically. Interpreted by groups and artists who are far from being dark unknowns, they emphasize the small novelties of gameplay of this opus (which we present to you a little below) but do not necessarily have what ignite evenings with friends. Which is quite incompatible with the aim of this Rock Band 4... Note that Microsoft players will also be at a disadvantage here: according to our first observations, DLC songs are more expensive on Xbox Live than on the PS Store . Between 0,79 and 1,49 euros per title on PS4 against 1,99 euros on Xbox One. Mad Catz told us that they are currently working with Microsoft to change this.Touted by Harmonix, the RPG component of Career mode ultimately boils down to choosing between enriching your group's wardrobe or expanding your fanbase.
So this Rock Band 4 would only be a port with a different playlist and new instruments available? Almost, because some minor novelties are indeed appearing on the gameplay side. This is the case with freestyle solos and drum fills, which have more or less the same functionality. If you activate them, the usual solos and fills of each song will be replaced by a kind of semi-free expression zone, in which the game will only tell you the times to respect so that it still looks like something. With that and the harmonies in mind, and with a bit of experience, you can come up with something quite nice and spontaneous. A fresh idea if not revolutionary, and already more successful than the RPG component of Career mode. Touted by Harmonix in various previews, it ultimately comes down to choosing between enriching your group's wardrobe or expanding your fanbase. The room for maneuver is therefore quite non-existent and we chain concerts anyway to unlock new ones...
