Didn’t we just have a review for this a couple months ago? Not exactly, but very close. Activision just released a new franchise entitled ‘Band Hero’, which basically provides a more younger-oriented selection of tracks for gamers to play through. If you’ve played Guitar Hero 5, then expect more of the same in terms of features and graphics, but not song selection. Check out the full review below to see if Band Hero is the next big ‘Hero’ game, or just another music game.

Most of us are already familiar with the basic gameplay mechanics of Guitar Hero and Band Hero is no different. You have a series of colored notes that move towards you on the screen and you play those notes on the guitar, bass, or drums with the rhythm of the song. That’s basically the same in Band Hero, but now there are 5 new multiplayer modes that give different variations: Momentum, Streakers, Elimination, Do-or-die, Perfectionist, or Pro Face Off. You can choose which mode you want to do before playing, but each mode will give more points based on the streak, hitting all of the notes, and then changing the gameplay based on these criteria. If you miss a note, the notes may slow down or speed up and change the difficulty. Band Hero also features 2 new ways of playing using the Nintendo DS.

There are 2 main modes that can be played with the Nintendo DS, Roadie Battle and Stage Manager (part of Mii Freestyle mode). In Roadie Battle, you’ll be paired up with a friend or with a computer player and go against another Guitar/DS pair (the DS systems will hook up to the Wii using DS Download Play and download the Roadie Battle mode). The 2 guitar players play the songs as they would normally, but now the players with DS systems have the control over various ‘powers’, such as blowing the other players’ amps, speakers, soundboard, switching guitar strings, and igniting pyrotechnics. Basically everything that a roadie would do, only now it’s directed at your opponent. But it’s not all about finding ways to distract your opponent–you’ll have to do plenty of fixing on your end, because the other player will be doing the same attacks to your guitar partner. The DS is really perfect for these ‘mini-games’. For example, you’ll have to bust open the other person’s guitar case, break their strings, restring their guitar in opposite order, then place it into their hands from above! It’s a nice feature for Band Hero, but something we’ve already seen in Guitar Hero 5.

The Mii Freestyle mode also makes a return and includes a DS mode that allows players to control the stage lights, camera angles, and more all from the DS. Players can also record their play sessions in Mii Freestyle and share them with friends over WiiConnect24

Graphically, Band Hero utilizes the same, great visuals we are used to in Guitar Hero 5 only with a brighter tone. All the menus are nicely designed and compliment the feel of the game. Band animations are fluid and varied, and the frame rate never dipped in all the times I’ve played.

The track list features 65 songs from bands including Fall Out Boy, The All-American Rejects, Jackson 5, and Taylor Swift. In addition, Band Hero features most of the DLC from Guitar Hero 5 as well as Guitar Hero: World Tour which is pretty cool–especially since the setlist on the disc is a little lacking.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer modes this around can be done in Quickplay, Online, and Career just like in Guitar Hero 5; but now you can mismatch all the instruments in Party Play Mode. So if you and your friends want to all play guitars, or all drums, go right ahead. The game also makes it a lot easier to hop in and out of songs to change settings without having to go all the way back to the main screen.

Conclusion

Band Hero for the Wii is basically a different way to sell Guitar Hero to a new audience. Almost all of the features in the game such as Roadie Battle and Mii Freestyle were present in Guitar Hero 5, so there’s not much in the way of fresh ways to play. As far as the track list goes, you’ll be able to find a couple songs you like, but for the most part, it’s a pretty mediocre list at best—although the ability to import tracks from GH5, and World Tour help. All in all, if you already own Guitar Hero 5 and are looking for something new, it’s best to look somewhere other than Band Hero.

Band Hero (Wii) gets a 7.8/10