Band Hero Critic Reviews

Neversoft and Activision have built on the successful design of Guitar Hero 5 and given it a fresh new look and replaced all that aggressive rock and pounding metal with fun and energetic pop music and the smooth sounds of classic rock from the past three decades that will certainly appeal to younger gamers and their parents.

While some people might complain about being fatigued by the seemingly endless stream of similar music games, when they're tied to each other like Band Hero is tied to GH5, I see that as a positive direction for Activision's franchise. It's one of the strongest points of the Rock Band series, and is a very smart move for Hero as well.

Band Hero is simply Guitar Hero 5 repackaged, and this is fine, but gamers should be aware of this before they think Activision has brought something new to the genre.

If you're interested in even half the songs, I can almost guarantee you'll find at least a couple more surprisingly entertaining. And that pretty much sums up Band Hero for me: It's not a revolution for the genre, but it is a surprisingly solid, well thought-out, and just plain entertaining game.

Band Hero guarantees great multiplayer fun for fans of music. The game is easy to learn and brings about enough excitement and variation.

If you have been waiting for a music game that is a bit different than the others and includes the best playlist of pop-songs, put on a disguise and go pick-up Band Hero.

For a game that Activision have said they want to stand on its own, it just doesn’t seem to change the formula enough to make it appeal to people who’ve played other games in the series. At least not yet, anyway. Really, this is just a gussied-up track pack for the casual market. That’s not to say that it isn’t a fun experience, it’s just certainly not a new one.

There’s no doubt that Band Hero is fun to play, but Activision could have had so much more to show if it had evolved it better in relation to the other Hero games.

It's not a revolution for the genre, but it is a solid and entertaining game.

At the end of the day, Band Hero feels a little like that massive bag of cotton candy you buy at the fair. Nostalgia tells you that it tastes great, but reality leaves you with a pink mouth and a stomach ache.

The Guitar Hero spin-off mania has hit the dance floor, positively introducing the pop genre to all its fans. Band Hero is a very enjoyable rhythm game, with great songs and loads of gameplay modes.

Band Hero makes fake plastic rock easy to pick up, family friendly, and a whole lot of fun.

The same Guitar Hero franchise, but now it's time for Pop music. Including all features of Guitar Hero 5 with different tracklist, stages, vocalists and musicians, and inviting casual gamers to play guitars, drums, or just singing. Activision presents this new style for all kind of families, introducing real Popstars like Taylor Swift or Adam Levine as unlockable characters.

The Top 40 music game is actually long overdue and I don't think it would be any more sensible to make this entire thing DLC as it would require people only wanting these songs to purchase both the original game and an entirely new pack.

Guitar Hero focuses on a loyal public, but limited to certain ranges. Band Hero broadens the public offering a repertory rich and varied enough to attract anyone.

Band Hero is not the result of a series selling out or losing its identity. Instead it is proof that the developer has recognised a key gap in the market and has rather competently filled it.

Band Hero can stand apart with being aimed squarely at the angsty tween crowd.

Overall, Band Hero plays and presents almost exactly like Guitar Hero 5.

Neversoft did a good job of not dumbing the game down while trying to appeal to a younger audience, and as a result both new gamers and longtime fans will be able to enjoy Band Hero.

The bottom line is Band Hero is going to be an awesome game to those who happen to fall neatly within its target demographic. However, the developers missed the opportunity to make Band Hero stand out as a unique offshoot of the main franchise with special features and additional content.