Rock Band Unplugged Critic Reviews

There are few better rhythm-action games on the handheld.

Rock Band Unplugged proves that music games can work surprisingly well on handheld consoles, too. The Amplitude-like gameplay works great and the song selection is good. A game worthy of the Rock Band name.

But as a rhythm game, Unplugged is a wonderful portable title.

Buy this game if you want a challenging title that will eat up long journeys or quiet evenings in darkened room; it’s a great take on the franchise and it’s made for us, for the fans.

Not a bad little version of Rock Band considering the fact that it doesn't come with anything resembling a fake instrument.

Rock Band Unplugged is a great addition to the Rock Band series, offering a refreshing rhythm game mechanic that feels very comfortable on the PSP. Even though the game lacks multiplayer, the DLC feature should help give this game some legs in the future.

There are few things to object to this Rock Band Unplugged. This portable version respects the gameplay of its elder brothers, but adding a new gameplay approach that we consider a hands down achievement.

Rock Band Unplugged is a top title worth picking up, the only problem lies if you own Rock Band on another console as it does feel quite similar both in the tracks available and the gameplay in general.

You may feel less like a rock star and more like a traditional gamer while you play but it's great fun and a million times better than being laughed at on the bus while strumming your DS.

It's entertaining without the need for plastic peripherals, but it's still challenging for experts.

The excellent control system won't make you regret the loss of plastic instruments and the good, but not original, playlist will enjoy you for hours. A must have.

Rock Band Unplugged is a fantastic portable representation of the series, and is worth picking up for any music game fan.

Though playing individual instruments may not be quite as challenging, the overall level of difficulty can be even more trying. Thankfully, for the rhythmically-challenged and casual players, four levels of difficulty mean you will be able to gradually improve your skill set and still jam on to great tunes.

Not as great as holding the peripherals, but this is a satisfying PSP alternative.

Don't let the duplicate songs fool you, Rock Band Unplugged is one of the best music games ever made for a portable game system!

Enjoyable for any level of Rock Band player, but lacking in staying power.

There’s no question that Rock Band is better with instruments, but on the handheld, given that the primary comparison is Guitar Hero: On Tour which comes with the multi-colored, pro-arthritis death vice, I’m glad there aren’t any here.

Yes, the gameplay is amazing and a ton of fun, but this is well-worn territory of fans for the franchise. If playing World Tour gigs and hitting up Band Survival Mode every now and again is good enough for you -- and it is for me -- great. However, without any multiplayer you lose the true incentive to download new music and to keep this game forever and ever.

The World Tour Mode and Band Survival offer more than enough challenge for the music fanatic on-the-go and the track listing is great granted you don't mind a lot of repeat tracks. Lack of multi-player is this game's biggest downfall, and one that will ultimately decide it's fate in the months to come.

Within Unplugged's clever title lies an unmistakable truth: it really is Rock Band without the instruments. But though it succeeds at capturing the series' core gameplay, the experience is largely a lonely one, something that runs counter to the jam session vibe established by its predecessors.