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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Music Developer: Harmonix Publisher: Electronic Arts |
For those who were excited to see the song “Let There Be Rock” on “Rock Band 2,” that was just a teaser to the latest release from
Harmonix and Electronic Arts, “Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC Live.” This latest addition to the Rock Band franchise comes in the form
of 18 live tracks available in the form of a full game. It is a retail game that can be played be itself without owning “Rock Band” or “Rock
Band 2.” Also included in the package is a unique code that allows players to download the tracks with use with either Rock Band
game.
As a standalone game by itself, “Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC Live” is a poor excuse for a game in the Rock Band series. It comes
down to be as bare bones as it can possibly get. There is no real World Tour mode for players to work through, no challenges to take
on and no online play to meet up with friends. Players are able to play solo or as a band through a list of 18 tracks for AC/DC illustrious
past, but there are none of the fun extra features that are found in the original games. Players won’t even get the extra cheats from
“Rock Band 2,” such as the ability to turn on the No Fail Mode.
When it comes to the character creator feature in the game, there isn’t a lot that goes along with it. When players first start playing
“Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC Live” they give their rocker a name, and that is about as detailed as all of the customization features of
the game gets. Each player’s rocker’s appearance is randomly generated and the rewards that players earn for completing songs are
absolutely nothing. There is no cash because there is no in game store to dress up the player’s random character, there are no fans
and there is nothing to unlock.
It is very likely that AC/DC somewhat forced Harmonix to release “Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC Live” as a retail disc for Wal-Mart to
sell. However, that doesn’t mean Harmonix gets a little bit of a free pass on what is included on the disc. Is it too much to ask for some
of the same functions from the original game to be included in this standalone game? Shouldn’t players be able to see some of the
AC/DC band members as character models in the game that can be personalized a little bit? Ultimately, for those who are purchasing
this specific version of the game will want to do so just to get the code so that they can import the AC/DC tracks into their version of Rock
Band. However, in the off chance that there is someone out there thinking of picking up “Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC Live” as their
first game in the music franchise, it would be suggested to send a couple of extra dollars and buy “Rock Band” or “Rock Band 2”
instead because this version of the game doesn’t offer a good representation of the Rock Band series because it doesn’t offer all of the
extra features that can be found in the first two games.
For those players who do own either “Rock Band” or “Rock Band 2,” this track pack is a great purchase, offering an awesome
compilation of songs for players to add to their library. For those who just want the download code, “Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC
Live” makes for a great purchase. All 18 of the tracks are live songs and the recordings of the songs are surprisingly of fairly high
quality. Harmonix has tried using live versions of songs before in their games and they received mixed results. However, the sound
quality, although it certainly isn’t to the level of a studio album that could be purchases, is good and the live versions of the song are very
impressive.
The standout songs of the track pack are “Dirty Deeds,” “High Voltage” and “Thunderstruck.” There is not a bad song among the list
available in the game, though players won’t exactly be rocking out to the live versions of some of the games. Obviously, players have to
enjoy AC/DC music to begin with in order to love all of the tracks available, but even for those who know one or two of the songs from
this group and like them; they will probably enjoy everything else offered in the track pack as well since they offer a similar sound.
It is a little unfortunate that the AC/DC live tracks had to be released on disc. Harmonix has always tried to allow players to choose the
songs they want to download instead of being forced to buy a set of songs, which is a case with this compilation. Another downfall of
the game is the fact that it costs $40, plus tax, which brings each song to be around $2.25 per song, which is an increase in the normal
price for a song available for download. With this added to the fact that players get a discount for buying full albums online and now
players are paying more than they normally would for a set on disc.
The biggest downfall of the game is that it is too expensive for what players are getting. This is too bad because the set list of songs is
amazing. For those who can’t live without AC/DC, this is the perfect game. For those who like a song or two, it may not be worth picking
up unless they want to add a couple of new songs to their “Rock Band” and “Rock Band 2” libraries. It isn’t worth much on its own.
Harmonix and Electronic Arts, “Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC Live.” This latest addition to the Rock Band franchise comes in the form
of 18 live tracks available in the form of a full game. It is a retail game that can be played be itself without owning “Rock Band” or “Rock
Band 2.” Also included in the package is a unique code that allows players to download the tracks with use with either Rock Band
game.
As a standalone game by itself, “Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC Live” is a poor excuse for a game in the Rock Band series. It comes
down to be as bare bones as it can possibly get. There is no real World Tour mode for players to work through, no challenges to take
on and no online play to meet up with friends. Players are able to play solo or as a band through a list of 18 tracks for AC/DC illustrious
past, but there are none of the fun extra features that are found in the original games. Players won’t even get the extra cheats from
“Rock Band 2,” such as the ability to turn on the No Fail Mode.
When it comes to the character creator feature in the game, there isn’t a lot that goes along with it. When players first start playing
“Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC Live” they give their rocker a name, and that is about as detailed as all of the customization features of
the game gets. Each player’s rocker’s appearance is randomly generated and the rewards that players earn for completing songs are
absolutely nothing. There is no cash because there is no in game store to dress up the player’s random character, there are no fans
and there is nothing to unlock.
It is very likely that AC/DC somewhat forced Harmonix to release “Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC Live” as a retail disc for Wal-Mart to
sell. However, that doesn’t mean Harmonix gets a little bit of a free pass on what is included on the disc. Is it too much to ask for some
of the same functions from the original game to be included in this standalone game? Shouldn’t players be able to see some of the
AC/DC band members as character models in the game that can be personalized a little bit? Ultimately, for those who are purchasing
this specific version of the game will want to do so just to get the code so that they can import the AC/DC tracks into their version of Rock
Band. However, in the off chance that there is someone out there thinking of picking up “Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC Live” as their
first game in the music franchise, it would be suggested to send a couple of extra dollars and buy “Rock Band” or “Rock Band 2”
instead because this version of the game doesn’t offer a good representation of the Rock Band series because it doesn’t offer all of the
extra features that can be found in the first two games.
For those players who do own either “Rock Band” or “Rock Band 2,” this track pack is a great purchase, offering an awesome
compilation of songs for players to add to their library. For those who just want the download code, “Rock Band Track Pack: AC/DC
Live” makes for a great purchase. All 18 of the tracks are live songs and the recordings of the songs are surprisingly of fairly high
quality. Harmonix has tried using live versions of songs before in their games and they received mixed results. However, the sound
quality, although it certainly isn’t to the level of a studio album that could be purchases, is good and the live versions of the song are very
impressive.
The standout songs of the track pack are “Dirty Deeds,” “High Voltage” and “Thunderstruck.” There is not a bad song among the list
available in the game, though players won’t exactly be rocking out to the live versions of some of the games. Obviously, players have to
enjoy AC/DC music to begin with in order to love all of the tracks available, but even for those who know one or two of the songs from
this group and like them; they will probably enjoy everything else offered in the track pack as well since they offer a similar sound.
It is a little unfortunate that the AC/DC live tracks had to be released on disc. Harmonix has always tried to allow players to choose the
songs they want to download instead of being forced to buy a set of songs, which is a case with this compilation. Another downfall of
the game is the fact that it costs $40, plus tax, which brings each song to be around $2.25 per song, which is an increase in the normal
price for a song available for download. With this added to the fact that players get a discount for buying full albums online and now
players are paying more than they normally would for a set on disc.
The biggest downfall of the game is that it is too expensive for what players are getting. This is too bad because the set list of songs is
amazing. For those who can’t live without AC/DC, this is the perfect game. For those who like a song or two, it may not be worth picking
up unless they want to add a couple of new songs to their “Rock Band” and “Rock Band 2” libraries. It isn’t worth much on its own.
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