Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero difficulty

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 16th 2007 at 2:45PM }

Games Radar recently went to the trouble of comparing the guitar track difficulty in both Rock Band and Guitar Hero III. We've mentioned the fear that Rock Band would have simpler guitar than Guitar Hero III, and according to Games Radar, that fear is not unfounded at all. After directly comparing some of the songs available on both titles, Games Radar has come to the conclusion that Guitar Hero III on Hard is equivalent to Guitar Hero II on Expert. Rock Band, on Expert, on the other hand, is equivalent to Guitar Hero II on Hard. But don't take our word for it, check out the video comparisons for yourself. Part one is embedded above, and part two is embedded after the break.

[Via Joystiq]

Tags: activision, ea, electronic-arts, ghiii, guitar-hero-iii, harmonix, neversoft, rock-band

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

AfroCelt @ Nov 16th 2007 2:53PM

ooo thats rough.

well, they had to leave room for sequels, right?

/sarcasm

ericdrum @ Nov 16th 2007 2:56PM

Didn't David say that he thought that they dumbed down GH3?

ccc @ Nov 16th 2007 3:01PM

I dont really care for the rectangle shaped notes in Rockband. Other than that yeah it look to be a bit easier.
But is that better or worse than overly difficult songs that you'll never beat even if you practice 10 hours a day thats up to you all.

FusionWhite @ Nov 16th 2007 3:05PM

GHIII is easier then GHII and RB looks much much easier then GHIII. I guess we'll find out next week for sure.

itsburnsie @ Nov 16th 2007 3:08PM

@3

Exactly. I can barely keep up with the "hard" setting on GH II and III let alone expert... so the fact that rock band is a little easier is actually a selling point for me.

Tony @ Nov 16th 2007 3:09PM

I also agree GHIII is easier. I keep reading this all over the place and it's confusing.

Rock Band is clearly not as guitar focused and is so much more geared toward every one playing in sync that this isn't really surprising to me or disappointing.

david gregoire @ Nov 16th 2007 3:17PM

You guys are forgetting that while the notes are more simple, there is a smaller note hit window than guitar hero 3. Guitar hero 3 made the frame to hit the note longer or wider depending on how you look at it, then in guitar hero 2 and rock band uses a timing closer to guitar hero 2. I think guitar hero 3 is significantly easier than guitar hero 2 on hard and expert difficulties.

MDB @ Nov 16th 2007 3:21PM

The rectangle notes are definitely the next logical improvement. By having rectangular shaped notes instead of circle shaped notes, you can have a more difficult chart and squeeze in a really fast riff and have less confusion about note order. Sometimes on GHII/GHIII because the notes are rounded, on really tough sections its difficult to tell what order the notes are supposed to be played in because they're so close together. But rectangular notes should help to alleviate that problem.

I'm a little disappointed that the Rock Band guitar is so easy. I think they should make games, especially ones like GH/RB, with very very difficult settings to increase the longevity of the title. If it's too hard than play a different difficulty level. I'd rather piss and moan about how hard a game is than waste my money on game that's so easy it isn't that fun.

That said, I think what most people are looking forward to is the drum set since most of us have played the GH guitar a lot.

ccc @ Nov 16th 2007 3:30PM

@6 Tony

Please give me one song in GH2 that can even hold a candle in the presence of Through the Fire and Flames?
@8
I like the expert levels of GH but when they make them achievements like TTFAF, bend every note in number of the beast when the wammy takes a second to kick in, or how about beating the game on expert with a troller the game becomes more frustrating than it is fun.

Tony @ Nov 16th 2007 3:34PM

I really don't think one especially crazy song over rights the fact that as a whole I don't think GHIII is more difficult in general. To me that doesn't really disprove anything. Put that song in GHII and it would arguably have been harder, beyond which, Jordan is hard enough.

As mentioned by another commenter, the game is a lot more loose about note timing. It's particularly obvious on hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Tony @ Nov 16th 2007 3:35PM

overwrites, not over rights. I don't know why I wrote that lol.

Edgar N, @ Nov 16th 2007 3:37PM

@ # 8

hyper mode clears up that "close together" problem on gh3

Noisome @ Nov 16th 2007 3:45PM

@9:
You don't HAVE to beat it with a controller. If you've beaten it on hard or expert, all you have to do is start up the game with a regular controller plugged in and go into Career and then the mode you beat it in and you get the achievement, luls!

intRvenous @ Nov 16th 2007 3:54PM

Um... I see the small differences, but let's take a step back for a sec: how is this NOT patent infringement?

Rock Band rips-off 99% of the game interface. Was there some licensing agreement between the two developers I'm not aware of?

For what it's worth, the RB variation is easier to 'read', IMO.

Dante Sparda @ Nov 16th 2007 4:00PM

Harmonix originally designed and created Guitar Hero so they can make Rock Band look and play exactly like it and still not vreak any type of patent because they created the formula. Such is why GH3 looks different than the other two because Harmonix would not give the technology to Neversoft.

Bobicus @ Nov 16th 2007 4:11PM

yea...play frets of fire with the xplorer and play anything by dragonforce or dream theater then you can see what is actually hard, but btw ghiii us harder than ghii beat both on expert and you can change the timing the time gap doesnt matter

eurotransient @ Nov 16th 2007 4:29PM

Given the fact that I haven't the time nor inclination to practice sections of songs for hours on end just to get past them, I'm quite pleased. I feel like GH3 just gets way too hard way too fast in the last few tiers of songs, and it's more frustrating than challenging. I get that there are difficulty levels, but the problem is that if I want to play with all five buttons (which I want to do), I'm stuck playing on hard, which just gets ridiculous for my own personal skill level.

Basically what it boils down to is I think Neversoft did a pretty lousy job of balancing the difficulties in a realistic way across the various levels: The difference between Medium and Hard is way more drastic than it is between Hard and Expert.

I trust Harmonix to handle this in typical stupendous fashion.

Md @ Nov 16th 2007 4:42PM

This comparison is ridiculous and misleading. They're looking at the HARD (not expert) charts and then make claims about how difficult they expect Rock Band's expert note charts will be.

After they play Green Grass or Run to the Hills on expert, I'd really like for them to honestly try to say RB expert = GH2 hard.

ccc @ Nov 16th 2007 4:46PM

Tony. There are more than the dragon force track that make GH3 hard I'm sure you know that. But what makes gh3 harder for me over two has nothing to do with the hammer ons and pull offs. Thats the only thing I think Neversoft did right with the game. My problem is the rediculous use of 3 buttoned chords in almost every song on expert. Its way uncalled for in almost every instance its used and when its one after the other it gets a bit confusing Like "The Metal". I love the song and can 5 star it, just an example that comes to mind.

intRvenous @ Nov 16th 2007 5:28PM

@15 - thx

Louis @ Nov 16th 2007 7:47PM

Guitar Hero and Rock Band have a HUGE non-gamer following. When we have friends over, people always want to "try" Guitar Hero. They all suck. Really, really bad. Rock Band looks like it should be much more fun to pick up and play.

I want Rock Band, and it will make it nice to put it on easy for friends, but I like to be challenge. However, I can't beat half the songs on GH2 on Hard, so I guess I get to play Rock Band on Expert.

InvisiMan2006 @ Nov 16th 2007 8:04PM

Hey RB looks so easy that maybe my 5 year old can get in on the action.

Zack @ Nov 17th 2007 3:42AM

The timing and feel of Guitar Hero III is just off. I did not enjoy playing that game.

BluesmanTLU @ Nov 17th 2007 11:56AM

I don't buy that GHIII is easier than GHII. I blew through most of GHIII songs on hard rather easily (until the last setlist or so, when it gets brutal), but I had already five starred GHII hard. Keep in mind that your GH skills were much greater when you first touched GHIII than they were when you first picked up GHII.

As far as the Rock Band difficulty, I wasn't planning on picking it up anyway, at least not right away, but that's a pretty big disadvantage in my mind. The challenge is probably a better fit for most of the mainstream, but when you have a portion of Guitar Hero gamers who have played (and been encouraged to play) crazy difficult songs, you should allow them to be able to raise the bar a notch.

J8675309 @ Nov 17th 2007 7:04PM

Um....wtf, why Hard difficulty and not Expert?

Parker Krasner @ Nov 18th 2007 12:03AM

I think harmonix kinda sold out, with how easy rock band is. I mean i hate it when u buy a game and its so easy that u 5 star all the songs in like a week. It's not only that its easier but the note progression in Rock Band is soooo boring. like one note chords wtf.

Klink258 @ Nov 18th 2007 4:18PM

I KNEW that GHIII seemed harder. I thought I was just really rusty...

jukappa @ Nov 28th 2007 12:59AM

Through fire and flames is not that hard of a song to complete. the beginning is really the only hard part, but i mastered the tap for that within a few days of practice. So really its not much of a challenge, and even if i do fail i fail at the beginning so who cares. Jordan with that solo is difficult even with all the practice ive put into the song. your multiplier may be better with jordan but thats when you actually beat the song.

But forget through fire and flames The downloaded complete song of devil went down to Georgia is harder then both songs no debate.

Kathy @ Nov 30th 2007 2:37PM

I would like to know if you can use GhIII guitar with Rock band and vice a versa. I'm trying to decide which on to buy GHIII bundle package or RB bundle package, but if I buy both I want them to work for each other. I'm just a mom!!!

maxluna @ Jan 29th 2008 12:32AM

i have both gh3 and rock band and bottom line is that rock band is way more fun.if all u want to do is play the guitar why even bother with rockband.besides how many people u think can beat gh on expert not as many as who cant.i play rockband on hard and think it is a decent challenge,expert is still pretty tricky.but the drums r awsome and if u want a challenge try them on expert,good luck.all the things i wish were on gh rockband has such as creating ur own rocker and so on.rb has more than enough things to do solo,and that is also the game u will be playing when friends r over.rock on..........

garrett MacDonald @ Jan 31st 2008 12:22AM

i have 2 say that guitar her 2 nd 3 r fun,but dont u think that its gettin kinda outta hand with the amount of notes.......i mean look at throught the fir and flames...theres a reason the achievement is called"inhuman" because if u can beat that then ur retarded.....i love those games...but i have 2 agree with the other comments, i mean play the game nd beat it with the controller on hard...R U NUTS!!!...like i dont like it 2 b extreamly easy...but i cant play it bc theres 2 many notes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and i think anyone on here would agree that its not as fun as guitar hero 2 bc in guitar hero 2 at least u could play it and make it sond good insted of miss every second note....i think myself that they ruined the game horribly!!!:@:@