Machogames: Rock Revolution Is Not As Bad As You’re Making It Out To Be

Konami’s Rock Revolution title has been the subject of considerable derision since it was first brought to the public eye. Critics have complained that the game offers no guitar peripheral of its own. Then they complained that it’s seven-pad drum kit was weird. Then they complained that the game was entirely made up of cover tracks.
All this has given the game a bad reputation before most people have even bothered to play it. But perhaps some of that reputation is undeserved. Is Rock Revolution a perfect game? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But is it the horror show people have made it out to be.
Not at all.

There are a few real problems with Rock Revolution, the first of which is the song list. We are for the most part, looking at a full compliment of cover versions of your favorite tunes here, and many of them can be found, in their original state, in either Rock Band or Guitar Hero. And you haven’t exactly been clamoring for some of these songs, such as Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi” or Heart’s “Magic Man.” And to make it worse, the DLC songs available aren’t even covers, but original compositions that you’ve never heard of.
A second issue with the game here is its display, which can make even the simplest songs considerably harder. The other instrument titles use a slanted approach, where you can see the next notes coming forward at you. Rock Revolution has a totally vertical display, which makes it much harder to keep an eye on what’s next. And when you try to look, you’ll find yourself missing the notes. This takes quite a bit of getting used to, especially if you’re obsessed with either of the other music franchises.

The drumkit has been the topic du jour when it comes to discussing Rock Revolution. We can’t comment on its playability, as we used the game with our Rock Band gear. We imagine most people who pick up this game will do the same, and we’re happy to report that Rock Revolution is fully compatible with the instruments you already have in your house. No vocals here, though, so you won’t be able to jam with the full band.
In the end, Rock Revolution can be just as fun as any of your other games. We think Konami has dropped the ball here in its marketing. The game is about $50, and that price is significantly higher when you add the drum kit (the game has no specific guitar controller). Had Konami priced this bad boy at about $25, and pushed it as a glorified bonus track pack to the other games, we think this would have been greeted as a great success.
With that in mind, we can’t recommend the game on its own. But as a supplement to your other rock-fueled gaming, this isn’t such a terrible pickup.
Rock Revolution is available for XBOX 360, Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. It typically retails for $49.99, but the 360 and PS3 versions are currently on sale at Amazon for $29.99.