Accuracy:
I’m not a musician but from the "feel" of things and based on what I’ve read in articles such as this, I’d say Guitar Hero 2 is the most accurate, with Rock Band close or equal to it. Guitar Hero 3 is generally criticized as having extra notes to make it harder without adding anything in terms of accuracy.
Since all these are "games" and the bottom line is none of them are really like playing an actual guitar, I’m not sure how much it really matters how "accurate" they are as long as they are fun. Nevertheless, these are "simulations" of sorts and simulations are always more satisfying when they are accurately representing what they simulate.
Music:
The music in all these games are awesome, and certainly what gives me the biggest thrill is working to unlock the next set of songs! In all three games, rarely was I disappointed by the choice of song titles. Guitar Hero 2 & 3 have a bit more classic and guitar rock than Rock Band, but that is only common sense since Rock Band is also concerned with songs that challenge and titillate our vocal chords and percussion skills.
The reason Guitar Hero 2 gets a lower score, even though it has the most cool songs, is due to the fact that the majority of songs are covers. After being spoiled by Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3, it’s hard to go back to hear the generally well-played but badly sung covers on GH2.
Guitar Hero 3 has a ton of bonus songs by indie bands, but I couldn’t get into most of them.
As far as downloadables, Rock Band has the best selection so far, but there are still under 30 songs on Xbox Live.
The chart below is fairly complete, but I did not include the indie bonus tracks. Also some of the songs, like in Guitar Hero 3 especially, can only be unlocked in co-op play. These will give you a fair idea of what music to expect.
Graphics:
These are some of those rare games where the graphics don’t matter all that much, but still, everyone likes nice eye candy so who really shines here?
Definitely the winner is Rock Band. Right from the opening video you know this is a first rate production. This continues into the details of the menus and the excellent lip synching, guitar playing, and drum pounding of the 3D animated band.
My second favorite is Guitar Hero 2 which has some cool imagery going on. I felt Guitar Hero 3 was the weakest of the three, as the artwork wasn’t quite as interesting or innovative as part 2. Slash definitely looks like Slash though!
Instrument Quality:
There is no way to compare all the instruments because GH 1&2 only have guitars, whereas Rock Band comes with guitar, mic, and drum set.
As far as guitars, I played extensively with all three and for me it was a mixed bag. There is no one guitar that is my absolute favorite. I like the size and large frets of the Rock Band guitar, but it’s "strummer" is way too loose and sloppy and sometimes seems to miss notes. GH 2 has a nice guitar (I used the X-plorer) but it has to be plugged in like the Rock Band Guitar. Only GH 3 comes with a wireless version, which is a big plus. GH3 and GH2 have more solid feeling guitars and seem more durable, especially the GH3 guitar. So overall GH3 has the edge here.
Regarding the mic and drum kit in Rock Band:
The mic is fine. It’s just like a regular Logitech USB mic.
The drum kit is great, but I’ve heard there are some issues with them eventually falling apart. I believe it. It’s not shoddy, but I don’t think it could take regular daily pounding by restless teen boys for more than a month or two. **I recommend you buy Rock Band somewhere with an extended service warranty on the instruments.** (I got this from Best Buy for an extra $30 bucks for 2 years full replacement.)
Solo Fun:
Guitar Hero 2 and 3 are both amazingly fun single player experiences. I like the boss battles added in GH 3. The Tom Morello battle was especially exciting.
If you have heard that the difficulty level in Guitar Hero 3 has gotten ridiculous once you set it to hard or expert: Well you have heard right! Hard is extremely difficult even on the easier songs. And expert? What a joke. Is there anyone alive who can do Metallica’s One on Expert?
At first, I wasn’t sold on Rock Band as a satisfying single player experience until I got good enough to play guitar AND sing in Rock Band tour mode. The single player tour mode is not as exciting as the band mode, so I recommend at least playing bass and singing at the same time so that you can play the multiplayer tour mode.
If you want to shred guitar, make sure you crank it up an extra notch from where you would keep it in Guitar Hero to keep it intense. I’ve heard complaints that Rock Band is too easy compared to Guitar Hero. This might be a problem for people who are used to playing Guitar Hero 2 on Expert, but everyone else should find one of the difficulty settings to their liking.
Multiplayer Fun:
This is where Rock Band shines and puts Guitar Hero to shame. Co-op Guitar Hero can’t compare to the full-fledged band experience you get jamming out in Rock Band with two or three other people.
Long term value:
Overall, I give a thumbs up to all three games. They are all fun, and if you are into the music genre you will eventually want to own all three.
Rock Band, once you get past the danger of failing instruments, has the most long term potential for fun as you can do so more many things with it. Get bored of guitar? Play drums. Bored of drums? Sing. Sick of singing? Be Phil Collins and play drums and sing at the same time! Or be Jack White and play guitar and sing at the same time. I’ll come over and be Meg on drums and we can all rock out together!
Rock on & on,
Izabael
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