A-Band (XBLIG): "An Artistic Jam Session With New Rock Bands"

Sometimes I get myself in some of the worst situations when it comes to reviews. Either I'm juggling a bunch of reviews on my two blogs at one time, or I'm doing reviews on games/dvds that I'm not really into. Sadly this is the case with the game I'm about to review here. Against my better judgement I promised the developer (Flammable Games) I'd do a review on their game knowing ahead of time that the game was better played with the drum peripheral/controller. It's the kind of circumstance that makes me want to beat my head against the wall. Regardless of my struggle I was able to play enough of the game to give you guys a decent review.

A-Band is a game that is very much like the "Guitar Hero", and "Band Hero" games of old. The only significant differences this time around are the impressive tattoo-like art style, and the bands that were presented. In the game you'll find the usual gameplay modes such as 'Arcade', 'Solo', and 'Jam Session'. in all of these modes you basically jam out to rock tunes by hitting the appropriate button inputs that are displayed on a guitar-like handle bar or virtual drum set. The game will have you playing along with 12 different songs from bands (The Rebels, Ten Year Vamp, Hella Donna, Red Velvet Line, Noiseaux ...) that are located all over the world. There's a very good chance that you've probably never heard any of these songs/bands, but the good news is that most of them sound pretty cool.

In 'Arcade' the player's reflexes will be put to the test as they try to drum their way through a full length song on three different difficulty settings (Easy, Medium, Pro). As you play you'll see a background grid that slowly reveals a band's art when you successfully hit the right notes in succession. With each song that is played in 'Arcade' you'll also see drawn depictions of the actual band members which is a neat addition to the already impressive art style. As you play through song, by song earning points you will unlock various things for other modes in the game including loops, songs, and even save slots. Badges are also awarded if your performance is good enough.

The 'Jam Session', and 'Solo' modes were very confusing to me. In these two modes you (the player) are placed in front of a virtual drum set that mimics every button you hit/press. Along with this comes some flashing lights that also copy the button presses by flashing lights which appear the same color as the buttons on a standard Xbox 360 controller. In 'Solo' mode there seems to be no rhyme, or reason to it other than the fact that it allows you to drum freestyle to your hearts content. Oddly enough 'Jam Session' is very similar with only the on-screen display being the difference. In 'Jam Session' you'll see two rockers on either side of the drum set holding guitars as if they were actually jamming to a rock song. Other than that I found no differences at all between the two modes.

Another very confusing mode of play was 'Record Studio'. I understand what the developer was trying to do with the mode, but I was actually unable to make it function properly. Basically the mode allows the player to record a jam session to loops that you unlock in 'Arcade'. You are supposedly able to record the session, save it, and then play it back all in the same place.

The next feature/set of modes in the game's start menu is appropriately titled "School of Rock". This mode is all about learning the ropes of the the game. You have 'Lessons' that allows the player to practice the timing of their button inputs. The button press ques are displayed in a progressive sheet music style that greatly differs from what you'll experience in any of the other modes. Why the developer opted to do things this way was beyond me. The second part of "School of Rock" is dedicated to 'Challenges'. I believe you have to unlock the individual challenges by playing through 'Lessons', and ultimately I was unable to do so due to the fact I only have a standard controller.

Some of the most unique features this game has to offer is in the 'Staff' section of the main menu. You'll find detailed info on all of the bands that are presented in this game which is definitely a cool feature to have. Aside from that the developer also gives some shout outs via the 'Thanks' section. Last, but not least we get to see the actual development 'Staff' immortalized in a comic book style of artwork that suits the rest of the game. It was neat seeing the developers dressed up as various comic book superheroes.

In closing I think this game would be fun if you happen to have a drum peripheral/controller. If you're stuck with a standard Xbox 360 controller as I am then the game is not worth wasting your time on. With that being said I absolutely loved the art style that 'Flammable Games' incorporated into 'A-Band'. It's quite impressive, and as an artist I have great respect for such talent. What was really cool about the art though, was the fact that the lead artist took the time to draw/design each band member associated with the songs/bands. The song tracks that were made available were 99% good, minus 'Imari Tones' song 'Jesus Train' which sounded quite terrible (just being honest). As far as content goes I found some of the modes to be questionable. Don't get me wrong though. They weren't horrible features. I just had some difficulty understanding them. In the end the decision is yours. The game has potential, but only if you have the proper controller to play it with.