When rumors about the possibility of LEGO Rock Band started floating around the internet, many people, myself included, thought it was a joke. Even though the LEGO video game series has been successful and fun, the juxtaposition of the toys with a rhythm game seemed odd and unnecessary. After the official announcement came along, it became a little clearer what the goal was in making this game: Harmonix was trying to create a family-friendly, all-ages Rock Band title. That still made no sense to me, since in my experience the Rock Band franchise has already brought gamers and non-gamers together like no other title I’ve ever seen; was it really essential to oversimplify and cutesy up the series? After seeing the game in action in New York recently, I had a better understanding of what the developers are trying to achieve, and yes, it actually does make sense. Also, like all of the LEGO games, LEGO Rock Band is so charming and fun that it may be hard for fans of the series to resist.

With all of the Rock Band games thus far having Teen ratings, I never really thought about them as being inappropriate for children. I hadn’t stopped to consider that parents who love the series might worry about their kids stumbling upon a song with suggestive themes or drug references. I also had not thought about how younger children might want to play Rock Band with their parents or older siblings, even if they couldn’t fully understand the game. Not being a parent myself, these qualms were never an issue for me, but as Harmonix’s John Drake informed me, the company heard from plenty of gamers who voiced these issues.

Harmonix took it upon themselves to fill that void by collaborating with Traveller’s Tales to bring the LEGO and Rock Band franchises together. The toys-turned-video-game-stars are instantly recognizable to just about any kid, but older gamers may also be able to appreciate their charm, humor, and nostalgia factor. As I watched the Lego-ized opening cinematic in which a band holds tryouts for its newest member, I couldn’t help but smile. In the game, the character creator allows you to make seemingly endless combinations of Lego rockers, putting a new spin on customization. Lego bricks have replaced notes during gameplay, and cash will be represented by Lego studs.

The changes that are coming to LEGO Rock Band are more than just aesthetic, though. The game features a new Super Easy difficulty mode that will allow even the youngest, or most rhythmically challenged, gamers to play any instrument. Super Easy mode will let drums be played without the pedal, and the guitar can be used by simply strumming along without hitting any notes. For tracks that go on a bit too long, there is now an option to play a shorter version to accommodate smaller attention spans. No Fail mode, which has become a party staple at my house, returns once again, so that new players can get the hang of the game without the fear of rejection. In fact, the only time songs can be failed in LEGO Rock Band is during challenges that occur in the story mode.



Yes, that’s right: LEGO Rock Band has a story. In fact, it has more of a plot than Rock Band or Rock Band 2. Sure, it’s a slightly silly story, because it is told with Lego characters and environments, but it still adds structure and clearly defined goals to the game. As I stated earlier, the opening features tryouts for a new band, and one of the hopefuls is a young octopus who likes to rock out on drums. Sadly, the band has a strict “no octopus” policy. Later on, while on a Lego ship, the band is attacked by the young eight-legged creature’s dad, who is significantly larger. The challenge is to survive by playing the given song correctly—in this case, the vaguely related “In Too Deep” by Sum 41. I could have gladly gone the rest of my life without hearing that song again, but even I had to admit that it was kind of funny within the given context.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably not a young kid hoping to be able to play Rock Band, and you may not be the parent of one. You likely just want your Rock Band to stay the same, and not be dumbed down for a younger audience. Rest assured, though, LEGO Rock Band is still the same game you know and love. You don’t have to play shorter songs or set the difficulty to Super Easy—if you prefer Hard or Expert, go right ahead! The game is still fun, and the setlist is full of great songs, like “Ghostbusters”, “The Final Countdown”, “Let’s Dance”, “We Will Rock You”, and plenty of other classics intermingled with newer fare. John Drake explained that the inclusion of classic rock was partially in hopes that children would be introduced to artists and bands they may never have cared about otherwise, which I personally think is great.



What really sealed the deal for me, though, is the ability to export LEGO Rock Band tracks to my hard drive and play them in Rock Band, and vice versa—as long as they fit the game’s E10 rating. The same is true of DLC, and any downloaded songs you already have that aren’t lyrically inappropriate will show up in LEGO Rock Band. There is a $9.99 exporting fee for licensing issues, which seems a little harsh, but it is balanced out by the fact that the game retails for $49.99 instead of the full-priced $59.99 like most 360 and PS3 games. In the end, I was convinced that LEGO Rock Band wasn’t an unnecessary cash-in, and I’m now looking forward to it much more than I was before.

While I only played the 360 version of the game, there is also a handheld version coming to the DS. I didn’t get to check it out, but I was told it would be similar to Rock Band Unplugged for the PSP. LEGO Rock Band is set to be released in November on all systems.