Rock Band 4

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 51
  3. Negative: 0 out of 51
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. The A.V. Club
    Dec 8, 2015
    It’s no longer just about being a rock star but finding the rock star in you.

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best PS4 Game of 2015
81
#81 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
89
#89 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 107 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 107
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 107
  3. Negative: 28 out of 107
  1. Captiosus
    Oct 7, 2015
    5
    Why is this game being rated so highly? It takes so many steps backwards it's not even funny.

    Pros: + Typical, refined, Rock Band gameplay    Why is this game being rated so highly? It takes so many steps backwards it's not even funny.

    Pros:
    + Typical, refined, Rock Band gameplay that made the franchise fun to play.
    + Better solo system.

    Cons:
    - Scaled back character creation.
    - Scaled back production (text only loading screens, for example).
    - NO ONLINE COOP OR COMPETITION (something this franchise pioneered back in RB2!)
    - Lackluster on disk set list.
    - No Midi (pro) drum support.
    - No old keyboard/keytar support.
    - Increased cost per track of all old DLC.
    - Problems importing old RB1 and 2 DLC and tracks.
    - The instruments use the same original design and still feel flimsy.

    I get that nostalgia is a powerful thing but looking objectively, this game isn't even on par with what Rock Band 2 brought to the genre back in 2008! The lack of online coop and online competitions basically turns this back into the PS2 era all over again... newsflash, not all of us can get together and have epic band play in the same room all the time. That's what made the online coop and the battle of the bands functions so meaningful when they released them. Yet those got stripped out...

    This feels like a cash in, a cheap indie title designed to upsell you on endless DLC tracks - and if you switched platforms or didn't use your old import license, they'll be happy to sell you all the tracks you've already bought again for a higher price.

    I sincerely hope no part of the Amplitude reboot was delayed due to this and I regret letting nostalgia drive my purchase decision.    … Full Review »
  2. Sp1ffy84
    Oct 8, 2015
    4
    Sp1ffy84
    Oct 8, 2015
    4 I don't know why this is rated so high? I love ROCKBAND, and have purchased one, two, three and Beatles. This is by    Sp1ffy84
    Oct 8, 2015
    4
    I don't know why this is rated so high? I love ROCKBAND, and have purchased one, two, three and Beatles. This is by far the worst I've ever played. The mic and instruments have delay issues. We tend to turn the vocal track all the way down and sing like karaoke, but it's impossible when there is a delay in when you sing vocals and when you hear them. The kick pedal on the drums is not suited for rapid taps like in metal songs.(it just won't register) The DLC is Broken. There are songs even newly available for purchase that won't download when you buy them. I bought a few songs just last night that I was able to pay for without a problem, but wont download. The character creator leaves alot to be desired. I guess Harmonix is missing that MTV money, because they did not give us what they promised and if this is the best they have to offer than Rockband is on it's last legs. I will not buy another product, song or piece of software from them until they get this game in a working condition. So just to let you know if you loved the old Rockband and don't mind: not playing story, not buying new tracks, not re-downloading old tracks, not playing songs from previous games (have yet to release them and won't say when they will be able to), not playing drums, not hearing your voice when you sing, not playing online and being pissed off that a great game and franchise is now a nostalgia cash cow. Have I got just the game for you. To quote the late and great Freddie Mercury, "Another one bites the dust."    … Full Review »
  3. NegativeCreep
    Oct 21, 2015
    6
    I am a pretty serious Rock Band veteran. My main instrument is drums and I've been playing at expert level since 2008. Rock Band 4 hadI am a pretty serious Rock Band veteran. My main instrument is drums and I've been playing at expert level since 2008. Rock Band 4 had consistently existed on my "dream sequels" list for the past several years and so I was thrilled when it was finally announced. That's what makes it a special shame that this game, in its current state, is pretty disappointing.

    I'll start off with what I think is good; The "shows" feature in which setlists are voted on from a random pick of songs is a pretty good inclusion. I didn't think I would care for it at first, but it's refreshing and fun to not know what song is coming next and to be able to make your selection from what is presented to you. As a drummer, I also like the new dynamic fill feature, for the most part. Like setlist voting, the unpredictability of it is what makes it fun and unique. It was a pretty good decision on Harmonix's part to dump the "create your own" fill section from previous titles, as it quickly got boring. The new fills can sometimes be annoying however as it may present you with a totally off the wall fill which doesn't fit in well with the current section you're playing and cause you to get off track, but for the most part I enjoy having a new fill to play every time. I have played with the new freestyle guitar solos a bit, and I think it's interesting although personally I'd probably prefer just to play the charted solos.

    There's a few reasons why I think the game deserves a low score, and it's all to do with its relativity to the other games. The core experience of the game is still well-established in RB4. There's hardly much different about it at all, really, and it's still as fun as it was previous games. This means that the main improvements to the game should have been in other areas in order to enhance the overall experience, and in most cases this didn't happen. Probably the two biggest surprises I had upon playing the game were that there was no practice mode and no ability to create and play your own setlists. These are pretty dumbfounding features to cut from the game, and so it leads me to believe that the game was likely rushed. Online multiplayer is also notably absent, and Harmonix has gone on the record several times to say that it is planned for a future update. I expect that both of those other features will be implemented in a future update as well, but it's still wildly bizarre that they were missing from launch. The career/tour mode, by far one of the most important parts of the series for me, is a bit better than RB3's, but still a let down. Some of the game's marketing before launch portrayed the career mode as "practically a full-on RPG", which is absolutely untrue. It's so frustrating how Harmonix has had 4 iterations to work on this mode and it's still nowhere near achieving its potential. At least you can choose your own cities again. But this leads me to another point: There are 3 venues in the entire game. A lot of people aren't going to care about that, but to me I found the venues thematically important and it's really disappointing that such a huge step backward was taken here, and it contributes to the feeling that the game was rushed. Something that especially hits hard, given that this is the first Rock Band game on next-gen is that the animations in this game are absolutely dreadful. The guitarist/bassists arms are so stiff that they look like robots and half the time the on-screen musicians don't seem to be playing the actual parts. This is especially disappointing as I loved how in Rock Band the avatars would accurately play the songs, and you could see it. Not so here, and it's extremely puzzling given that they have all the more power to work with. The game's UI and menus also feel really lackluster and it's apparent that they were having budget trouble as a new independent studio.

    The hardware itself is ok, but I've been having consistent issues with drums. From 16th notes and on, I have trouble hitting the notes even if I play them the exact same way I did in previous games and got credit for them. I don't know if that's a calibration issue or what, but it's pretty annoying.

    The core experience of Rock Band is still totally in tact here, and it's still fun. But the lack of improvements made, and the flat-out steps backwards that were taken are disappointing and upsetting.    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »