Rock Band 4

 Xbox One
User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 58 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 58
  3. Negative: 12 out of 58
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  1. raashnavj
    Oct 6, 2015
    5
    This game is a shell of a game that still needs an iteration (or a year more dev time) to be worth you paying money for it. If you are familiar with RB3 (and can still play it) you can outright skip this edition as it only adds the typical release worth of songs to your library.

    If you are upgrading from X360 to XOne you better have wireless instruments, they didn't bother to add    This game is a shell of a game that still needs an iteration (or a year more dev time) to be worth you paying money for it. If you are familiar with RB3 (and can still play it) you can outright skip this edition as it only adds the typical release worth of songs to your library.

    If you are upgrading from X360 to XOne you better have wireless instruments, they didn't bother to add support for USB devices (which my ION Drum Kit is a wired connection so I don't have to waste money on batteries). The devs have made a good case, document, explaining what is compatible or not. But it never-the-less rubs wrong to know that after I bought it. You could say I should have done my research... yep I could have. Would have saved me $60.

    You probably also have a ton of downloaded songs from all the RB you have already played. Unfortunately due to some legal issue (or something like that) you can't redownload all your songs at a click of a button. (Restore purchases anyone? Wow, Mobile is ahead of consoles. never thought I would say that...) Instead you have to painstakingly look through every song until you download them one by one. The developers didn't even make a feature that would generate a list of songs you own and then force you to click one but one. Nope you have to get them out of the big pile of songs... all mixed.

    The game is prettier. But doesn't have online multiplayer, practice mode, or a lot of other features from RB3... Really, you know if you want it. It is definitely a casual iteration - buy the whole band in a box or skip it until they fix it.    … Expand
  2. kajota
    Oct 7, 2015
    5
    It's ok. If you've never played any of the other Rock Band games then it's pretty good. The problem is that it's inferior to Rock Band 3 and Rock Band 2 in most ways and inferior to Rock Band 1 in a few ways:

    No online multiplayer No setlist creation or saving of setlists. (at least from quickplay) No song filtering (ie you can't filter your songs by just Country songs or only songs    It's ok. If you've never played any of the other Rock Band games then it's pretty good. The problem is that it's inferior to Rock Band 3 and Rock Band 2 in most ways and inferior to Rock Band 1 in a few ways:

    No online multiplayer
    No setlist creation or saving of setlists. (at least from quickplay)
    No song filtering (ie you can't filter your songs by just Country songs or only songs from the 80s)
    Band character creation is worse than previous games.
    No Ion drum support, no midi adapter drum support. (for me this means no drum support at all)
    No practice mode
    You have to download all your old DLC individually. For me this means hours of downloading.
    The setlist is sort of blah. No epic songs. And worst of all there are 2 U2 songs. I hate U2.
    No score duals
    No Pro Guitar, Pro keyboards or regular keyboards.
    The leaderboards are sort of slow.
    No platinum, gold, or bronze instrument icons.
    The list of DLC doesn't properly show the songs you've already bought. So you just have to try and see if it makes you pay for songs you think you own.
    Track Pack DLC doesn't port.

    They say there will be updates to the game to add new features. That's fine but it would be nice to have a complete game.    … Expand
  3. Evae
    Oct 7, 2015
    6
    Rock band IV is the same, re-skinned, music party game that it has always been. The formula is all there, the guitar, the five buttons, and the difficulty system.

    I would consider this edition of Rock Band a bland expansion to Rock Band III, but worse. Many things are not in this version, such as online multiplayer, no song filtering, and a lack of Ion Drum support (which basically    Rock band IV is the same, re-skinned, music party game that it has always been. The formula is all there, the guitar, the five buttons, and the difficulty system.

    I would consider this edition of Rock Band a bland expansion to Rock Band III, but worse. Many things are not in this version, such as online multiplayer, no song filtering, and a lack of Ion Drum support (which basically means no drums).    … Expand
  4. BassGuitarFan
    Oct 16, 2015
    5
    Rock Band 4 wasn't as good as i thought it was. RB4 lacks a lot of good features than from the past previous games. 1st Character Creation doesn't have as much features like the previous games. It doesn't have weight, height, muscle, or face (nose, chin, eyes, ears, cheeks and lips adjustments features). 2nd Very less clothes to dress up your character. And you cannot choose your ownRock Band 4 wasn't as good as i thought it was. RB4 lacks a lot of good features than from the past previous games. 1st Character Creation doesn't have as much features like the previous games. It doesn't have weight, height, muscle, or face (nose, chin, eyes, ears, cheeks and lips adjustments features). 2nd Very less clothes to dress up your character. And you cannot choose your own shoes. 3rd Less hair styles to choose from. 4th Less Guitars, Bass, Drums, and Microphones to choose from. And no Keyboard Support. (Could they make an update to bring keyboards back?) 5th No Band Logo that you can create. 6th No Favorite Song Set list that you can create in Quick Play.
    I have to say the Default Characters are more cooler looking in Rock Band 3 than Rock Band 4. As for the Band Stand Ins you cannot place any favorite characters you made to fill in your band, you can only choose the RB4 defaults.
    It is very difficult for the DLC songs you loved that you've bought and you have to go back to the Song Store and repurchase them all again. But i have heard that the game makers will fix and make updates for the old songs that you bought for DLC to bring in for RB4 easier, which is a good thing. I believe the company says that they are working hard to bring every DLC back to the setlist in the store which will take us customers patients. Hopefully the previous RB1, RB2, RB3, Lego RB, AC/DC Live Track Pack will come into RB4 soon.
    The good thing about this is the Free Style Guitar Solo which is fun to make up and for those of you who have a hard time playing the original hard solos. They do have a lot of good songs for the original RB4 set list.
    I'd say that RB4 is a little ok but not horrible. It feels as if they rushed to make this game. If you want more fun then keep Rock Band 3.    … Expand
  5. danielnault333
    Oct 12, 2015
    6
    My review for the game on the first week from launch, i will modify it, if the game get major updates eventually.

    6/10 Fair Pros: Awesome 1080p 60fp new graphics Cool gameplay with new freestyle features Hudge choice of DLC available in the music store from well know bands Great career mode with rewards Legacy DLC compatibility (Being able to re-download for free previous    My review for the game on the first week from launch, i will modify it, if the game get major updates eventually.

    6/10 Fair

    Pros:

    Awesome 1080p 60fp new graphics
    Cool gameplay with new freestyle features
    Hudge choice of DLC available in the music store from well know bands
    Great career mode with rewards
    Legacy DLC compatibility (Being able to re-download for free previous songs you bought
    Great choice of artist for the setlist and upcoming DLC
    Cool voting system in Show and career modes
    Legacy game controller adapter allow you to play with your old wireless instruments
    Very useful to see a countdown on vocals when you have nothin to sing
    Professionnal mics for vocalist have better detection for the game
    Cons:

    No online multiplayer make the game dull if you play alone, + not possible to play with the best players around the world or your consoles friends list
    No more Pro modes
    No more Keyboard
    Not possible to buy RB Network songs or play the ones we bought (There a lot in RB3)
    Lots of legacy songs, packs & games we bought are still not available for free. We wait for upcoming updates
    Lack of previous RB3 settings for instruments and gameplay
    Hudge lack of customization for characters, compare to RB3 (Same clothes pretty much)
    Lack of filters for our songs library make it hard to find your songs when you have a lot
    Lack of features like; pratice mode, drum freestyle, online play
    Mediocre on disc setlist, could be better
    Less stats are shown when you complete a song (Such as ranking)
    No songs ranking for Career mode
    Issues with somes instruments without updating the firmware
    Characters & crowld animations are basically the same (Would be nice to see people trashing on punk, metal music, as well as body surfing, stage diving... only the singer does stage diving)
    New instruments are still the same but with minors upgrades
    Instruments are now too expensive
    Xbox one need an expensive adapter for previous instruments and only available in USA, other contry have to order it on amazon.com (No need for PS4, Microsoft fault)
    No midi drum compatible yet on xbox one
    Not possible to do make a setlist in quickplay
    No party shuffle un quickplay
    Vocals Freestyle can't be enjoy, cause they're too short, only good for points
    Pre-order was delay for some buyers
    New notes graphics are confusing on Expert
    In game graphics bugs
    characters still have floating guitar/bass !! (no strap) Would be nice to be able to customize strap,
    .... the list is long

    Final words:

    The gameplay & graphics are nice, but the game could be so much better, big lacks of ideas, and the game is missings too much previous settings and features including: RBN, Keys, online and Pro modes. Because of that, you may get back on RB3 faster then you thought.

    We understand that Harmonix lost sponsors like; MTV & EA, so that's probably why they didn't put much money for making this game, but they still have a lot of work to do if they want to improve RB4 !! I still got hope the game will get better with upcoming DLC and updates, but as for now, the game is really dissapointed because it seem half done.
    C'mon Harmonix, at least bring us back the Midi drum compatibility for xbox one and online play for both consoles !! This review is subject to change anytime. Harmonix annonced a big updates for Dec 8th. Hopefully will have pro drum and online multiplayer as a Christmas gift !! I'll cross my fingers and toes !! ;)    … Expand
  6. DJAftershock
    Nov 8, 2015
    7
    The weakest game in the core Rock Band series is still fun for dedicated fans. Personally, I enjoy the fact that not much has changed, as Guitar Hero: Live changed practically everything... and look how well that turned out. Go for it if you have lots of DLC from Rock Band history, else skip it and pick up a cheap copy of RB3.
  7. bcarrell
    Dec 29, 2015
    7
    Rock Band 4 is a long awaited favorite of mine. I've had all of the Rock Bands, including this one. The best memories are playing with your friends in career mode and completing the"Endless Set-list".

    Things that I've noticed is that the career mode is terribly short. Someone could probably beat the game is one sitting. There are really no cool set-lists like there were in Rock Band 2    Rock Band 4 is a long awaited favorite of mine. I've had all of the Rock Bands, including this one. The best memories are playing with your friends in career mode and completing the"Endless Set-list".

    Things that I've noticed is that the career mode is terribly short. Someone could probably beat the game is one sitting. There are really no cool set-lists like there were in Rock Band 2 like the: 80's Set-list, Alternative Set-list, etc. What's most disappointing is there is no online multiplayer (at least yet). Rock Band 4 seems like a copy and paste of all of the other Rock Bands, minus online and a expansive career mode. A copy and paste with less content. Seems bizarre.

    Pros:

    -Up to 4 players can play. Great for "rocking out" with friends.
    -Great songs that come with the game.
    -Tons of songs offered on the marketplace (DLC).
    -Songs difficulty range from "boring easy" to "literally impossible". So, a wide rage so everyone regardless of experience can play.
    -Upgraded gear (guitar, drum set, microphone) so they last longer and are more responsive.

    Cons:

    -Very expensive. To receive just a guitar and the game will put someone out $129.99. Want the drum set and microphone? $249.99. Seems expensive.
    -Less content than previous Rock Bands.
    -No online

    Breakdown:

    Graphics: +2/2 (Simplistic, but graphics aren't really the concern for a game like Rock Band. -0)
    Mechanics: +2/2 (Runs very smooth. Little to no lag. No game breaking glitches. -0)
    Replay ability: +1/2 (Fun initially, but with no online, the game becomes repetitive quickly. -1)
    Career mode: +0/2 (Too short. Almost no specific set-lists, either random songs, or chosen songs. -2)
    Game play: +2/2 (Very fun, especially with friends. -0)

    Rock Band 4 is a very fun game, but all of its content, like specific song set-lists, online, and a decent career mode was left out. Disappointing to say the least. Overall, Rock Band 4 was a very decent game.

    Total: +7/10    … Expand
  8. kiggidykev
    Oct 18, 2015
    7
    Overall, Rock Band 4 is a fun game that needs more time to mature and have features added. In its current state, it is more of a throwback to RB2 than a progression of the series, which was a huge leap for the series, but sadly a lot of features that I truly loved and have found missing from this iteration; there are no keyboard parts, no online play, no song filtering options, and veryOverall, Rock Band 4 is a fun game that needs more time to mature and have features added. In its current state, it is more of a throwback to RB2 than a progression of the series, which was a huge leap for the series, but sadly a lot of features that I truly loved and have found missing from this iteration; there are no keyboard parts, no online play, no song filtering options, and very limited character and band customization. These are a lot of features missing at launch that I hope will be implemented over time through patches, and I hope they do because I want to like this game more but right now it feels incomplete.

    That being said, I do like the new guitar solos and the option to choose between them or the older style of solos. The new instrument controllers are quite nice, and the tilt sensor on the guitar is much more reliable than any previous models. And it's extremely nice that so many of my paid downloadable songs have transferred over from the 360 version of RB3. The option to have the game make votable suggestions between songs is a fun way to keep the momentum of a party going without going back to the song selection screen and scrolling for a long time.    … Expand
  9. JaredFX
    Nov 26, 2015
    6
    Rock Band 4 Review

    The Good, The Bad, The Ugly I have played a butt load of Rock Band. I am no newbie to this genre, I'm even a Rock Band Road Crew member. I received a free band kit with the game days before its release, yet I will point out the good and the bad and the ugly in my review. Where should I start? The good? Okay, here we go: Rock Band is back. New Platform. New    Rock Band 4 Review

    The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

    I have played a butt load of Rock Band. I am no newbie to this genre, I'm even a Rock Band Road Crew member. I received a free band kit with the game days before its release, yet I will point out the good and the bad and the ugly in my review. Where should I start? The good? Okay, here we go:

    Rock Band is back. New Platform. New Music. New instruments. Great.

    The guitar feels better and is quieter. The drums are a far superior improvement. More bounce, better reflex, higher stand. Great.

    The bad: the guitar quits responding and has to be rebooted often. It freezes mid-song constantly. Low batteries? Or just a piece of **** Fix this immediately. If the batteries are dying, then pause the **** game. That's what Rock Band 3 did. Nothing new.

    The bad: let me make set lists. This seems obvious. It's stupid sthat this isn't built in to the game.

    The bad: where are my rankings? They're coming. Should have,been there to start.

    The bad: not launching with any disc songs? We're working on it. Give me a break. Should have had this figured out already.

    The bad: nothing new graphically.

    The bad: No music video mode.

    The ugly: all the characters look like heroin addicts.

    The ugly: all disc based songs are unavailable.

    The ugly: the legacy adapter should be a usb hub as well.

    The ugly: if Microsoft wants everything to be wireless, then my Microsoft wireless mics should work.

    Don't get me wrong, i love rock band. I just want to help you make it better. I won't comment on the song list, because I get it, and you're "b and c list" songs are pretty great. Fun to play and Introduced me to new music and ain't that what it's all about?    … Expand
  10. GabrielOFavero
    Feb 13, 2016
    5
    It feels like a rock band, but not a good one. No keyboard, no character customization, lots glitches and very limited instrument compatibility. Wanna play it with your brand new GH live guitar? No can do. Wanna play with your wired old gen instrument? nop. The funny part is that, if you have played RB3, you will feel that it is way more evolved than this one. More instruments, betterIt feels like a rock band, but not a good one. No keyboard, no character customization, lots glitches and very limited instrument compatibility. Wanna play it with your brand new GH live guitar? No can do. Wanna play with your wired old gen instrument? nop. The funny part is that, if you have played RB3, you will feel that it is way more evolved than this one. More instruments, better graphics (realistic ones), far better compatibility list and a very good online mode. You will feel that RB4 should have been RB3 and RB3 should have been RB4. Strange, right?

    Don't get me wrong, the game is good. I'm having a great time with it, but I just don't feel like it is complete. It's limited. You can't make fully customized characters. You can't play online. You can't play with your keyboard, your ION drums, or wireless old instruments. By the way, what a disrespect with fans. People spent real money on great instruments, like ION drums and, even with the so called "legacy adapter", you can't play with it. The worst part is that it's pretty clear that making more instruments compatible isn't a priority for them at all. They said it many many times.

    If this is your first time on rock band, go ahead, try it. Buy the band in a box pack and enjoy. There are many missing features, but it's still a very fun game. If you have played other RBs, especially the third one, have instruments that are usable on RB4 and want some nostalgia, go for it as well, but beware, it's an $80 arcade game. All the best features are still in RB3. Now, if you are like me: Played the other RBs like hell and have many instruments, but most of them aren't compatible, DON'T BUY IT. You will get frustrated. You will feel like you are playing a remastered RB2, will be very pissed that you have perfectly good instruments that can't be used. Stick with RB3 or buy GH Live. At least Actvision delivered what they promised, not like Harmonix that promised a genuine sequence, but gave us an arcade reboot.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best Xbox One Game of 2015
51
#51 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015
51
#51 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Gamer.nl
    Dec 7, 2015
    65
    Rock Band 4 is made for two audiences and it succeeds only a little bit. The gameplay is a lot better, but the features are definitely worse. Making this game backwards compatible is a nightmare, but as long as you just play the new stuff, you will have a good time with Rock Band 4.
    Read full review
  2. Yahoo!
    Nov 18, 2015
    80
    Despite its lack of big upgrades and unsatisfying track list, this is still a blast to play with friends. If video games intend, in part, to deliver fantasy, then Rock Band is, once again, a resounding success. You play this game, you feel like a rock star. It’s that simple.
    Read full review
  3. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Nov 9, 2015
    90
    Takes the core of what the series has always excelled at and confidently drags it on to Xbox One. [Dec 2015, p.74]
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