Battle of the Bands
Fancy listening to Cypress Hill's Insane In The Brain country style or dancing to the marching band version of KC and the Sunshine Band's That's The Way (I Like It)? As crazy, or cheesy, as they may sound, it's actually a riot to jam to such ludicrous versions of popular songs. Battle Of The Bands takes 30 popular hits and spins them in five styles - metal, hip-hop, country, Latin and marching band. Players choose one style and fight against their opponent, who is versed in another. It sounds like a martial arts flick and just like kung-fu, there are a range of moves to be executed. Unlike music games like Rock Band or Guitar Hero where the game lets you mimic the musical notes, this game plays a different tune.
Using the Wii remote, gamers shake and rattle to on-screen cues that scroll from the screen's bottom to the top. Be consistent with the moves and the music will be played in your style. If you can follow the cues, which range from shaking the remote up, down, left or right, or wiggling it, you can also launch attacks on your opponent and build up the points. Each band has a list of attacks to pick from, some which block or speed up your music board. The more powerful attacks require you to be more consistent in following the cues without any breaks. There are also solo portions where one player lobs attacks while the other defends. Players have a shield they can activate with a push of a button to deflect attacks and this is where the battle can get frustrating.
Imagine not only having to watch your cues and twist your wrists to get them all but also having to watch your opponent for attacks, to activate your split-second shield. There is no way to get everything right. Controls-wise, Wii fans should get a kick out of shaking the device like a tambourine but repeated shakes can cause pain to the wrists. The graphics are similar to Rock Band, with over the top characters but the draw should be the music. Instead of playing the game, I spent most of my time listening to the variations of the songs. Would anyone care to join me in listening to Def Leppard's Photograph, Latin style?
