Same Game, New Songs, Lots of Fan Appeal
Even without having played a lot of Rock Band, its sequel, or The Beatles version from last year, I know enough about the series and this release to know that this is ultimately a nicely packaged version of Rock Band specifically made for Green Day fans. I don’t keep up with the genre of music Green Day falls into, but they must still have a respectable fan base to release a full retail title like this. And for those gamers who like them, they will find both familiarity in gameplay and a lot of fresh content to enjoy from one of their favorite bands.
The track list for Green Day is no secret, but you may not know that six of the included songs were previously released as DLC. That gives forty-one new songs in total, including three full albums. The complete track list looks like this:
–Dookie (1994) – “Burnout,” “She,” “Having a Blast,” “Sassafrass Roots,” “Chump,” “When I Come Around,” “Longview,” “Coming Clean,” “Welcome to Paradise,” “Emenius Sleepus,” “Pulling Teeth,” “In the End,” “Basket Case,” “F.O.D.”
–American Idiot (2004) – “American Idiot,” “She’s a Rebel,” “Jesus of Suburbia,” “Extraordinary Girl,” “Holiday,” “Letterbomb,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” “Are We the Waiting?,” “Homecoming,” “St. Jimmy,” “Whatsername,” “Give Me Novacaine.”
–Warning (2000) – “Minority,” “Warning”
–Nimrod (1997) – “Hitchin’ a Ride,” “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” “Nice Guys Finish Last.”
–Insomniac (1995) – “Brain Stew,” “Jaded,” “Geek Stink Breath.”
–21st Century Breakdown (2009) – “Song of the Century,” “¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl),” “21st Century Breakdown,” “Restless Heart Syndrome,” “Before the Lobotomy,” “Horseshoes and Handgrenades,” “Last Night on Earth,” “The Static Age,” “Peacemaker,” “American Eulogy,” “Murder City,” “See the Light.”
And these following six songs are already available as DLC:
“21 Guns,” “Last of the American Girls,” “Know Your Enemy,” “¡Viva La Gloria!,” “East Jesus Nowhere,” “Christian’s Inferno.”
All of these tracks can be exported to your other Rock Band titles using the code in your game manual. And of course, all forty-seven of these songs can also be played in any of the game modes which include local and online career modes, quick play, and score duel which has you facing off against the competition for the best score. Before checking out either of those, there is also a Training mode that includes tutorials, practice, and a drum trainer. If you have any hopes of getting high up on the Leaderboard or earning all of the Trophies in Green Day, Training may not be a bad place to start.
In addition to the songs, the graphics have been re-textured accordingly. You’ll see an animated Green Day playing in a variety of venues that represent their growth in popularity throughout their career. Some 111 unlockables and fifteen or so awards give you further insight into the band’s history over the years, something fans will be eager to see. Just like The Beatles: Rock Band, Green Day supports three simultaneous vocals, too.
That’s about what you can expect, and probably what you already expected, from Green Day: Rock Band. It’s a version of Rock Band created specifically to cater to Green Day fans and its innovation doesn’t go beyond that. There isn’t anything wrong with that, but it’s worth pointing out.
To the summary…