Out of the blue comes green

When Harmonix announced that Green Day would be the recipient of their second stand-alone band-centric game I certainly scratched my head in confusion. Following up a band-centric title that featured the Beatles would certainly be a tough act but following them up with Green Day was something many gamers certainly did not see coming. Green Day certainly has had a lengthy and fairly noteworthy career filled with multi-platinum albums and number one hits but when compared to other bands that have received the full band game treatment (Aerosmith, Metallica, The Beatles, and Van Halen) they are arguably not in the same league (indeed, the editor here is scratching his head, wondering who these Green Day guys are). Regardless of opinionated debates on the validity of choosing Green Day to receive the full band treatment there is no arguing the fact that they do in fact have their own game chronicling their career.

How Green Day: Rock Band holds up will, much like The Beatles: Rock Band, depend entirely on your appreciation for Green Day's music. Hardcore Green Day fans are going to love the music but if you are not already a fan of Green Day this game is not going to be the revelation to convert you to their fandom.

While Green Day may not be for everyone, developer Harmonix obviously loves the band and it is evident in every facet of the title as the game literally oozes Green Day's attitude. The game is very much a Rock Band title with Green Day (and only Green Day) in it. Anybody who has previously played a Guitar Hero or Rock Band game in the last five years will feel instantly at home. The core gameplay mechanics that have been in place since Rock Band (and Guitar Hero before it) are still at play in Green Day: Rock Band. Note streams still flow the screen with players, using their arsenal of plastic instruments, playing along to the music matching the colored notes to the corresponding controller buttons.

Scarcity of venues

In The Beatles: Rock Band, Harmonix ditched the expansive World Tour mode in favor of a more streamlined tiered system of progression and they keep the same style for Green Day. Whereas the decision made sense in The Beatles: Rock Band, I can't help but feel that it doesn't quite work in this game as the game only has three venues for players to experience. The game also doesn't quite have the narrative feel that The Beatles: Rock Band did, instead starting players out in 1994 at The Warehouse and then jumping 11 years to 2005 at the Milton Keynes Arena and then four years to 2009 at the The Fox Theater. With a band that has been around for 16 years and has had as much success as Green Day, one would think that that there had to be some other memorable venues between 1994 and 2005. Furthermore, the exclusion of Green Day's 1994 performance at Woodstock, be it due to licensing or what not, is quite saddening as it is most certainly one of their most iconic performances.