October twenty-sixth saw the release of the latest in full band rhythm games with Guitar Hero World Tour, marking it as fresh competition for the already released Rock Band 2. Now that drums have entered the fray and cross compatibility available, gamers are planning on purchasing one kit for both games.
But which kit to pick? Is it a matter of realism? Does it need to be sturdy?
Drum Kit Construction Comparison
Out of the box you can feel the difference between the two kits. When it comes to strength the GHWT (Guitar Hero World Tour) kit is superior. However, sturdier also means it is a bit heavier. The legs have a cross bar that helps prevents swaying from side to side. This causes a problem with the kick pedal if you prefer to sit up close and have the pedal further out as it can block your leg. The pedal works more like a drum pad than an actual bass pedal, and is less prone to breaking.
RB2 (Rock Band 2) has reinforced the old pedal from the first game with metal. It is a bit stronger than its predecessor but with only two support bars it has a tendency to sway. The pads are able to take more of a beating as they have used a new material for them, which also silences them quite a bit.
Set-Up of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band Drum Kits
A big debate among gamers now is the realistic set up of the drum pads. GHWT has three pads that run at a slight angle in half a circle around the player. and two cymbals sitting on top the kit. Many have said they find the GHWT kit to be more realistic than RB2. One thing to be wary of the different heights of the cymbals and pads can cause some off beats. Also, when really getting into it, one's movements could become a bit wild and hit a cymbal while coming down to hit a pad.
Your aim will require work to get good on this kit.
RB2’s kit has four pads placed in a half circle around the player. There will be an add-on soon released in the form of attachable cymbals that correspond to a particular pad. You can get from one to three additional cymbals.These will have a little more flexibility on the placement and could help it compete with GHWT on the level of realism. This is not to say one might develop the same problems seen on the GHWT kit.
Remember with realism comes greater difficulty.
Cross Compatibility of Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour Drum Kits
One of the most important features is how well the kit plays on the competitor’s game. Because the RB2 kit has only four notes opposed to GHWT's five, the game play on GHWT shifts to accommodate this, merging two tracks, specifically the orange and green notes are simply played on the RB2 green pad, into one and cutting down on some notes. It feels about the same, but losses something in the translation.
But this additional note also works against the GHWT kit when played on RB2, it becomes arbitrary and at times can get in the way of playing. Neither has any glaring problems with cross compatibility but for those looking to get the full experience of each game may wish to stick with its drum kit.
It's a hard choice and mainly depends on where your comforts lie. Much like an actual drum kit you'll want to be using the one that suits you and your needs.
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