It just doesn’t get much better than this.  Legos, Rock and Roll, an a Wii.  We’ve loved the Wii Lego games we reviewed in the past so we were way excited when Warner Brothers/MTV sent us a review copy of Lego Rock Band to check out.  Lego Rock Band is one of the latest entries from the super successful Rock Band franchise.  I won’t go into too much detail explaining the gameplay in Lego Rock Band since it is almost identical to that of Rock Band 2.  But, for the uninitiated, the theme of the game is simple: Be a rock star.  You get to form your own rock band, play gigs, go on tour, and wow the universe….literally! And to make beautiful music, all you have to do is strum or drum along with colorful musical Lego brick notes as they stream down the screen (but, you’ll need to have some Rock Band compatible gear (guitars, drums, microphones) to be able to play because Lego Rock Band doesn’t come bundled with any).  The more notes you hit the higher your score.  And the higher your score, the more fans and Lego studs you’ll collect.  You can use your studs to buy new gear or outfits in the store or add new members to your band’s entourage.

The entire Lego Rock Band story revolves around your band growing from garage band status to rock stardom.  Along the way, your playing skills will help you unlock new touring vehicles like a hovercraft, a helicopter, and your own private jet.  And you’ll get to play gigs just about everywhere, from the streets of your hometown, to an underwater lair, an alien space craft and even the moon.  And the coolest thing about all of the venues you’ll be playing at are that they’re made of Legos.

Aside from story mode, you can also play in a free mode and you can pick any one of the 45 songs to play along with.  And, in free mode, you’ll also get to see some absolutely adorable Lego versions of some of rock and roll’s greatest stars.  My personal favorite was the iconic Freddie Mercury from Queen.  But, you’ll also get to the rest of the band from Queen, as well a 1983 “Let’s Dance”-styled David Bowie, Iggy Pop (who looks much better as a Lego minifigure than he does in real life) and the band Blur. Here they are in all their block glory:

In addition to the game play modes, there are also a few tutorials on how to play the guitar and how to play the drums.  There is also a great drum practice area, where the skills you learn are real drumming skills, not just ones for playing a game.  Too boot, you’re guided through the tutorials by a very quirky Iggy Pop.  Here’s a brief video clip showcasing some of the music from Lego Rock Band as well as all of the game play modes including guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals (we didn’t get to try the vocals as we don’t own a Rock Band compatible microphone…and we have terrible voices!):

What We Liked

Just so darn CUTE! The entire presentation was just so cute and silly.  It made it so easy to open this game and realize very quickly that the kids would be alright with this one.  If you’re a serious hard core rocker, this one may not be for you, but if you’ve kiddos, the Lego characters alone make this one worthwhile.  Not only are the Legos cute, but our kids recognized several of their Lego sets in the game, especially the new Lego Power Miners.

I know that one! The setlist for Lego Rock Band is really good and has some great variety in it.  We’re pretty sure that you’re bound to find at least one song in here that you like.  And, you’re kids will definitely recognize songs from Shrek (Counting Crows – Accidentally in Love), Cars (Rascal Flatts – Life is a Highway) and Kung Fu Panda (Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting).

This is Super Easy! We love that for the first time in a Rock Band game, there is a Super Easy mode.  This mode really lets the little ones get into the act.  Super Easy mode lets your kids play along simply by strumming along with one hand without having to use their other hand to control the fret board.  This helps them just get into the rhythm instead of struggling to play the guitar.  There is also Super Easy mode for the drums in which your kiddos could hit any drum they want to as long as they’re in rhythm.  You can also turn off the kick drum bass pedal on any difficulty level, which makes it easier for those “less coordinated” drummers in your house.

A family band. Each band member can play a different difficult level, even when they’re playing together.  So that means that while junior is beating away on the drums in Super Easy mode, dad can pretend he’s Jimi Hendrix and wail in expert mode at the same time.

The radio edit. While Lego Rock Band contains the full versions of all 45 songs in the setlist, you can also play short versions of each song too.  This is great for the little ones who may get tired or even bored during longer songs.  Who am I kidding, it was great for me trying to play along with some of the faster bass lines in the setlist…man were my hands getting tired!

Get up off of that couch! Ok, while you could technically play most of Lego Rock Band sitting down, our house was rockin’ when we played.  Everyone was up and dancing around, and having a ball.  Even our drummer was up and jamming sometimes.  If you make this a family style fun activity, you can definitely get some calories burning when you play.

Bowie, Freddie, Iggy and Blur. Well, we said it before, but it’s worth repeating.  The Lego minifigures of these rock icons were so adorable.  Our kids didn’t really get it, but the grown ups who played along fell in love with them.

A gig on the moon! There are so many fun venues to play as your band’s career takes off and you go on tour.  The different venues and the Power Challenges associated with them really add to the lasting appeal of Lego Band.  Even though you may have rocked the house at the Power Miner’s cave party, you have a long way to go until you get to play a gig on the moon!

What We Didn’t Like

Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before. Forgive me for the obscure Smith’s reference there, couldn’t help myself.  While the playlist for Lego Rock Band is awesome, it’s also kind of short (there are only 45 songs), especially compared to other Rock Band titles.  While this doesn’t seem too bad, consider that you’ll be playing a lot of these over and over again as your band’s career blossoms.  Also, a little hint, when you record an album, make sure you like the songs you record on it because you’ll be playing them again…a lot.

Lego Blocks. The graphics on the Wii were a bit blocky and not quite as sharp as they could have been.  I have had the chance to see Lego Rock band on the XBox 360 and Playstation and the graphics were much sharper.

Yawwwwn. There is quite a bit of lag while your Wii loads the next set of songs or venue for you to play at.  The loading screens do try to help you pass the time with a smile as they give you some Lego trivia or just some silly Lego jokes.  But, deep down, after playing for a while, it was a bit annoying waiting through the loading screen.

Dude, where’s my guitar? One major drawback to Lego Rock Band is that it does not come with any instrument bundle package.  This is a stand alone game and you have to own Rock Band compatible guitars, drums, and microphones already.  That said, if you’re not going to buy the Rock Band bundle before you get this game, here’s a suggestion for those little guitarists in your family band.  Most of the Rock Band guitars are kind of big for little kids.  We ended up getting an awesome mini-guitar for our little guys that really worked out well.  It’s called the Wii Shred Axe Guitar from CTA. It’s perfect for little hands and little arms.

Good for the Kiddos?

Lego Rock Band is rated E10+ with Comic Mischief, Comic Violence and Mild Lyrics.  The ESRB issued these ratings because:

Lego characters perform in and around fantasy-themed venues such as pirate ships, underwater domes, the moon, and a medieval castle. In this last-mentioned venue, a royal Lego army—equipped with swords, spears, arrows, and catapults—storms the castle; the band fights back with toy-like swords, improvising with guitar hits (licks?) and kicks to the chest. During some cutscenes, Lego characters engage in not so civil behavior: a hotel room is trashed; a character belches loudly into a microphone; and a dinosaur destroys an outhouse, leaving a solitary figure stranded on a toilet. Song lyrics occasionally reference violence (e.g., “Somebody’s gonna die . . . My ex will start a fight”), use the expletive “hell,” and seemingly allude to substance abuse (e.g., “Brain fried tonight through misuse . . . Without these pills you’re let loose . . . Is it a monster?”).

We definitely agree with ESRB’s rating.  While Lego’s kind of conveys that good family friendly feeling, sometimes the lyrics of the songs don’t quite match the cuteness of Lego-world.  It can be a bit disconcerting.  We’d really recommend that if you’re going to play this one with kids under 10, you check out the song list and lyrics first, then play in free mode where you can pick which songs your kids can hear and play.  Here’s a link to the full setlist for Lego Rock Band for your reference.  The violence that the ESRB refers to is very cartoonish and really, there’s not much too it.  It’s actually quite comic.  There is no blood, guts, or gory stuff.  And, lyrics from Pink and a few other bands aside, there are no suggestive themes in the game and no foul language.

As for the good in this game, first and foremost it teaches kids about music.  Really, it does.  Your kids have to develop their sense of rhythm in order to be successful.  Even in Super Easy mode, you still need to have some rhythmic sense to move ahead.  They’ll also be exposed to basic music theory as the notes on screen follow real patterns of scales and chord changes.  I noticed my littlest one moving to the rhythm and changing how he was strumming his guitar each time the chords changed.  It’s amazing to see a little kid do that.

Lego Rock Band is also a great drum primer.  The drum sets that go with Rock Band are set up like a real drum kit would be (especially if you add the optional cymbals).  The drum parts in Rock Band are the real deal.  And the drum tutorials really teach you how to play.  So if you’ve got a budding drummer in your family, this could be the perfect game for you.  Our 6-year old really gravitated toward the drums and he did a great job following along.  He even realized that the beats he was seeing on screen and playing by ear had what he called “a math pattern”.  Without prompting, he blurted out “Hey, every four times it changes.  It’s a math pattern like at school”.  I then watched him start counting four beats at a time under his breath.  Now if that’s not cool, I don’t know what is!

Most importantly, Lego Rock Band exposes your kids to music.  Granted it’s not classical or opera, but not everything has to be.  We expose our kids to all kinds of music and this is just another way to get them listening.  And, I think bigger than listening to music, it’s given them (and me) a new found respect for musicians.  While games like Rock Band offer all of us a chance at being rock stars in our own living rooms, it also made us realize that playing real music isn’t as easy as it looks.  It takes practice and patience.  And those are two things I think every kid could do well by learning.

Golden Egg Rating

Overall, we give Lego Rock Band 4 out of 5 Golden Eggs.  We found this game to be super entertaining, and an absolute blast for family game night.  The cute factor is way high on this one and the educational value is higher than you’d probably expect.  The familiar Lego theme made it great for the kids and the addition of Super Easy mode made it easy enough for every member of the family to get into the groove.  The biggest shortcoming was the relatively limited playlist of only 45 songs.  If Lego Rock Band had more songs, or even the ability to add more songs with song packs, we probably would have given Lego Rock Band a five out five rating.  I also wish that Lego Rock Band came with at least the option to buy in a bundle with some of the instruments.

FTC Required Disclosure Statement

FiveHens.com received a free review copy of Lego Rock Band from Warner Brothers/MTV in order to provide you with this review. Although the product was provided to us free of charge, that in no way affected this review in either a positive or negative way. For more information about the new FTC blogger disclosure rules, please visit here for the full text of the code.