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| From: Electronic Arts
Category: Video Games
List Price: $79.99
Buy New: $48.99
You Save: $31.00 (39%)
New (28) Used (6) from $41.68
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 103
Platform: Xbox 360
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 14
Dimensions (in): 30 x 14.8 x 8.2
MPN: 15910
UPC: 014633159103
EAN: 0014633159103
ASIN: B000TT2D2A
Release Date: February 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-9 of 9 | | « PREV | | |
 The drums add a new dimension to the game! April 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
After careful consideration, I decided to buy this game piece meal since I already had the guitar from Guitar Hero. I picked up the drums from Amazon and they are very cool. It's like playing the real thing to the songs.
If you have Rock Band, get the drums. They're worth the extra cash.
 A Great Idea that Needed a Little More Time on the Drawing Board March 29, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
For the uninitiated, Rock Band takes the Guitar Hero concept and extends it by adding roles for bass, drums and vocals. The game is a lot of fun even in solo mode, but it really shines as a cooperative party game.
So in order to get the most out of the game, you need additional instrument controllers including these drums. At this time, there are no third-party drum kits on the market, so these are your only option. And while these do the trick nicely, there is room for improvement.
The kit includes four drum pads, a kick drum pedal, an adjustable stand, headset plug-in and a pair of (actual-size, wood) drumsticks. Setup is very easy, taking only a few minutes despite the Lego-esque, pictures-only instructions. The height of the kit is adjustable to fit anyone's height from kids to tall adults. However, the pads themselves are unfortunately fixed in position relative to each other, so you can't adjust their angle or move them around individually. Personally, I'd like to be able to set the cymbal pad higher than the rest or swap the hi-hat and snare to play cross-armed, but there's no ability to do this.
There are two main gripes about how the drum kit performs during gameplay: they're too loud and (at least some models) aren't sensitive enough. Lots of after-market mods are becoming available to dampen the harsh clacking sound that the pads make when you play - gum rubber or neoprene inserts, padding for the drumsticks, I've even seen people tie socks to the pads (check it out on Youtube). Expecting the worst, I was pleasantly surprised at the sound that it makes - it's not that bad assuming that you've got your TV at a decent level to begin with. Of course, this is the only instrument controller that naturally makes its own noise (high-pitched and hollow like a woodpecker) and your roommates or neighbors may feel differently.
As for the sensitivity, there are (so far) three distinct production series of the drum kit. Look on the serial number stamped underneath your pads to determine which you have. The 1st generation "EL" pads have hard surfaces, making it easier to play fast notes but also requiring more force for each hit. 2nd generation "QM" pads are softer and more sensitive, but also don't register fast hits as well. 3rd generation "SL" pads supposedly are the best of both prior gens, but are too new to really evaluate. The kit that I received from Amazon was an EL, but so far I've been pleased with their performance, i.e. I'm getting good response on fast notes but also not requiring a whole lot of force on the hits. So take the after-market craze for pad modifications worth a grain of salt and judge for yourself before buying anything to add to your kit.
There have also been reports that the kit breaks easily, especially the bass drum pedal. Honestly, I have no idea how other people are playing (abusing) their kits, but I don't see a way for the pedal to snap in half as a result of normal use. I'm playing hard/expert level drums with minimal pressure on the pedal and it's showing no signs of wear or tear. And in case you do run into problems, EA has a generous replacement policy for all Rock Band game controllers.
While setup and takedown are simple enough, the kit still takes up a lot of room even when broken down into its pieces. It can easily fit back into the retail box, and honestly, there's not much more you can do to reduce the space that it requires when stored. Even completely disassembled, it's too big to fit under any couch or chair that I've seen. So plan on either leaving it permanently on display or else losing about half of the floor space in a double-door closet when stowing it.
So is this the end-all-be-all of drum controllers? No. And judging from the popularity of the game and its like, there'll surely be newer and better versions available in the future. But in the meantime, this kit will provide you with hours of fun gameplay - it's guaranteed to always be the "me next" instrument whenever a group of friends gets together to play.
PROS
* Lots of fun to play - makes the most of the Rock Band game
* Pads have good sensitivity and responsiveness (better than I'd expected)
CONS
* Tick-tock sound of hitting the drums may annoy some
* Pads are fixed in place in relation to each other
* Takes up lots of space when not in use
Rock Band Rocks! February 20, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
OK, I got the complete set, game, drums, mic, and guitar. This game is a blast to play. Rock Band comes out with three new songs a week for their Downloadable Content (DLC). The drums are fun to play but very tiring if you are an old fart like me. I had a total hip replacement last year so after about six songs I am done on the drums because of the bass kick pedal. It's great and fun for me on easy but on medium they add more kick drum notes and it just tires me out. This game is very durable and Rock Band has a great warranty unlike Guitar Hero III who only has a 60 day warranty. My guitar quit working and Rock Band sent me a new one free of charge, all I had to do was secure it with a credit card to insure I would return my broken one, they mailed me a new guitar and a return shipping label. When I received my new guitar I used the box and shipping label and returned my defective guitar. It works the same way with the drums but so far I haven't had the problems with drums that others do. I highly recommend this game for a fun time with family and friends.
Get This January 25, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
If you are looking to buy this but aren't sure, go ahead. I bought this for my son and he loves it hours of fun for all of us my husband sings, I play guitar and my son plays drums. Very funny. We are glad we spent the money. Good quality works well, it is very muck like playing the real thing.
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