Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game's About
LEGO Rock Band can be best described as Rock Band done totally in LEGOs. It might sound obvious, but the very core of the game is Rock Band wrapped in a LEGO package. It goes so far that even the colored note charts are LEGO blocks. The songs are more on the Top 40/Pop side of the music spectrum to make this a more kid-friendly version of the Rock Band family.

What's Hot
The LEGO style is applied extremely well to Rock Band. It's the little things that make the difference, from the LEGO style to the expressive animations that bring the blocky friends to life. LEGO pieces are used as replacements for the traditional Rock Band style. For instance, skulls and other rock n' roll symbols are replaced with their smiling LEGO counter parts. "Cute" is a word that only begins to describe the rock journey of LEGO Rock Band. The songs packed in and the presentation never stray far from the LEGO concept that has swept the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Batman franchises. There are some memorable songs on the track list, such as Ghostbusters, Free Fallin' and The Summer of '69. Younger kids will likely dive right into the newer stuff from Boys Like Girls and P!nk, so LEGO Rock Band caters to a wide audience.

The customization is more far out than other Rock Band games because the LEGO license allows for greater exaggerations with the ridiculous nature of rock. To feed into that hyper reality are Rock Power Challenges. Your LEGO band will be tasked with performing duties not normally associated with a rock group. You'll demo buildings, fend off an octopus and scare away ghosts from your roadies. The trick is that you perform as a band. You don't get chances to save your other band mates because you live and die as a group. It is a unique twist on the band aspect of the game.



What's Not
Aside from all the LEGO trimmings, there isn't much else different from Rock Band. The other LEGO ventures have always had a twist that makes it feel like it takes a given franchise in uncharted territory that wouldn't be possible if it weren't created out of plastic blocks. LEGO Rock Band hits those marks in some areas but isn't able to seal the deal all the way through. If you sit back and look at the total package, LEGO Rock Band is basically a Rock Band game with a different visual style. Not only that but LEGO Rock Band takes a few steps backwards in terms of lasting appeal.

Believe it or not, LEGO Rock Band doesn't feature an online multiplayer mode. You are stuck with local play or you have to import your LEGO songs for an additional fee into another version of Rock Band if you want to play some of the songs over the internet. There isn't a clear reason why this popular and game extending mode was left out of the final version of the game. Suffice to say that its absence is surely felt. That in conjunction with the slimmed down song list makes this one Rock Band game that doesn't feel like you get a lot for your money compared to other versions from Rock Band and the competition.

Final Word
The game is cute with charming LEGOs but there isn't as much of a game as even Rock Band 2. The family-friendly soundtrack is sure to broaden the appeal of this game but there are better options available if that isn't a primary concern.