Harmonix first set the world on fire with the Guitar Hero games, but the developer took the peripheral idea to a whole new level with Rock Band in 2007. The latest entry in the series is 2015's Rock Band 4 on the PS4 and Xbox One, which is still receiving DLC songs to this day.
The developer's most recent title, Fuser, puts a whole different spin on the rhythm game genre, putting players in the shoes of a DJ performing sets at a festival. As unique as the idea is, some things about it might not sit right with fans of Rock Band. Adversely, fans of Fuser might not receive the same enjoyment out of the developer's older title.
10 Fuser Is Better: Encourages Creativity
An element of skill is required for Fuser, without a doubt, but the big draw is playing DJ and mixing tracks together. Creativity is a bigger driving force than it is in Rock Band 4. All of Rock Band's features involving creativity generally feel wonky or do not work super well. The drum fills are often difficult to calibrate and the free-style guitar solos leave something to be desired. Fuser, on the other hand, makes the player feel like a DJ god.
9 Rock Band 4 Is Better: The Library
Maybe it is unfair to put this point in Rock Band's favor. Simply because it has been around longer, the DLC library is massive. Fuser has only been out for a few months, so of course it will not have as many tracks. Still, one has to give a round of applause to Harmonix and Rock Band for not only continuing to support the the game with songs, but also letting longtime fans import songs from prior games.
8 Fuser Is Better: A More Novel Idea
Rock Band was the king of the world upon release, but the hype has since calmed down and it is now more niche. Fuser is a completely novel idea. It is not the first game to let players become DJs, but it is one of the first to bring it to consoles and intuitively map the gameplay to controllers. The title is not reaching the same heights Rock Band did in its apex, but critically the game has been hailed for its originality and easy to understand interface.
7 Rock Band 4 Is Better: You Hear The Whole Songs
Fuser all about mixing tracks together to create something unique. Some would rather hear the original composition with fewer adjustments, however.
Rock Band makes you feel like the artist performing the song on a stage in its entirety. Being a DJ is a whole separate art form, but some do not listen to music for mixing tracks together and sampling beats.
6 Fuser Is Better: Cheaper Buy In
Anybody who wants to play Rock Band better be ready to make an investment. While some of the instruments might be cheaper these days buying them used, it is still more than purchasing a single disc. All anyone needs for Fuser is a controller. While this really does not say anything about the quality of either games, it is worth bringing up when weighing the pros and cons of Rock Band vs. Fuser.
5 Rock Band 4 Is Better: Gameplay Variety
When it comes to gameplay variety, Rock Band 4 definitely has Fuser beat. No matter what you do in the latter, it is all based on the same gameplay. Rock Band 4 offers four different instruments. If you get bored of playing guitar, just switch over to drums. Once banging on the percussion instrument tires out the hands too much, switch to vocals. With Fuser, one is likely to move on to another game instead of looking for a different feature.
4 Fuser Is Better: Every Session Is Different
Because of the way the game is built and the way accumulating points works, any player is likely to hear different sounds every time they play. Even if one goes into a set five times with the same collection of tunes, the mixes will most likely be drastically different. In the older Rock Band 4, a song will always sound the same, unless the player is really bad and misses all the notes.
3 Rock Band 4 Is Better: Asymmetrical Multiplayer
Both games feature multiplayer in different ways. In Fuser friends can cooperate to create a mix together. Rock Band 4's multiplayer is pretty self-explanatory; players all jump on different instruments to play together as a virtual band.
Cooperative multiplayer is always a welcome addition to a video game. It is even more notable when it is asymmetrical. No fail mode also makes it great for parties.
2 Fuser Is Better: A New Way To Experience Old Favorites
Depending on what type of music listener one is, a particular player will love the idea of mixing together tracks the way Fuser allows. Mixing together the drum beat from one tune with the vocals of another will surely put a smile on someone's face. It is all silly fun. One might even discover new tunes while they are at it, or learn to appreciate songs they previously dismissed. Fuser simply wows on a technical level, making one wonder how Harmonix even did it.
1 Rock Band 4 Is Better: Vocals
Vocals are particularly special in Rock Band 4 because it is the closest to actually resembling to instrument. Drums come close, but the pads do not exactly get the feel of a drum kit and the bass pedal does not have the same resistance and weight behind it. Singing measures pitch accurately and lets the player know how far off they are with a visual indicator. The use of harmonies and the freestyle option also adds more layers to the realism. The only thing it is missing are honest to goodness vocal warmup exercises.