And you thought I wasn't going to finish this!
Firstly, a little addendum to the guitar part. I've played quite a bit on xbox live since I wrote that guitar part, and this means I've had the 'opportunity' to play bass a few times (which I hadn't done earlier...) I assumed it would all be the same, but nope! In order to encourage long streaks, the bass player's multiplier will go up to 6x unlike the guitar's 4. It's a nice little addition, and it means a steady bass player can really improve the band's score.
Moving on: vocals. Singing is... well... singing. There isn't a whole lot to say about it. You sing the song, and you're judged on your pitch (and on expert, apparently, lyric accuracy. Haven't confirmed that myself.) It's fun if you enjoy singing (like me) and I would guess not all that fun otherwise. Also, unlike the other instruments (to a point) it's the most reliant on real world talent. If you're tone-deaf, maybe play bass instead
In the end, these four pretty good elements combine to form something that is much greater than their sum. As separate as the roles seem, the subtle ways that they work together is what makes the game great. Hitting overdrive sections will give double the energy if all the band members hit it. Overdrive, while activated individually, benefits the entire band by placing a 2x multiplier on the scores. Overdrive multipliers stack, meaning the band score can have up to 8x on it (meaning the bass player can potentially be running a 48x multiplier!)
It all comes together in a way that's very difficult to explain. Playing over xbox live is good, but it simply doesn't compare to having four people in the same room.
Game of the year.
Next year too.
