Rockband Depeche Mode Pack 01 – First Impressions

Yesterday saw the release of the much anticipated Depeche Mode song pack for Rockband 3. As announced last week, the pack contains “Never Let Me Down Again,” “Personal Jesus,” and “Policy of Truth” with playable parts for all instruments. Mr. C was breaking them in while I was at work, telling me how great they were. The tease! I had just enough time to play a bit of keyboards on easy when I got home. The mixes of the tracks are amazing. I’m sure the developers made these tracks with DM’s signature sound and the keyboard instrument in mind. There’s a noticeable emphasis on the keyboard parts, with the synth tracks and samples being pushed forward in the mix. For NLMDA, it really heightens the anthemic atmosphere already in place. In “Policy of Truth,” I noted a whole layer of loops I hadn’t heard before. However, the most significant difference is in “Personal Jesus.” The song has always been really heavy on guitars, but in Rockband, the synths sound more forward in the mix than the guitars! I doesn’t sound bad by any means, but definitely sounds different than I’m used to. They used the album version, too, which means you get to play through the extended outro.

I can’t wait to spend more time with the songs, and play on guitar and vocals as well. I hope to have a more detailed review up this weekend, with video (my singing isn’t THAT bad.. or is it?). Stay tuned!