Review of Rock Band 2 Double Cymbal Expansion Kit

Second Update 12/16/2008: UPS just dropped a package from Mad Catz.They didn't fix my broken cymbal, they sent me an entirely new package, cymbal, mounting hardware and all.

No note included saying what was wrong, or anything, just a new cymbal.It looks like it's been handled, which probably means that someone tested it out to make sure it worked right, before they sent it to me (or that it's a refurbished.)

I tried it out, and all seems well.Kudos to Mad Catz for the excellent customer service.Their site says 4 to 6 weeks, and it only took 12 days from drop off, to return.I'm psyched.
Update: After playing for an hour or so this afternoon, it's evident that one of my cymbals is defective.It's sometimes registering two hits, instead of one.I called Mad Catz, and the guy I got was super friendly, extremely understanding, and set me up with an RMA.He said the website suggested 4-6 weeks, but realistically, it's more like 2 to 3.I'll update again when I get the new cymbal to see if it's working properly.I'm glad I didn't just try returning it to Amazon to get another, they appear to be completely sold out everywhere I've checked today.Glad I pre-ordered mine 3 months ago.

My three pack finally arrived last night, and I was psyched to get them.Ever since they were announced, I've been excited about them.The way I assumed they worked, was actually different than how they do work.More on that later.

First, some images, to show how freaking cool they look:

The whole kitHi-Hat CymbalRide Cymbal

The cymbals certainly give the drums the look of a real drumkit (okay, at least a real electronic drumkit,) but how do they play?

They take some getting used to, that's for sure.I just got them last night, so I'm still in the adjusting phase. But right from the get go, my wife said "You look like you're having more fun."Which I totally was.It felt like I was playing more realistically than I had without the cymbals.

When I first bought the cymbals, I assumed that they would just act as extenders of their respective colors.So when you'd hit the blue, it made whatever sound the blue one should at that specific point in time. As Rock Banders know, the drums pretty much all double as cymbals or drums, depending on the part of the song.I was pleasantly surprised that the new cymbal pads are dedicated as cymbals.So, if you hit the "ride" cymbal, it makes the ride cymbal no matter what.Same for the hi-hat, and crash cymbals.

It may throw your brain off, when you hit the cymbal when it's a tom-tom in the game, and you hear the wrong sound, but it won't break your streak, or count against your overall score.As long as you hit the right color, the sound that the game makes doesn't matter.

My favorite thing about the other game, you know, that one I returned already, was that there were dedicated cymbal pads with their drumkit.The Rock Band 2 drumkit, with the Mad Catz add-on cymbal pack (a measely $29.99) is 100% totally, absolutely better than GHWT's, hands down.

The game is more fun when playing drums, with the cymbals.It's more realistic, and more creative.I especially dig that during the "Overdrive fills", you can be a lot more musical with the drums, with dedicated toms/cymbals.If you're a die hard drummer for a Rock Band band, you absolutely need to spend the $29.99 to get these cymbals, pronto.



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Review of Nintendo DS Lite Starter Kit

It's ok. I would have liked it better if the case had a sleeve inside that held the DS Lite in place.



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Review of Coffin Case Gig Bag Carrying Case

MadCatz might have a sordid history when it comes to licensed game peripherals, but they're RockBand lineup is nothing short of impressive. The Coffin Case gig bag has got to be one of the finest guitar controller carrying cases I've seen yet, short of buying an actual guitar case. It's actually nicer than some of the legitimate Coffin Cases for real guitars.

The exterior is beautifully textured with a scull and bones pattern and an official Coffin Case stamp. It has hand straps on the zippered side and a top strap and bottom clip for an optional shoulder strap (included inside the case).The interior is very soft and plush satin red.There is even a little black mesh cargo bag inside that is just big enough to hold the shoulder strap and XBOX 360 headset adapter (not included).Honestly, this is a nice case that could almost be mistaken for the real deal if it weren't for the size. The only perceivable flaw is that it feels kind of flimsy for a guitar bag, but that's just my opinion and not everyone who has carried the case agrees with me.

In fact, this soft case is almost preferable to the hard display Coffin Case because there's more pliable room (for guitar straps and manuals) and...it's cheaper. I really can't recommend this enough for anyone who wants to carry their RockBand guitars in style.

On a side note - I'm not certain how well this case accommodates Guitar Hero guitars; it was made specifically for the RockBand Fender Stratocaster replica guitar controller lineup, but I'm positive it will hold the Guitar Hero Les Paul replica guitar controllers with plenty of room to spare. Ironically, it won't hold the MadCatz Fender Precision Bass replica unless the detachable tuning head is removed, but who wants to keep pulling the head off the guitar to stow it in a case? I'm not sure how well it will hold The Beatles RockBand guitar controller lineup or the new Fender Telecaster replica either, but I'm itching to find out just as soon as they hit the market.



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Review of Coffin Case Stick & Mic Case

Great design. Well built. Holds the following: Up to 4 pairs of Drumsticks, Microphone, Game Disc, with some spare room left over. Great for travel. I'm a youth pastor, and transport RB2 back and forth to our youth meetings. This is a great way to keep everything in one place while the kids are playing Rock Band. I'd also recommend the guitar cases from MadCatz.

NOTE: This case is not designed to hold a guitar! I'd recommend the Guitar Coffin Case if you're looking to protect your guitar controller. This is just for the sticks, mic, and accessories.



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Review of Nintendo DS Lite Players Pak

I bought this case for my DS lite and have been...well, marginally impressed with it.The case is fine but not great, and could have used more pockets or dividers given its bulk.The accessories--some of them--are very useful.Others, like the thumb stylus and the GBA plug (the DS already comes with one) are fairly useless.

PROS:
-Nice, hard case--should protect your DS lite from just about anything.
-The case is large enough to hold not only the DS lite but also a car adapter (included) and the wall charger as well as many accessories.
-includes some nice accessories like headphones, game cases, and screen protectors and cleaner

CONS:
-The game slot on the lower part of the case only holds 4 DS lite games and 2 GBA Advance games (in cases).Any other games have to be held in the large pocket on the roof of the case, which kind of becomes a catch-all for all the stuff that doesn't have a place in the bottom.
-Given its size the case would have benefitted from more dividers.The one divider, which separates the lower part of the case from the upper pocket, could easily have been designed to hold more games.

Overall I'm happy, though not overly impressed, with this case.It does what I need it to do, and that's all that matters I guess.One note, however--the case itself is a silver metallic color but all the accessories inside are a certain color.Make sure you get the right one--if you have a black DS lite you may not want to end up with all white accessories.



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Review of PSP Slim Component Cable

I like this cable for the PSP.It is cheaper than Sony's offerings and it is both a composite and a component cable.There is a switch on the cable that lets you switch between composite or component.

I have tested the video output on both a 4:3 tv and a 16:9 hdtv and it works just fine from what I can tell.If you have a lot of movies on your PSP it really adds value to your PSP because you can watch your movies on the go, or on your TV.

I also recommend the 16GB mark2 memory stick pro duo card for your PSP.




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Review of Wii Dance Pad

This is a great pad, it does not move when playing and it works great with the Wii.



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Review of Noise Reducing Drum Skinz

I know a lot of people are just looking for less noise, but the big bonus for me is that this item protects the actual pads.Mine have taken so much abuse that every drum session the pads started peeling off more and more.But with these skins on that no longer happens - the pads are protected and stay in place.

The sound reduction is nice too... it's a slight drop in noise on direct hits but a huge difference on rim shots.



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