Breakneck Speed

A little while ago 0and1 and I decided to try playing Rock Band 2 with Breakneck Speed, or BNS, enabled. BNS is very similar to Hyperspeed from Guitar Hero series but is a considered game modifier rather than a cheat (no code is needed to use BNS, it is available as an option from the start). Basically what is does is it speeds up the fret board a lot, making the notes easier to see because they are more spread apart. Think of it as putting the normal fretboard under a magnifying glass. However, 0and1 and I found out that having BNS on was not worth it because it made it so hard to see the notes because they moved so fast.

Yesterday, though, I decided to give BNS another shot in single player to see if it could help me with some of the tougher songs. To my surprise, it helped a ton, spreading out the notes during the really quick HO/PO sections helped me out quite a bit. With BNS I was able to 5-star Shoulder to the Plow, GS Carry on Wayward Son, and drastically improve my scores on Master Exploder, Panic Attack, Painkiller, Visions, and Souls of Black.

However, there has always been a pretty big debate over whether or not using BNS is cheating. I for one, don't feel like it is due to the fact that it's an option available in the game from the beginning. Also, it doesn't make the notes any easier to hit, just easier to see. Furthermore, Scorehero doesn't differentiate between scores using BNS and those that do not. 0and1 agrees with this as well and believes that it's really just a matter of preference and just a different way of playing.

Other people, though, feel that using BNS is not the way the game is meant to be played and they feel that it does make it easier. Therefore, these people view scores obtained using BNS shouldn't count or that the people using the modifier as less skilled than those who don't.

I'm going to continue to use BNS for the harder and higher-tiered songs because it makes them more playable for me and therefore more fun. I am not solely going to use it, though, because I don't want to be stuck on that mode or, in other words, be only able to play with it on. I will transition back and forth between the fast and slower moving fretboard because I know when I play with more people who are less familiar with the game, using BNS would be too much.

The debate about BNS will continue as long as it is a part of the game. As of now I view it as just a modifier but maybe my opinion will change, who knows. Right not I'm just happy it allows me to have more fun while playing the more difficult songs.

For more specific, visible information about BNS, here are two videos of the same song one using BNS and the other not: BNS, Normal


This is Part 2 of my Rock Band Debate series (drum FC the was last one). Stay tuned for more if I can think of more hot topics in the RB world.