Nerd Mentality

REVIEW: Ion Drum Rocker Premium Drum Set

Posted April 13th 2009 by Brandon Schmidt.

Neil Peart. Keith Moon. That one-armed guy from Def Leppard. Now you can join the pantheon of the greatest drummers of Rock and Roll with the Ion Drum Rocker Premium Drum Set for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. The 2008 Game Critics Awards winner in the Best Peripheral/Hardware category, this drum set is a blast to play, but only if you can afford the hefty price tag (around $300). The kit is compatible with Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and the more recent Guitar Hero games including World Tour which is a nicety for all of you rhythm game addicts out there. The package includes the frame, four drum pads, two cymbals, a metal kick pedal, a set of drumsticks, the drum "brain" for connecting to your particular gaming platform, and all the necessary cables to make you the (Ringo) Starr of the show. It's an expensive piece of hardware, but the quality can be found throughout.

One of the best features of the Ion kit that might initially go unheralded is its aluminum frame. If you've drummed to the Rock Band and Guitar Hero games, you know that the standard drum kits are fairly non-adjustable. That's not the case with this kit. You can raise, lower, space, and angle all of the drum pads and cymbals to whatever configuration feels best for you.  I can't overstate how great this is if you find yourself accidentally hitting the wrong parts of the pads and cymbals because they're just a little too close or a little too far out of your normal reach. This freedom does come with a price, though, as the kit is definitely heavier and around a foot or so wider than the standard drum kits, making it a bit unwieldy to move around. Setup for the whole kit can take upwards of an hour or more.

The drum pads in particular are superior in more ways than one when compared to the standard Rock Band or Guitar Hero drum kits. There's more bounce in them which allows for smoother rolls. They're also far quieter which is a much-needed quality for those of you in apartments, dorm rooms, etc. They are, however, dust magnets, and keeping them clean can be troublesome.

The cymbals can be hit or miss, pun intended. Some consumers have reported either missed hits or double hits being registered when playing, but this can reportedly be fixed by loosening or tightening the wing-nuts on the frame. It should be noted that when playing on the easier difficulties I have not run into this problem. The kit comes with two cymbals, but the drum brain allows you to add an optional third should you want to have the high-hat, crash, and ride cymbals.

The Ion kick pedal has some nice improvements over what you'd find with the standard models. The tension feels a little easier on your calf and ankle allowing for longer play sessions. Velcro and retractable spikes keep the pedal from sliding away from you during bass drum heavy songs.

The Ion game module/brain is made by Alesis, a well-known maker of electronic drums. It features the standard face buttons of a normal game controller. One minor gripe though is that it can be difficult to access all the buttons. Moving the toms (the middle drum pads) further out can help alleviate this issue, but doesn't completely solve the problem. You can still navigate the menus by tapping the drum pads. If you find that drumming is your true calling, you can also replace the included game module with a real electronic drum brain from Alesis that will convert the system to a standalone drum kit. This is, of course, sold separately.

A lot of this review is rather dry stuff. What it really boils down to is one important question: is the set fun enough to make it worth the expense? Though the kit seems geared more towards advanced drummers, even if you're a beginner or just a gamer in general you'll still appreciate the quality of the product. If you're not terribly fond of playing drums or just don't know, then you'd be taking a gamble by making this purchase, plain and simple. If, on the other hand, you've managed to weather the current economic climate and you're a rhythm game junkie, then make the financial leap. Even in an over-saturated market, it seems that the rhythm game genre is here to stay. If you and your friends are fans, then there's really no better way to enjoy the experience of getting the band back together. Bring on the groupies!

Tags: Accessories, Hardware, Guitar Hero, Rock Band

Posted in: Reviews, Gaming

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