iPhone App Reviews

Band Boss

Michael (Admin) | Dec 29, 2011 Games

User rating: (3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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Band Boss ($0.99) by Jack Herbert

Available on iPhone only

Ok… either Band Boss is a really good game, or I’m just incredibly bored! It’s probably a little of both. I mean, I’ve been sitting here for literally 4 hours playing this damn game and I don’t even like these so-called “simulations”. The simulations I hate are those games where you build an “army” and “attack” people but it’s all text based and there’s a lot of waiting around. Band Boss is definitely a simulation and it’s pretty much all text, but instead of commanding an army you’re managing a band and, unlike other games in this genre, it keeps things simple so you can focus on the task at hand which is your band’s success.

You get to choose from actual (albeit small and relatively unknown) bands to manage or you can make up your own, and then it’s up to you to make them popular and rich. I don’t know a thing about the music biz, but apparently popularity is gained by releasing new music (which costs money) and money is made by touring (during which you can’t release new music, thereby eroding your popularity). If you know what the hell you’re doing, you’ll be able to strike a balance that will gradually turn your group of losers into mega-rich superstars.

What I like about Band Boss is that, for me at this very moment, it’s addicting. I’ve got absolutely nothing to do but play with my iPhone, and Band Boss just sucked me in! Not a lot of games can do that, especially one that constantly refreshes itself as a method of advancing through time and in-game events.

The reason I stress that this game is addicting at this very moment is that it seems like one of those things that you really need to be in the mood for. On any other day I might have taken one look at it and moved on, but being that I have no life and nothing whatsoever to do tonite, Band Boss was just the distraction I was looking for.

The game isn’t perfect… my main complaint is a bug that occurs almost every time you’re choosing how much money to spend on promoting your new record or new single, and it can be tedious at times (actually this whole genre is kind of tedious in general)… but it does lots of things right and if you’re not careful you’ll get sucked in just like I did! It’s an unusual challenge that has you recording singles and albums, going on tour, and sending the band on vacations to decompress, and the way the app repeatedly refreshes itself as time passes is strangely hypnotic.

If you’re feeling adventurous, give Band Boss a shot! It’s fun if you’ve got more than just a few minutes to kill.

Fix this bug please!!!! If the Remaining Bank Balance is blank, your screen will freeze and you'll have to restart the app

Tags: simulation