If you weren’t one of the millions of people who jumped on board with Guitar Hero, then my question to you is: Why? Was it because you aren’t really into guitar? Are you into the bass? Or maybe you don’t need any of that and you use your own instrument, your voice. Was it because you’re a natural born drummer? Then you don’t need Guitar Hero, no, what you need is to leave Guitar Hero in the dust and check out the newest game from MTV Games: Rock Band.

In Rock Band you and three of your friends form a band and try to make yourselves known around the country in World Tour mode (World Tour is for multiplayer only).While playing World Tour, you travel the country playing song after song, unlocking new cities and earning managers, fans, and groupies along the way. Though, with only 58 songs you’ll end up playing the same songs more than once, but with upcoming downloadable tracks to add to the game this shouldn’t be an issue for long. There is a Solo Tour mode available, but the songs in the game were chosen because they have the entire band in mind so if you’re playing alone then you’ll have some time to rest if, say, you’re playing the drums and it’s the guitar solo part of the song.

Rock Band’s newest additions are the bass, drums, and vocals. A bass guitar is not included with the bundle so you’ll have to either buy a second guitar or you can use one of your old Guitar Hero guitars. The playing system is pretty much the same, so you Guitar Hero junkies will have the edge over new fans. The screen is split into has many sections as there are players and you hit the corresponding colored note on your instrument when it scrolls down through your meter on the screen. If you like to sing and you want to play the lead singer of your band then what you follow is a little different. For the vocals you sing into the mic and try your hardest to stay in key with what’s shown on your screen. If you start to go too high or fall too low on the notes, then follow the arrow on the meter to get back on track.

Rock Band is different from Guitar Hero in one big way though: if you’re playing with your band then remember that! You’re part of a group now and whatever you do affects the other members of your band. If you start to slip with your notes and your points fall then it affects the group’s over all score. What you do reflects on everyone in your band so be sure you know what you’re doing.

So if you love rock music and you think you’re up to the challenge, pick up the Rock Band Bundle today and rock out to songs from the past four decades. There’s something for all rock lovers so don’t wait, turn off Guitar Hero and get ready to really rock!

ROCK BAND - $170 for Rock Band Bundle (includes game, guitar, microphone, and drum set with wooden drum sticks)

ESBR Rating - Teen


Platforms - Xbox 360, PS3
Released - Nov. 11, 2007

Number of Players - 1-4
Publisher - MTV Games

Game Genre - Music