Rock Band
If you had asked me a few years ago if a game that required a guitar-shaped controller would sell, I would have told you no. I would have been dead wrong.
Guitar Hero has become somewhat of a phenomenon, drawing fans in droves. The game requires you to have a guitar-shaped controller that you have to buy, making the cost of the game much higher than the other "regular" games. Despite the increased cost, the game has sold millions of copies and is a bona fide blockbuster hit.
With Guitar Hero easily cornering a market that people didn't even know existed, it seemed inevitable that imitators and rip-offs would hit the shelves shortly thereafter. Thankfully, Rock Band is no rushed-to-the-market rip-off.
Rock Band manages to expand upon the basic premise of Guitar Hero by offering players options and different instruments to play. In addition to playing guitar, you now have the option of playing bass, drums or singing along with the song. A basic microphone and a guitar-shaped controller take care of guitar, bass and singing.
The really cool controller is the drum set. Consisting of four drum surfaces and a foot pedal, the drum set is by far the largest of the controllers. At almost 4 feet wide, it'll occupy a significant portion of your play area. The set is played with a standard (i.e. real) pair of drumsticks.
Even if you are not musically inclined, you would probably love this game after playing it for a few minutes with your friends. Rock Band is a great party game with an extensive list of popular songs to play.
I can easily recommend this as a party game.
About Rob Michael: The first time Rob played Rock Band at a friend's house he tried to sing on the microphone . . . he has since been banned from that friend's house. Oh well, not everyone recognizes musical genius! E-mail Rob at rmichael2@sympatico.ca and let him know what you think about the review.