BY MICHEAL DOWDAL
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

In December of 2007, Harmonix Systems, formerly famous for producing the best-selling Guitar Hero series, released the fruits of its newest brainchild: a 4-player party experience known as Rock Band. This game allows the players to take the part of guitarist, drummer, bassist, and singer in a simulated band, complete with realistically simulated instruments. Forget about Super Smash Bros. Brawl (which was delayed another month) for right now, because this is all the party you’ll need.

After the license for Guitar Hero was usurped by Activision, Harmonix decided to move on to a new project, one even more ambitious than Guitar Hero. In mid-2007, Rock Band was announced, and made it out onto shelves in early December. The bundle itself, which included the game pack, an electronic drum set, a microphone, and a guitar controller, might put a dent in the player’s pocket, costing nearly $200. As of right now, it is impossible to put a 4-person band together for any console without having to purchase 2 Rock Band sets because standalone Guitar controllers are not available.

For those interested in the technical side of Rock Band, buyers will be pleased to know that this game isn’t a lightweight. It’s easy to pick up for those with no experience, and fun for those with a true talent for their instrument. The hardest difficulty, Expert, features realistic chords, progressions, and drum lines. Expert singers will find it difficult to succeed if they don’t catch on the subtle nuansces of the original performance when they quickly fail their song.

X-Box 360 owners who possess both Rock Band and Guitar Hero III are in luck, as the Guitar Hero III controllers will work for a second controller, due to the functionality of the X-Box 360’s wireless controller system. Other console owners are not as lucky. A patch was developed by Harmonix that would make the Guitar Hero III controllers work for Rock Band on other consoles, but Activision rejected the patch for reasons unkown.

“Activision are nothing better than petty rackateers for this. They’re clearly just trying to slight Harmonix because Harmonix made a better game” said Freshman Mark DeMarty on the subject.

The good news is that in mid-February, standalone guitar controllers, in addition to a PS2 version will be released. This will allow 4-person bands to thrive without having to break the bank.

The actual music content of the game is astounding. Almost every song is an original or re-recorded version by the actual musicians, not some shady cover band. Around 5 songs still have that “As made famous by…” label that most Guitar Hero players are familiar with. Another great inclusion is the ability to download songs and songpacks. At this point, quite a few downloadable songs have made their way to the servers of PlayStation Network and X-Box Live.

If you have the time, the money, and the inclination, buy Rock Band. If you have none of those things, find a friend who has it and play with them. Sophomore Stacy Power said it best: “This is the best party game since Twister.”