Rock Band

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

My brother has an XBox 360 and he just picked up the Rock Band kit. We got to play it this week and it is awesome! The fun of everyone playing their seperate instrument together at once is a totally new experience in "gaming". I have to admit I loved singing, even if I didn't know the words. I got to bark out the Beastie Boys "Sabotage", fumble through yet another Red Hot Chili Peppers song about California, trill the Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Maps", sing one of my angsty-youth songs, Nirvana's "In Bloom", and totally rock out.

The drums are a kick to play as well, and the usual guitar and bass are made better by the whole concept. We swapped around instruments for quite a while - too much fun.

If you have an XBox or PS3 you should totally consider getting this...it just kicks so much ass.

Preachy response alert:

I don't have Rock Band, but I have Stage Play. Each person gets a "script" or "part," and you can swap. You can play an entire game or just set it to go level by level or "scene" by "scene." There's also a "solitaire" or "monologue" setting for when you're alone. It's quite a challenge to make your on-screen character perform realistically. You get a real sense of how hard it is for professional actors to give realistic performances in movies like Shrek. If you buy Stage Play, don't get the kid's version, because those omit the "coed dressing room" and "cast party" levels.

My other favorite game is "Dinner Party." Each controller represents a guest. The difficulty levels are determined by the topic of conversation, and the tone of the party you wish to maintain. For example, a non-controversial topic and a genial atmosphere are pretty easy, but that level gets boring pretty quickly. The toughest, of course, is to navigate a controversial topic while maintaining good will and mutual respect. I haven't mastered it yet.

Anyway, I've always liked video games as much as the next guy, at least in bars, and I'm sure Rock Band is fun. Nonetheless, it's a bit of a head scratcher. Playing music isn't like being an astronaut or a Norse warrior. Any adult who wants to act like they're playing an instrument should probably just go take music lessons.