Be Your Own 'Rock Band'

The immensely popular Guitar Hero "rhythm game" franchise has a new competitor: MTV Games/Harmonix's Rock Band. The game ups the ante on the Guitar Hero concept by moving beyond guitars: a microphone and drumset controllers, along with guitar, are included in the game's $170 pricetag so that in multiplayer, users can put every part of a song together, Ars Technica reports.

The reviewer loves the multiplayer "World Tour Mode," as the challenge of everyone playing their individual instruments together builds to a feeling of genuine accomplishment and an increased virtual fanbase. Although the single player drum mode is challenging and satisfying, guitar mode single player is apparently not only very similar to Guitar Hero 3 but somewhat more dull. (More Guitar Hero stories.)