Don't let anyone fool you - being in a band is a rough gig. Well, maybe not if you're a huge, mammoth, sun-eclipsing rock star, but really - how many new bands actually achieve that status every year? Not to mention how many drop from the spotlight, burn out, fade away or knell over. The majority of bands aren't enjoying a lavish life of luxury and debauchery' they are spending whatever free time they can find writing songs, practicing songs, finding gigs, recording demos and kissing assess while attempting to keep sanity and peace within the band. But those moments when the heavens shed light in your favor render all the pain, sweat and tears meaningless, as an amazing, life-altering moment sweeps over you.

Now, what if it was possible to trim off all the negatives and work that goes into being a band and only taste the achievement and success of the positives? That is what EA and Harmonix have set out to do with their new game, Rock Band. Utilizing four instrument controllers - two guitars, a drum set and a microphone - and the five note hitting gameplay frenzy of Guitar Hero, Rock Band asks up to four players to take on the persona of a digital rock star in the making and bring the proverbial house down through a hefty injection of good old-fashioned rocking. The supreme focus on the multiplayer band experience makes this less of a game and more like karaoke taken to a new extreme, rather than an upgrade over the groundwork laid by Activision's insane solo-hitting, high-score-emphasizing, guitar-shredding game series - and it's all the more captivating because of it. Rock Band isn't going to change the rhythm gaming world with its gameplay, but there is currently no other product on the market that can rival the euphoric highs and flat out enjoyment it provides to gamers looking to exorcise their musical demons.

In a nutshell, Rock Band can be looked at as the logical next step for the Guitar Hero series that Harmonix pioneered. The gameplay still revolves around matching the simultaneous pressing of colored fret buttons and the strumming of a strum bar in time with the colored notes flowing down the screen to existing rock songs of varying stages of notability. The game still judges you based on the same qualifiers of score, stars, missed notes and combos, as well as a special player-activated power to aid in improving your rankings. There is still a store for purchasing alternate outfits, instruments and songs - any player with Guitar Hero experience will immediately feel at home.

Consequently, the only major difference to the uninitiated between the two is Rock Band's multi-instrument feature, which introduces two new roles to the rock rhythm game fold - drummer and singer. Each of these takes advantage of newly developed accessories, both of which have been superbly designed and crafted. The drum set is sturdy piece of equipment, consisting of four color-coded 'drums' in a row with a foot pedal beneath, which is a cinch to build up and take down in a minute or so. Though it uses the same on-screen note matching, there is little similarity between what is played on the drums and that of the other instruments. When Harmonix said they were developing a drum game that was as close to playing drums as it could be, they weren't kidding! As the difficulty is raised, the more notes are included and the closer you get to playing the real and complete beats - including the bass drum, which is a hell of a thing to learn if you aren't versed in foot-to-hand multitasking. This is without doubt the hardest of the instruments to pick up and play with little real world experience, but with a well-adjusted learning curve, even mastering the easy mode is rewarding.

Unlike the drums, the microphone isn't any fancier than what has been included in other singing-related games, but it handles the task handed to it without a hitch - not to mention its long cord for the roaming singer! The gameplay for singing is based around your ability to hit the same note that the original singer hits, as the words and pitch lines scroll across the top of the screen. It doesn't award you points based on using the correct lyrics, which means that improvisation is possible and wholly recommended by this reviewer! Though making up your own words may not sit well with your band mates, who might find annoyance in your version or start laughing and mess up their parts, if you have no fear of making an ass out of yourself (in the case of those lacking rock pipes) or actually possess vocal talent then there is a plethora of potential to be had with Rock Band, even if you aren't familiar with all the songs.

These two elements compliment the Rock Band guitar, which is a more realistic take on the guitar controller, with a quiet strum bar, effect switch, fake tuning keys and two sets of fret buttons that are actually frets instead of buttons set on top of frets. Though I may be in the minority here, I prefer these new guitars to RedOctane's, simply because the fret buttons are more comfortable to my fingers and playing style - but honestly, the differences are minor, and if Harmonix and Activision can come to some sort of agreement then the choice could be yours to make.

After the initial shock of new positions wears off, the more subtle differences begin to arise. Depending on the song, there are solo portions for the guitars that change the design of the on-screen fret board and a solo counter pops up; complete the solo with a 100% rating to rack up extra points (don't worry, you'll still get some extra points if you miss some notes). During these parts, the guitar can use the second set of fret buttons higher up on the fretboard and play any solo part without strumming. Yes, I didn't write that wrong - without strumming. This might be sacrilegious to the most devote and talented digital guitarist, but I for one absolutely love it; I really felt like I was a badass guitarist, bursting with solo skills as I finger-tapped my way to rock stardom. Love it!

There are also freestyle moments interjected into some of the songs for each or all of the instruments, asking you to just wing it for extra points - as long as you hit the first real note to appear. Miss that and you lose all those points you just earned. You can play whatever you want during these moments, no matter how awesome or horrific it may be. When playing with other people, there can be amusing breaks in the song as your fellow bandmates attempt to showcase their talent (or lack thereof) or it can have everyone freestyling to end a song - not unlike a real, live band often does.

Overdrive - Rock Band's name for Star Power - has the exact same purpose, cause and effect as the power created for Guitar Hero. But in this game, it is possible to not only activate it during co-op multiplayer independently of the other players, but you can continue to fill your meter while in Overdrive! Those Overdrive filling notes don't stop coming just because you are throwing down like a champ either - if more come down the fretboard and you land them then your meter shoots right back up. This gives a whole new meaning to high scores, as using Overdrive when the most notes are coming down might not be the smartest tactic anymore.

The modes available in Rock Band bring something new to the table, but this only compliments a core that is more or less the same concepts from Guitar Hero (that Activision continue to use). Solo Tour mode is the single player component, allowing one person to play through all the songs using either the guitar, drums or microphone; no bass guitar is allowed here, which is a real shame. After creating a custom avatar (the initial batch of options seem too limited but it opens up as new pieces are earned or bought), songs are chosen from a list, played and performance scores are given. Band World Tour mode takes the same main components of Solo and adds up to three more players (online or off) and a few other tweaks into the mix. Everyone creates their own avatar and rocks out together towards shared performance scores on their own personal difficulty level (though score multiplayers and Overdrive are individually based). This means that easy and medium players no longer need to worry about not being able to enjoy co-op with their more advanced friends - a feature that thankfully didn't get missed. If a player sucks it up too much, they'll be dropped out and can only be saved by another player cashing in their Overdrive. At the end of the song, the total band scores are handed out and off to the next song you'll go.

To flesh out the Solo Tour mode for Band World Tour, some new features were added. In between songs are various menus and options to choose from, including the next city and venue to play, whether to play a song or a mini-set and more. As you earn money, fans and stars, you unlock these places and opportunities as your band tours around the country, hitting each of the seventeen cities for multiple stops. A few of these additions, such as basing progression on the amount of fans and stars earned, are a deviation from the norm, but honestly, they are nothing more than slight deviations at best - and despite the fact that both of these modes are a blast to play, the lack of growth in these modes is alarming. This is simply a repackaging of the same modes we have come to expect over the years in our guitar-based games and I for one am sick of the lack of innovation.

I find it disappointing that the game itself does little to set the mood of participating in a rock band outside of letting four people play four different instruments at the same time. As I have said before, Rock Band is like being in a real band without all the negatives, but those nuances also add a much-needed human touch to the experience. Where's the practice? Where are the all-important shows where you need to impress some club owner, record label head, or other random industry bigwig? Where's earning enough money from each show to travel to the next, not to mention the travel itself? Where's the merchandise, stickers, CDs, t-shirts and the like? There are thousands of facets to being in a real band, especially one making it somewhere, and I have to say that just playing songs and breezing through a few menus isn't satisfying enough any more. The TV spots for this game capture exactly what is missing from Rock Band - the odd moments and bickering that come with being in a band. One spot has them trying to figure out a band name and generally failing at it, while the other has them making fun of one member's Sheryl Crow T-shirt. Both of these little spots are hilarious and touch on moments that have probably happen to just about every band ever. This is the next generation - it's about time these music games realize that and show some true forward momentum before the 'new year, new songs, same game' mantra is permanently set in stone.

Thankfully, the presentation is not stuck in the last generation, mixing spectacular graphics with high quality music. Being the first guitar game to be specifically developed for the next-gen consoles (no ports on every system under the sun development here) definitely has its benefits, as Rock Band looks great, not only for the genre but for an Xbox 360 game. Characters models are large and fluidly animated, with a grand mix of textures, clothing and behaviors to draw from. The art design for the characters is awesome as well, utilizing rock's visual stereotypes as a basis before tweaking and adding its own unique touch, giving the entire production a very daydream band feeling as opposed to an over-the-top one. Each of the many venues has a distinct look, stemming from them having real-world counterparts, and the many fans gathering around to watch are energetic and encouraging. When your band is performing, the camera constantly changes angles as if you were watching a real taped performance, fully embedding the music video feel. The most welcomed addition graphically though is that every band member finally plays each song - no more distracting drummers laying down unrelated beats and no more singers appearing to be singing different songs! If you've been playing Guitar Hero from the start then you know how damn annoying those false performances were and how awesome it is to finally have the real deal on screen.

The move to the Xbox 360 did wonders for the sound quality of the included songs for Guitar Hero II and that trend continues with Rock Band. Crisp, clear songs erupt from the speakers with remarkable clarity, adding only that much more ambience to rocking. The fans add even more to the atmosphere, clapping, cheering, booing and even singing along during songs! The list of songs included in the game is a fair mix of years, genres and styles from the rock world, ranging from Bon Jovi to Metallica to Fall Out Boy to The Who. Aside from a few choices, it is an incredibly safe soundtrack that is focused a bit more on a song's notoriety than its playability, which seems to be the main culprit as to why Rock Band is, overall, a far easier game than Guitar Hero. The unlockable songs don't lend the main songs a hand though and the haven for the lesser known bands that is Guitar Hero's unlockable songs' list is nowhere to be seen, leaving us to unlock songs from the bands of Harmonix employees and one amazing song from the South Park TV show.

If you are asking yourself if Rock Band has enough staying power to justify the hefty price tag of $170 for the special edition then the answer is an effortless yes - as long as you have friends. Single player is just as fun as Guitar Hero ever was, but unless you have the desire to play the game through with all the instruments, it may not prove a fulfilling purchase when going solo. As long as you have friends though, it is a must buy. Rocking out with a full band is a mind-blowing experience and Rock Band parties will quickly be replacing Guitar Hero get-togethers, as two player shredding just isn't all that appealing anymore, though you can indulge in those here, as well in the two competitive modes that mimic what was in Guitar Hero II. Being able to take the game online for all of the multiplayer modes only further increases the replayability, as does the soon-to-be-opened official fan site where faux-bands can create bio pages, fake CD artwork, T-shirts and more and then purchase those creations for their very own! As long as Harmonix continue to support Rock Band with new downloadable tracks (they are claiming downloadable support in the hundreds), the end of the game's appeal should be nowhere in sight until the inevitable sequel eventually surfaces.

Rock Band may not have changed the landscape of rock gaming to the level that, at times, it seemed like it would do, but it certainly altered the perception of what the ultimate rock party game should be. I hate to sound like a scratched CD (that's a bit more modern than your broken record metaphor, right?), but the list of multiplayer games that can even hold a candle to the enjoyment of Rock Band is undeniably short, if indeed one even exists. If the next iteration of the series embraces the more mundane and negative side of being in a band, as well as taking more risks with the song list, Guitar Hero might find itself pushed out of the scene just as quickly as it emerged.

Reviewed by Tony Peters for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).