Band Hero is the newest addition to Activision's Guitar Hero video games for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and Nintendo DS. If you've played the previous titles, the only major changes are the included tracks, graphics, and extra content for multiplayer. Everything else is what you'd expect from this musical video games behemoth. The overall theme for the song list is Top 40, American Idol-style bands and artists. It's a bit more commercial than the previous titles, which included groups such as Anthrax, The Sex Pistols, Faith No More, and other hard rock and metal bands.

Will Band Hero open the music video games genre up to a wider and younger audience or will this shift in music styles turn off dedicated fans of the franchise ? Yes and no. This version of the Guitar Hero game is what you'd expect from the series, with a nice package of family-friendly tracks to add to your play list. If you have the latest version, Guitar Hero 5, and are looking for the next insane set of riffs to master, stick to the track packs until # 6. If you want a fun time with nothing but Top 40 hits, this is the version you've been waiting for.

Like the previous video games, you can grab Band Hero for $60 by itself or spring for the $200 band kit. The latter includes a microphone, drum set, and 1 guitar controller. What you get this time is a host of new graphics (I hope you like pink and neon), new songs, and new musicians to play. The biggest star on this installment is Taylor Swift, as she not only has her songs in the game, but is one of the playable characters as well. Other stars you'll be jamming to are Fall Out Boy, David Bowie, The All-American Rejects, and Village People (No, you're not hallucinating. They're in the game). Even though it takes some skill to play, picking up either instrument can be done with ease. Co-op is very simple with drop-in and drop-out capabilities while the song is still playing. You can even challenge your friend on or offline with multiple events thanks to their Rock Fest mode.

There's also a character creator for those who want a custom rocker as their avatar. With a wide selection of styles and make-up, everyone can have their game experience feel more personal. For expert players, there are certain achievements that unlock new outfits and accessories to dress your rock star with style. Quickplay lets players pick a song and allows friends to jump in at will. As you progress, you also receive band trivia to gain a little extra knowledge like why David Bowie dressed as a alien in his early years (just guessing). If you're afraid of ruining the song and getting kicked out of a video games band, Band Hero has all off the settings and difficulties needed to guide newcomers and veterans along without screwing it up for the rest of your friends. For the singers, they get different setups to make sure they're in sync with the words and pitch.

Multiplayer features are kept intact for obvious reasons. It's just as easy to jump in and jam as the at home co-op. Players without a custom character in their video games can choose one of many generic ones to save time and get right into the fun. It's believed that you'll be able to import all previous song packs over to complete your utterly massive collection. There's no word about song editors or several other features, but they're still enough here to keep gamers occupied. New song packs and other content are sure to follow and by the gigabyte. It will probably be full length albums and best-of collections, then the mini packs will follow.

Beyond the new content, Band Hero is just one of many spin-offs for specific music fans that enjoy the chart topping pop music that gets pumped over radios across the world. Younger gamers will be asking for this more than their 16-18 year old siblings. It's not a big enough improvement to be labeled a sequel, but does have enough content to warrant the cost of the video games. It's a great idea for Taylor Swift fans, but I can't say the same for other artists who've contributed the mix. Band Hero is a great addition to the Guitar Hero video games franchise and can at least give families something to enjoy no matter what age group.

posted by Fei Lim   # 11:03 AM