I look just like Buddy Holly

Ok well that's not true at all but its the lyric stuck in my head right now bc Rock Band is currently being played as I sit on the couch.

If you know someone who owns this game, or know someone who knows someone who used to date someone who played tennis once with this guy who used to be roommates with this girl who was the "office administrator" at your old job....or something like that (and if any of that happens to be true...wow)), then go play. Seriously. I don't care if you can't play guitar, or sing, or don't have any kind of musicality in your body. Why? Why not?! But also bc the game is A LOT OF FUN. For all ages, genders, music tastes (sorry no country...well that's a good thing :D), etc.

The game can accommodate up to four players all doing something at once (so a bigger TV is ideal but not required)...including a lead guitarist, a bassist, a singer & a drummer. Both the guitar and the bass part involved playing a guitar made specifically for the game (sorry both are guitars, there is not an actual bass), that probably pretty intuitively...um...yea that's the word. It's hard to explain how to play these instruments unless you've seen the game (or the Guitar Hero series) or played before.

The singer has a section at the top of the screen where the words scroll from right to left with the corresponding pitch and length of the notes/words. More important than getting the words right (although it helps if you know the song), is hitting the right pitch and length of each word. If you do this well, then the game likes you and gives you multipliers and other good things. If you do this poorly however, the game effectively trash talks (says you did that segment "weak" or "messy" or "poor") and will start to "kill you." If you sing badly, there is a meter on the left side of the screen that drops each time you sing a segment badly, and if this meter gets to the very bottom then you fail. You can be saved if other players have enough "energy." If the band fails any part (guitar,bass, singing or drums) three times then the band fails the song and you have to retry the song, or try a new song.

The drums are pretty sweet, and probably the coolest part of the game. Its a little "modern type" drum set...with 4 "pads" instead of actual drums. It reminds me of those "fake drums" you see church bands use so that the drums aren't as loud...or something. Anyway, their sweet. And it comes with a bass pedal. Each pad has a different color that corresponds to a note on the screen, and you hit that pad as that note scrolls down the screen. Again its hard to explain this scrolling note idea. Needless to say though, the drums are a lot of fun to play. There's even sections in some song where you can "drum solo" and just go crazy playing anything you want.

I'm not sure how well any of that was explained but this game is a lot of fun when you can get a group of three or four (or more, but you'd have to rotate who plays) together. And there's enough older rock, contemporary rock and modern/classic pop songs to suit almost every one's taste...such featured artists include The Who, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Boston, Deep Purple and more.

Even if you hate video games, or think they're stupid or that a video game, mock-type version of playing real instruments is the dumbest idea ever...I challenge you to partake and still hold that opinion. It may not be something you want to go out and buy for yourself (bc video game systems aren't cheap, and neither is the game itself (retail $170ish) bc of all the peripherals)), but its fun to play every once in awhile with some friends.


More on the NFL playoffs and Seattle's big win tomorrow....GO HAWKS!!!