Rock Band

The most ambitious peripheral-driven game at the time of its release, Rock Band encourages aspiring musicians to drum, strum, or hum to classic and current rock songs instead of being limited to one specific part. Developer Harmonix Music Systems, who created both the acclaimed Guitar Hero and Karaoke Revolution franchises, expands the rhythm genre by introducing a four-player cooperative title featuring four distinct roles: drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, and vocals. To support this endeavor, Rock Band offers a custom designed drum kit, microphone, and guitar peripheral, all of which can be purchased separately or together with the "special edition" bundle.<br><br>Fans of the developer's previous hits will feel right at home with Rock Band, as the underlying engine incorporates many of the same ideas. To "play" the sound with your selected peripheral, you must hit the right color-coordinated notes in time to the music. The singing aspect is identical to the one used in Karaoke Revolution, where your voice's pitch and phrasing is scored on how close you croon to the selected track. The PlayStation 2 version is missing a few features found in both the Xbox 360 and PS3 games. Players cannot create custom rockers, for example, and the World Tour mode simply offers a track list instead of multiple venues. While 45 licensed songs are included, Rock Band on PlayStation 2 does not support online downloads for additional content.