Rock Band - think Guitar Hero, plus drums and mic - will be released in Europe on May 23rd but only on Xbox 360. The PS3 and Wii versions will be appearing later in the year, probably around August. But becoming a virtual rocker isn't cheap. The peripherals alone cost 129 quid and that's before you buy the actual game. Eeek.
Luckily for those with skeptical partners/parents it looks like the hefty outlay is worth it. Rock Band has been out for a while in the US and has had great reviews. The game comes with 70 songs - including Blur (Beetlebum) and Oasis (Rock n' roll star) exclusives for the UK - although you can download additional tracks for a about a pound each.
So who is Rock Band targeting then? Casual gamers will enjoy the Singstar-style vocals but given the costs and the skills required I can see this becoming the hardcore gamers party game of choice. Rock Band then - tempted to splash out?
The full tracklist is:
1960's:
Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter"
1970's:
Aerosmith "Train Kept a Rollin"* The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again" Boston "Foreplay/Long Time" Mountain "Mississippi Queen"* The Police "Next To You" David Bowie "Suffragette City" Black Sabbath "Paranoid"* Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear The Reaper" The Ramones "Blitzkreig Bop" Deep Purple "Highway Star" KISS "Detroit Rock City" Molly Hatchet "Flirtin With Disaster" The Outlaws "Green Grass & High Tides"* Sweet "Ballroom Blitz"
1980's:
Rush "Tom Sawyer"* Bon Jovi "Wanted Dead or Alive" The Clash "Should I stay or Should I Go" Faith No More "Epic" Pixies "Wave of Mutilation" R.E.M "Orange Crush" Iron Maiden "Run To The Hills"
1990's:
Foo Fighters "Learn To Fly" Metallica "Enter Sandman" Nirvana "In Bloom" Stone Temple Pilots "Vasoline" Weezer "Say It Aint So" Smashing Punpkins "Cherub Rock" Radiohead "Creep" Beastie Boys "Sabotage" Hole "Celebrity Skin" Garbage "I Think I'm Paranoid" Soundgarden "Black Hole Sun"
2000's:
The Hives "Main Offender" Queens Of The Stone Age "Go With the Flow" The Strokes "Reptilia" Jet "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" OK Go "Here it Goes Again" Nine Inch Nails "The hand That Feeds" Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Maps" Red Hot Chilli Peppers "Dani California" Coheed & Cambria "Welcome Home" Fallout Boy "Dead on Arrival" The Killers "When You Were Young" New Pornographers "Electric Version" Unlockable Tracks: Anarchy "Blood Doll" Bang Camaro "Pleasure (Pleasure)" Crooked X "Nightmare" Death of the Cool "Can't Let Go" Flyleaf "I'm So Sick" Freezepop "brainpower" Honest Bob and The Factory-to-Dealer Incentives "I Get By" The Acro-bats "Day Late, Dollar Short" The Konks "29 Fingers" The Mother Hips "Time We Had" Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld "Timmy and the lords of the Underworld" Tribe "Outside" Vagiant "Seven"
