And the Beat Goes On...
Disco, along with the careers of many one-hit wonders, may be dead, but the music fakery games live on this holiday season. But instead of being more of the same -- which unfortunately was what happened last holiday season -- this year has seen the game company's take it to a new level of interaction and entertainment. Instead of just faking it while mashing buttons, the new cream of the crop music games offer some game-changing improvements. These include more advanced controls, which actually let you play the real songs on instruments that are approaching the real thing.
This year you'll still get to live out your rock star fantasies, and you might just learn a thing or two about music, and about playing an actual instrument in the process. Here is a look at the music games that keep the beat going.
DJ Hero 2 (FreeStyle Games/Activision)
Don't stop, make it pop, DJ, blow my speakers up - and while you can't actually mix in that song, you can make it pop and try pretty hard to blow your speakers up as a DJ in this sequel to the smash mix master game. You'll once again get to try your hands at "turntablism," which is the act of creating a new musical work from two different songs.
This time the game feature 70 mashups from 85 different artists; and you'll have to scratch, crossfade and keep time to shine as a DJ and win over the virtual crowd. As with the original game you can also "jam" with a friend as this one lets you play along with the Guitar Hero guitar controller. You can also team up as an MC and rap to songs, including in a new freestyle mode. With artists ranging from Eminem to Dr. Dre, Kanye West to Lady Gaga you'll have to strut your stuff to be king of the DJs.
DJ Hero 2 is available at Amazon.com for the following systems:
Power Gig: Rise of the Six Strings (Seven45 Studios)
Until now most of the musical games have had "guitar" controllers, but this year that all changed. Power Gig: Rise of the Six Strings doesn't have you bash buttons, it has you play an actual six stringed guitar. That's the good news.
The bad news is that unfortunately, despite having an impressive track list by guitar heavy musicians including Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaugn, the game's impressive guitar controller doesn't work enough like a guitar in the actual game. And even if you could advance to playing real parts, as an actual guitar the controller sounds quite unimpressive. The saving grace is that the controller will work with Rock Band 3 at least (see below).
The final surreal part is that the bundle of Power Gig offers a strange drum controller called the AirStrike that works as a motion-sensing device. So to sum up, the game offers an actual "six string" guitar controller that looks the part but most certainly doesn't play the part, while also offering an "air drum" kit type device. The result is a game that is as off tune as the drunk band on open mic night.
Power Gig: Rise of the Six Strings is available at Amazon.com for the following systems:
Rock Band 3 (MTV Games/Harmonix/Electronic Arts)
It's time to get the band back together, and don't worry if the line-up has changed since the last living room tour. There is plenty of room for everyone this time around, as the game now supports seven players with three-part vocal harmonies. And yet that's not the most innovative part. This year the game has added Rock Band Pro functionality that allows players to develop real musical instrument skills through gameplay. Just don't quit the day job until you have some real gigs outside of the living room lined up.
In the meantime however, players can play with guitar controllers that feature six strings and have you play the actual cords, while an added keyboard part with have you tickling the ivories in pitch-accurate performances across a two-octave range. The Pro Drums supports three expansion cymbals so you can play with practically a full kit. Rock Band 3 features a song list with more than 80 tracks, while offering support for existing Rock Band titles.
Rock Band 3 is available at Amazon.com for the following systems:
Rock Band 3 Controllers
Finally, don't forget the controllers for Rock Band 3, as this is what it is all about. The Wireless Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar Controller from MadCatz will let you feel like a guitar god in your living room, and once you pick up the skills from the game you'll have a not to bad sounding Fender Mustang guitar to actually play, while the Wireless Keyboard Controller from MadCatz features a two-octave design with 25 velocity-sensitive keys proving that these games have come a long way from merely bashing four buttons.
The Wireless Fender Mustang Controller is available from Amazon.com for the following systems:
The Wireless Keyboard Controller is available from Amazon.com for the following systems:
