We’re with the band
Rock Band” is. The. Best. Game. Ever. When I was in high school my poser friends and I would pretend to be in this imaginary band called The Grupp, named after a friend’s last name (our fans would conveniently be called Gruppies). We actually tried learning instruments — Ines purchased a drum set, Karen and I bought guitar songbooks and picked up a few chords, but nothing came to fruition — only tears and frustration — and I realize now that we were just major fangirls. More than a decade later the only thing we rock is a Magic Mic in front of tolerant and drunk friends. We’ve moved on to other non-musical ventures, but whenever I was lucky enough to watch a live show and catch a favorite singer just having conniptions on stage while the crowd jumps up and down and sings the lyrics with such emphatic feeling, I still wish that that could be me.
And then “Rock Band” came along and it all became possible in the most virtual way. Harmonix, a developer of music-based games, with MTV Games and distribution partner Electronic Arts, introduced mind-blowing awesomeness to gamers and none-gamers everywhere. For use with Playstation, Microsoft XBox and Wii platforms, the videogame set contains simulated electronic instruments and the more wholesome elements of rock bandism, from kooky characters, screaming fans, a world tour, and a repertoire that spans the history of rock n roll from the ’60s (classic and punk) to the 2000s (nu wave and emo).
Rock Band is best experienced with a bunch of friends, of course. I imagine that different groups have different ways of playing, but with my fellow Rock Bandits, sometimes we like to get dressed up and crush a few beer cans before flexing our musical might. Each person chooses their weapon — bass, guitar, drums or microphone — and creates a character on screen. The permutations run the gamut of rock stereotypes from bleached platinum hair, leather jeans, tattoos and mullets to the more nerdcore look with glasses, skinny ties and sneakers. My mainstay happens to be “Allah Spice,” a super lanky Scandinavian glam metal dude with a hot pink headband.
The person on the mic typically chooses the song. Favorites of ours include Weezer’s Say It Ain’t So, The Pretenders’ Brass in Pocket, and my personal best, Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. More difficult songs that we have attempted are The Perfect Drug by Nine Inch Nails and Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear The Reaper (gotta have some cowbell!). Difficulty levels on each instrument can be raised from easy to expert. When the song begins, the audience cheers in anticipation, the individual band mates are introduced with a moment of fanfare, and the screen transforms into a tableau of moving lanes for each player. Basically, you have to match the dots on your lane by hitting the right drum pad, pressing the corresponding button on the guitar, or singing the right note. If a player messes up really badly and fails out of the performance, other band members get to act as “savior” and bring the person back by doing a certain maneuver on the guitar. When the song ends, scores are tabulated based on how much of the song you got right, and extra points for how much energy you put in. Yes, it helps to move the guitar around, improvise at certain parts, and generally thrash around like a rock star.
“Rock Band 2” is coming out later this year. Aside from spiffy new features like a different wardrobe and “a chance to star in your own music video,” new songs from Modest Mouse, Bon Jovi and Journey will be added to the set list. Woo-hoo!
I don’t know if being able to play a real instrument gives someone an advantage at the game, if it makes it more or less fun, challenging and exciting — I wouldn’t know because I don’t know how to play a real instrument. During Game Night at Mag:net
