Rock Band seemed like a neat idea ever since I heard about it, and I enjoyed my first brief experience with it. I liked the concept of being able to assemble your own band. Whether you play alone or with others, you can gain a new appreciation for music by focusing on an instrument you don’t normally listen to, especially bass and drums.

I don’t own Rock Band (and probably won’t for a while due to limited space), but I do enjoy playing it. I have found that it’s fun to play with one other person, but the more people, the better. I like being able to cheer my friends on and work together as a team of four. It’s unique to have a game these days that allows for up to four players in a co-op mode.

When I was playing in a group of three, I often ended up singing vocals. The vocal part is really strange because all you have to do is match the tone. It doesn’t make a difference what words you sing. Songs can be really hard if you’ve never heard them before, but the lax policy (just tone-matching) makes it easier. For drums, it seemed that many songs had similar patterns that would repeat. Even if there were a few tricky parts involving the pedal, the pattern would greatly reduce the difficulty. The guitar part was fun, but my other friends often played it since they were better at it from playing Guitar Hero. It tended to hurt my hand (likely due to inefficient techniques) and tended to be finicky. The guitar controller looks cooler than that for Guitar Hero, but the well-known fact that they break easily greatly detracts from the aesthetic improvements.

The game itself it structured in a fun way, especially with the customizable characters. I enjoyed creating an avatar that looks like an improved version of myself. However, the game doesn’t allow you to switch your character to a different instrument. This was annoying because the people I played with often rotated instruments, so I felt silly playing as an avatar that looked like my friend while the “me” avatar was busy on another part.

I have enjoyed playing Rock Band, and I’d like to play it more. It seems best played with a group of people, so the best gameplay sessions take a little coordination. No matter how much fun I have though, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the silliness of the concept. Rock Band is a game that takes the “be a rock star” fad that began with Guitar Hero even further, but it’s ok to enjoy it as long as you remember that it’s just a game.