2007 Video Game Holiday Buyer's Guide - Page 5

While generous praise has been sprinkled on all of these new interactive musical tools, the drum set design has garnered special attention. Four circular pads on adjustable “legs” surround the drummer in a semi-circle pattern. Along with a foot pedal for the bass drum, these pads comprise what may be the coolest gaming device to come along since the NES Zapper.

Of course, what good are the instruments if there are no songs to guide them? Rock Band will ship with 45 licensed tracks whose original release dates range from the 1960s to the 2000s. Some of the notable tunes revealed so far include “Blitzkrieg Bop” by Ramones, “Creep” by Radiohead, “Dani California” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who. Additionally, Harmonix has confirmed that songs will be added as downloadable content after the game’s release.

Guitar Hero is the current go-to game in terms of multiplayer fun factor – there’s nothing quite like shredding your way through “Free Bird” on expert to a five-star review. That said, come November 20th, Rock Band is going to destroy the current working definition of multiplayer fun.

See Santa, I told you so. There are too many great holiday games coming out too close together, and every one of them has a reserved spot on my game self. Truthfully, there are many more titles that could be on this list – games like Assassin’s Creed (360, PS3) and The Orange Box (360, PC, PS3), but I know you’re a busy guy with a demanding schedule. I’d be more than happy with just the five titles on this list. Is there enough time to play all of them over winter break? Absolutely not, but that’s what summer time is for.

Article Author: Ben Wood

Ben is a junior at the University of Oklahoma. He is majoring in Journalism with a minor in Film and Video Studies, but that's probably not what it's going to say on his degree certificate when he graduates.

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