Rock Band: the death of Guitar Hero and free time as we know it.

I've heard the complaints about Guitar Hero and I've agreed with them. Why spend the time and money on Guitar Hero when you could spend that same time and money on learning to play a real guitar? Well, reports have shown that the popularity of Guitar Hero has actually increased the incidence of guitar lessons. Reports have even shown an increase in the purchase of sheet music for those songs which are featured in Guitar Hero. So I guess the naysayers, myself included, were wrong.

A friend of mine got Rock Band for his PS3 last week. Our first night playing together as a four-piece band was awesome. We lost track of time and rocked out until almost 4 in the morning. The idea of sitting in front of a television by myself with a fake guitar never appealed to me. As a matter of fact, I am really not that much of a gamer. We own a PS2, but we rarely use it. According to the gamers, Guitar Hero doesn't hold a candle to Rock Band. I haven't played Guitar Hero, but I can say that playing Rock Band was one of the most fun times we've had.

It certainly didn't hurt that my wife and I both have musical backgrounds. She is a drummer, so that made it that much easier for her to get the hang of the drum kit. Take my word for it, drumming is not easy. I can belt out a vocal and I've also played bass, so I was prepped as well.

I don't care who you are or what you think, this game was awesome. Unlike most games that have you competing against each other, the cooperation needed for this game makes it truly unique. When everyone in the band is in the groove together, it is a great feeling. And you never know what it might lead to. I still have my bass. And my wife would love to buy another drum set. When we moved to South Florida, we lived in an apartment for 4 years. She tried to rock out on the drum set once and had 3 people call the cops, so we sold the set (a 7 piece Tama with a double bass pedal). She has regretted it ever since.

In the meantime, we'll keep faking it at our friend's house.