Currently Playing: Band Hero

Band Hero is the offspring of the very popular and very successful Guitar Hero: World Tour. It invites non-rock fans to join in by introducing more pop tracks to the song listings. Whereas before my wife wouldn't have really entertained the thought of playing Guitar Hero because she really wasn't in to rock music, when she saw the track list for Band Hero she was already reaching for the mic before the disc was even in the XBox.

With tracks like Evanescence "Bring Me To Life", the age old favourite "Wannabe" by Spice Girls, and so many more pop classics from the 80s through to the current day, you can see the appeal. Band Hero is picking up on the popularity of karaoke games, such as Lips, and drawing in that audience. You can see the full track list in this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_Hero#Console_soundtrack

Now with the track list being the biggest attraction to new players, it's the gameplay that's got to keep them interested. And that it does! Either choosing to play solo or with friends, all the game modes are available; Career mode, where you create your own character and band, and jam out in different arenas, building up you reputation. Quickplay mode for those who just want to get straight into the action. And a Versus mode for those friends who want to test their musical prowess.

We slipped straight into the action with quickplay mode. Each of the instruments (including vocals) was challenging and yet fun and addictive. The difficulty settings were very well set so that beginners could join in and be active even if they hit all the wrong notes, and experts could show off with finger breaking solos. The beginner mode is an ideal starting point for new gamers or younger gamers because it's all about the rhythm. No need to worry about which notes to play (or sing) as in beginner mode all you need to do is hit a note at the right time to score points. Each difficulty setting upwards increases the number of notes and complexity of the song at a very sensible rate, so developing your musical skills doesn't feel like an impossible task. This has been true of the Guitar Hero series since its first outing and is very commendable.

One of the best features of the game is of course being able to play with friends, whether you are good or bad, and we spent several hours of an evening jamming away and having a great time. It's quite an energetic game if you really get into it so be prepared to get seriously knackered if you go for all out headbanging and stage presence!

And of course, every game is always marked on is graphical impressiveness, with Band Hero being no let down. The game characters are perfectly animated, beautifully drawn and have every bit of real life rock/pop star about them. The stages are equally stunning, although in fairness you're more likely to be spending your time staring at the guitar/drum notes or lyrics on the screen than what the game characters are getting up to. Especially as you get up to the higher difficulty settings.

Overall, my experience of Band Hero has been an entertaining one and I can't recommend this game enough. Check out the track listings and if that isn't enough to convince you to play this game then nothing will.