Guitar Hero World Tour (Band Kit)

At this point, suffice to say that I was waiting for a crucial update that would transform my experience of Guitar Hero World Tour on the PlayStation 3 (PS3) into the best ever. For those not familiar with the music game phenomenon, it all began in 2005 when a game designer created a guitar peripheral with colored buttons. A player taps the buttons and hits a strum bar like the strings of a guitar) whenever the corresponding green, red, yellow and blue colors appear on screen. Soon, a drum set and microphone were added. Throw in a bunch of rowdy friends and you get a blast of a jam session - right at home. Guitar Hero World Tour is the first in the successful Guitar Hero franchise to have the band play and it deserves an encore. The new gem is the five-pad drum kit with a step pedal that acts as a kick drum. Split into three drum pads and two elevated cymbals, the device packs a bigger punch than its competition, Rock Band.

Rock Band first came out last year and its sequel Rock Band 2 in September 2008, but I dare say that Guitar Hero World Tour's five-pad drum set pounds better than Rock Band 2's four-pad drums. Aside from the stronger feedback when tapped with the drum sticks, the cymbals tipped the ante with its closer sense of realism to a real drum kit. Guitarists will have no problem picking up Guitar Hero World Tour, with the 84 original master tracks (as opposed to covers) that come with the game. As a bonus, you can also design cover tracks using the music creator portion of the game. However, as musical genius is not in my DNA, I took the shortcut and downloaded several free songs composed and uploaded by other players. Despite my love for Guitar Hero World Tour though, it has a few flaws.

Take the guitar's new touchpad on which you slide your fingers on the fret bar as an example. Since it's difficult to distinguish the color by feel, using it during fast songs was impossible. Next, the step pad: Given that it is a standalone unit that is not attached to the main drum set, it shifts out of place after several steps on it. Annoying. For the band mode, where up to four players can jam together, Rock Band has the upper hand. In Guitar Hero World Tour, there are no individual performance displays to indicate how well each player is doing nor the individual bonus star power being accumulated. Gameplay is also static: Rock Band's wild drum and guitar solo portions are missing and, without them, Guitar Hero World Tour is but a notch better than by-the-book instructional video.

And unlike Rock Band, there is no way to save your friends who are failing a song. So if they die, the band gets booed off the stage. Plus, there is no downloadable content for the PS3 version. While both developers decided that the game instruments would be compatible across the games, PS3 users had to wait till November for a software update that made Guitar Hero World Tour drums work with Rock Band 2. All Guitar Hero World Tour instruments now work wonderfully with Rock Band 2. When Guitar Hero World Tour drums are used on Rock and 2, one cymbal is rendered useless, but gameplay remains intact. To be sure, the debate as to which game has the upper hand will continue ad nauseum. However, for my money, you cannot go wrong with Guitar Hero World Tour.

It is innovative, easy to pick up and extremely fun. Whether you are a singer wannabe noise-producing drummer or finger twisting guitarist, Guitar Hero World Tour allows you to explore your musical inclinations. The five-pad drums deliver a solid experience and are built to withstand mindless beatings while the new guitar includes a touch pad that allows players to slide their fingers across the fret board with ease. Mastering them is another task in itself though. A variety of songs from acts like Nirvana, Michael Jackson and No Doubt, among many others, ensure the longevity of the game. When you include the multiplayer mode, especially with friends and family, this game will definitely beat the best karaoke system around.