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In many of us, there's a secret desire to be part of a hit band, impressing fans and critics alike with our on-stage rock skills. While this remains just a fantasy for most, the fantasy can now come at least a bit closer to reality. Following the success of Guitar Hero, Harmonix unleashes the fury of a four person band into homes everywhere with Rock Band. Eager band members can snatch up a guitar, drum set, or microphone and "rock out" solo or with friends.

The Rock Band "Special Edition" package, which most players will want, includes a (plastic) Fender Stratocaster guitar, a four drum set with foot pedal, and a microphone. On systems which don't have a sufficient number of USB ports for all instruments to be active at once, the package nicely includes a USB hub. Players can separately supply their own additional guitar from a title such as Guitar Hero II.

When forming a band, each player creates a custom rocker, selecting among multiple options for body, hair, face, and even "attitude". As money is earned from successful gigs, players can purchase different outfits for their avatar as well. Each rocker is associated with an instrument or role, from the following choices:

* Guitar (or Bass) - Players hold down the correct colored "fret" buttons with one hand while strumming the notes with the other. With a total of five frets active on harder difficulty levels, players must move their fret hand in order to cover all of the notes.

* Drums - Players play four drums in time to the beat, while also operating a foot pedal. Certain song sections requiring both drums to be hit at the same time as the foot pedal ensure that players must actively use all parts of their body, potentially working up quite a sweat.

* Microphone - Players sing along with the vocalist. While players can sing in any octave, they are scored based on how close they are to the actual intended notes. Some song sections are shouted or rapped, and during such intervals, players are graded by phoneme accuracy rather than pitch. Lastly, when a tambourine or cowbell is needed during a song, the singer is responsible for smacking the side of the microphone in time to the beat.

When playing as a band, the game features a "World Tour" mode, where different venues are visited across a number of cities. Players select which venue and which songs (or which song set) to play, with some sets including randomly selected "mystery" tracks. During play, each player is responsible for his or her own role, but the

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