Battle of the Bands

Ah, fall: the changing colors of the leaves, brisk winds carrying sweater weather eastward, and more new awesome videogames than you can possibly imagine. Our pixelated preview makes sense of the madness. Part 4 of our Holiday Videogame Guide
By Rebecca Swanner

Rock Band 2 (MTV Games/EA) vs. Guitar Hero World Tour (Activision)
By adding drums and a mike, the Guitar Hero franchise looks to steal Rock Band’s spotlight. We break down the beats.

INSTRUMENTS
ROCK BAND 2
The lineup includes a faux-wood Fender guitar, microphone, and choice of drum kits. The standard
kit has a metal-reinforced bass pedal; clip-on cymbals are sold separately. The Ion kit ($300!)
comes with two large cymbals, four drums, and a bass pedal. Both are quieter than the original.

GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR
The guitar has touch pads, so you can tap instead of strum. The drums come with cymbals,
and since the buttons are at the top of the drum kit, you won’t accidentally pause the game when
doing a fill.

CHARACTER CREATION
ROCK BAND 2
It’s similar to the original, but the same avatar can play all the instruments.

GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR
Your avatar’s appearance and instruments’ design are fully customizable, all the way down to the
fret bars.

STANDOUT SONGS
ROCK BAND 2
AC/DC’s “Let There Be Rock”; Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up in Blue”; “Shackler’s Revenge,” the first
single from the Guns N’ Roses album Chinese Democracy.

GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley,” Jimi Hendrix’s “The Wind Cries Mary” and “Purple Haze,” Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher.”

SPECIAL ONLINE FEATURES
ROCK BAND 2
Any songs you downloaded for Rock Band carry over.

GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR
You can create songs and post five of them online. If the community likes your goods, you’re
allowed to add more.

THE HEADLINER