Strategy & Sim Video Games

Activision's third band-centric Guitar Hero release follows rock group Van Halen during its formative years with David Lee Roth as lead singer, but without original bassist Michael Anthony. As with previous titles focusing on Aerosmith and Metallica, Guitar Hero: Van Halen features 3D modeled versions of each band member as well as signature-style moves, clothing, and instruments from the past and present. Complete a solo tour on bass, guitar, drums, or vocals, or team up with up to three friends for the full band experience. In addition to Van Halen's biggest hits, 19 songs from such artists as Queen, Weezer, blink-182, the Offspring, and Queens of the Stone Age are included. Among the 25 featured songs from Van Halen are "Jump," "Hot for Teacher," "Panama," "Little Guitars," "Cathedral," "Spanish Fly," and "Eruption." ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Although guitar heroics often take the lead in modern popular music, rock & roll has always been a group activity, and Activision's Band Hero aims to gets the whole crew into the act. As its title proclaims, the continuation of the genre-founding Guitar Hero series sets center stage for the whole band -- drummers and vocalists as well as lead and bass guitarists -- and is designed to let gamers play along with a diverse selection of contemporary and classic rock and pop songs, using their favorite instruments in their own style. To keep the focus on fun, Band Hero offers "No Fail" gameplay modes for instrumentalists, and a "Sing-Along" mode for karaoke-style parties, allowing players to open up and express themselves, without worrying about keeping up with progressions or scoring points. The game's "Party Play" mode allows players to drop in and out of a song at will, as the music keeps playing.

The console disc edition of Band Hero offers more than 65 popular songs. Top selling country crossover star Taylor Swift is prominently featured in the game, with the inclusion of three songs from her first two original albums, and the artist's performances were motion-captured to bring her in-game persona realistically to life. Guitarist and singer Adam Levine of Maroon 5 was motion-captured, as well, for his appearance in the game as a playable character. Band Hero's play-along soundtrack also includes timeless tracks such as David Bowie's "Let's Dance," Devo's "Whip It," the Jackson 5's "ABC," "Mr. Roboto" from Styx, and original hit singles from a diverse selection of artists, including Aly and AJ, Cheap Trick, Fall Out Boy, the Go-Gos, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Roy Orbison, Tonic, the Village People, and many others. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The first video game based on the Bakugan license combines the action of the collectible card game with a storyline penned by writers of the animated series. Players will engage rivals in a series of battles to develop their unseasoned Bakugan brawler into a fierce competitor. The action first involves throwing Bakugan cards onto the ground before tossing a Bakugan ball toward them. When two balls land on the same card, they will transform into powerful monsters that will fight over the card. Bakugan Battle Brawlers offers an assortment of distinctive battle arenas, featuring various shapes, sizes, traps, and other distinguishing elements. Forty Bakugan are available to collect and defeat, with hundreds of cards included to fine-tune strategies. Battle the computer or challenge friends to a multiplayer match with custom rules. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Guitar Hero 5 continues Activision's music rhythm series with an expanded lineup of 85 songs from 83 artists. While the basic format is identical to 2008's Guitar Hero: World Tour, with each song supporting a singer, drummer, lead guitar, and bass, a number of changes have been added to enhance its pick-up-and-play appeal. The "Party Play" option lets would-be musicians create a set list and drop in or out at any time while it plays, without having to restart a song. Friends and onlookers can also join in at any point, simply by pressing a button on one of the peripherals, and none of the songs can be failed.

You'll also be able to use any combination of instruments, allowing you to play a song as four drummers, four lead singers, and so forth. In a first for the series, the game's entire song lineup is immediately available to drum, hum, or strum from the start. Career Mode now includes bonus challenges for each song, such as scoring a specific number of points while in Star Power. Each challenge offers three levels of progression, which will unlock bonuses such as characters, outfits, venues, and instruments.

Guitar Hero 5's diverse selection of artists includes Tom Petty, Sonic Youth, Duran Duran, Iron Maiden, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Coldplay, the White Stripes, Stevie Wonder, Nirvana, Peter Frampton, Johnny Cash, Public Enemy, Wolfmother, and Elton John. Among the songs featured are "All Along the Watchtower," "Runnin' Down a Dream," "No One to Depend On," "Ring of Fire," "Sympathy for the Devil," "All the Pretty Faces," and "A-Punk." ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Sony's SingStar series of karaoke games has seen players belting out classic hits from the '80s and '90s, boot-scooting to SingStar: Country, and dancing along to Swedish pop in SingStar: ABBA, but now gamers can make like flamboyant frontman Freddie Mercury and sing along to 20 tracks from one of the greatest arena rock bands of all time in SingStar: Queen. Glam rock fans can get together with friends and perform their best renditions of classic up-tempo tracks like "Another One Bites the Dust," "Under Pressure," and "We Will Rock You." Those looking for something a little slower can also flex their vocal chords, thanks to the inclusion of classic Queen ballads like "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Are the Champions," and "These are the Days of Our Lives." ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Rock Band: Country Track Pack is a stand-alone release that allows gamers to play along with contemporary country-rock hits, using their Rock Band instrument controllers and equipment. The game features familiar Rock Band modes such as "Quickplay," "Solo," "Duel," and "Band Tour," with a progression of increasingly difficult tunes that are unlocked through skilled play. As in other Rock Band collections (and earlier rhythm-action games from developer Harmonix), play involves pressing buttons in time with the music, as directed by colored symbols that scroll outward and down the screen. Hitting the correct controller buttons at the correct times allows players to perform their instrument's part in the song. Focusing on crossover popularity, the Country Track Pack features 21 well-known songs from the borderlands where rock & roll meets country-western, including "Good Time" from Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn's "Hillbilly Deluxe," "Sin Wagon" by the Dixie Chicks, Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler," and Lucinda Williams' "Can't Let Go." ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Following the heroic feat of four consecutive top-selling releases, it's not unusual for a rock star to reissue a selection of fan-favorite tracks on a single compilation album. Guitar Hero fans receive such a collection in Smash Hits. The game includes playable songs originally featured in the first four games in the series: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, Guitar Hero II, and the original Guitar Hero. The collection comprises four dozen of the series' most popular and challenging pre-Guitar Hero: World Tour tracks, including Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" and "I Love Rock 'n Roll" by Joan Jet and the Blackhearts (Guitar Hero); "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas and Alice in Chains' "Them Bones" (Guitar Hero II); "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister and "Nothin' but a Good Time" by Poison (Rocks the 80s); and "Rock and Roll All Nite" by Kiss and Heart's "Barracuda" (Legends of Rock). All 48 tracks are compatible with the game's full selection of contemporary Guitar Hero: World Tour instruments, including the drum kit and mic controllers, allowing a complete band of players to rock out on tunes previously only available to one or two guitarists. The Smash Hits edition of Guitar Hero also features the series' "Music Studio" song-mixing software and includes the "Rock Star Creator" custom character designer. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Just as Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was something of a glorified expansion of Guitar Hero III, Guitar Hero: Metallica serves as an extension of Activision's band-focused hit Guitar Hero: World Tour, offering gamers a feel for life in and around one of heavy metal's most popular and influential bands. The game features a total of 49 songs, including 28 original Metallica tracks, such as "Seek and Destroy," "Fade to Black," "Master of Puppets," and "One," and 21 band-selected songs from such acts as Bob Seger, Judas Priest, Queen, and Thin Lizzy. In general, the game's difficulty level was designed to be on par with that of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, however, the hard-hitting nature of some of Metallica's tracks led to the creation of an extremely difficult "Expert+" mode that can incorporate a second drum pedal.

Though band members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo participated in motion-capture sessions to help create lifelike in-game avatars, the story actually finds players in the shoes of a band serving as Metallica's opening act. This narrative mechanic sends gamers to such real-world music venues as the Stone nightclub in San Francisco, the Forum in Los Angeles, the Hammersmith Odeon in London, and the Tushino Airfield in Russia. As always, players must earn high scores and unlock new songs by rhythmically matching onscreen prompts that correspond with musical notes. The music creation aspect of World Tour returns in Guitar Hero: Metallica, with new musical tones based on Hetfield's guitar and a new "Drum Over" mode that lets gamers play improvised drum tracks over any song, while the multiplayer "Battle Mode" comes equipped with new Metallica-themed power-ups such as "Fade to Black," "Ride the Lightning," and "Trapped Under Ice." ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The second release in Disney's video-based karaoke series, Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3 -- Senior Year lets fans of East High belt out all their favorite tunes from the massively popular motion picture franchise. All ten songs and videos from the third installment of the series are available, and fans of the first two films will have 15 more songs from which to choose. Singers can go the solo route, or choose to join friends for competitive and cooperative multiplayer action in "Duet," "Versus," and "Team Play" modes. Players can customize their singing experience by selecting three unique High School Musical themes, and series star Olesya Rulin reprises her role as a vocal coach to help gamers who might not have perfect pitch. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The "Band" plays on in this follow-up to the chart-topping, peripheral swapping Rock Band. Once again up to four friends can jam together on drums, lead vocals, guitar, and bass as they choose from a number of licensed songs from rock's biggest artists. The "World Tour" mode from the first game expands to new venues and now includes the ability to embark on a solo bass tour in addition to gigs with the other instruments. This mode is also no longer as restrictive, allowing friends to join in or leave at any time, custom characters to switch instruments, and more.

Perhaps the biggest new addition for competitive musicians is the "Battle of the Bands" mode. Various challenges are continuously updated online that involve testing your rhythmic skills in themed events. These could involve trying to break a high score on a particular song, complete a series of riffs, and so forth. Bands will be able to see the target score to beat from another band and can continue to play a particular challenge until it's mastered. Challenges will disappear over time as well, with some lasting mere minutes or more difficult ones appearing for months.

Other new features include more character creation items, from faces and costumes to accessories and piercings, a jukebox option, a revamped "Tutorials" mode with in-depth drum training, and more. Rock Band 2 owners can use the same peripherals introduced with its predecessor, or they can upgrade their gear with the all-new bundle. Refinements to the equipment include velocity-sensitive drum pads, metal-reinforced kick pads, softer button clicks, more responsive strum bars, and support for expansion slots for add-ons like cymbals.

Rock Band 2 ships with an 84-song library and offers the option to import tracks and downloaded content from the original Rock Band. Featured tracks include "White Wedding Pt. 1," "Kids in America," "Everlong," "Ace of Spades," "Any Way You Want It," "Pinball Wizard," "Aqualung," and "Ramblin' Man." Making their music game debut are legendary artists AC/DC and Bob Dylan. As with the original title, Rock Band 2 supports individual track and album downloads to expand your interactive music library. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide