Battle of the Fake Bands

Two new music video games are wildly popular and almost identical. Which one wins?

Illustration by John Ueland

In the beginning--that is, November 2005--there was a video game called Guitar Hero, in which players jammed on a fake plastic guitar along with real rock songs. And it was good. But not good enough. A year ago, the rival Rock Band added drums, bass and vocals. Now there are two improved versions that feature the full instrumental lineup: Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour.

These games are hands down the two best party games ever made. Both cost about $190 and are available for all the major game consoles. The only problem with them is that it's practically...

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