Band Hero

This is one spin-off that actually tries to mix things up a bit. One for pop music fans.

While hardcore Guitar Hero fans will probably complain about this one, Band Hero is another excellent addition to the series, one that makes party play a priority and delivers.

Band Hero loosens the reins on the game play to make the game more crowd friendly. The anything goes style carries over into the song list where everyone you know is bound to find at least one song they have heard and/or like.

The Top 40 music game is actually long overdue and I don't think it would be any more sensible to make this entire thing DLC as it would require people only wanting these songs to purchase both the original game and an entirely new pack.

For a game that Activision have said they want to stand on its own, it just doesn't seem to change the formula enough to make it appeal to people who've played other games in the series. At least not yet, anyway. Really, this is just a gussied-up track pack for the casual market. That's not to say that it isn't a fun experience, it's just certainly not a new one.

Guitar Hero focuses on a loyal public, but limited to certain ranges. Band Hero broadens the public offering a repertory rich and varied enough to attract anyone.

For those casual gamers, or families in their tweens and early teens, this game may just be what the doctor ordered allowing you to finally take the plunge into the music/band based game arena.

The bottom line is that Band Hero is going to be an awesome game to those who happen to fall neatly within its target demographic.

Band Hero is Guitar Hero 5's casual sister in almost every way. All the elements from her big brother can be found in this game, along with the new Sing Along-mode and Party Play. The new features, the casual style and matching tracklist have made this a game that can compete with SingStar on every party. Add the ability to import the songs from Guitar Hero 5 and World Tour into the game and Band Hero is a game that is truly for everyone.

A very strong, well-rounded pop package. [Christmas 2009, p.56]

Overall Band Hero is basically everything we've already seen from Guitar Hero 5, however the music featured in the game opens the franchise up to a whole new audience of wannabe pop stars.

Fans of the Guitar Hero franchise should have a look at Band Hero.

Band Hero feels more like a data disk rather than a brand new franchise: however, its focus on multiplayer, pop tracklist and interesting connectivity options with the DS make it a perfect-suited rhythm game for the Wii audience.

Unless you fall squarely within the niche targeted by Band Hero's formula, you'll likely find that, primarily thanks to the musical selections, the experience is lacking the same sense of authenticity and grandeur typical of its pedigree.

If you are looking for a solid entry point into the rhythm game craze or have some youngsters running around that you don't exactly want to expose to some of the more mature music in other rhythm games Band Hero is a solid choice.