On November 8^th, 2005, a new game became available on Playstation 2 that would change gaming forever--Guitar Hero.  Players quickly became addicted as in the game you play as a guitarist in a band and you play real songs.  Following that successful release was Guitar Hero 2 & Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80’s.  Then yet another title came out changing the course of gaming and the "fake instruments" genre.  This game was Rock Band.  Ever since, there has been a rivalry between the two.

Rock Band was released November 20^th, 2007 for Xbox 360 & the Playstation 3.  It was later released for Playstation 2 on December 18^th, 2007, and for Wii, on June 22^nd, 2008.

Right now, there are only two Rock Band games, versions 1 & 2, but there are also track packs available for users to download, which gives the player extra songs.  Rock Band was first game to have a full band, and first to have customizable characters on the third generation consoles.  Both Rock Band and Guitar Hero: World Tour provide multiple instruments for gamers such as a lead guitar, bass guitar, drum set, and vocals.  They both also currently retail for close to $175.

In Rock Band, some parts of the song band mates play in unison, and if played correctly, will earn overdrive, which doubles a player's score for a limited time.  The other way to earn overdrive is by hitting glowing notes (or for drums you can just rapidly play notes in certain areas and if you hit the following note you gain overdrive accordingly) without messing up.  At the end of some songs, you have a "Big Rock Ending" where all members of the band play, or yell, as much as possible to earn as many points to add to the final score of the song.

The Guitar Hero series now has 9 games, counting their next release, Guitar Hero: Metallica, the second band-based game, following Aerosmith.  Guitar Hero also has covered more systems, being playable on PC and having now two Nintendo DS games, Guitar Hero: On Tour, and Guitar Hero: On Tour Encore.  Guitar Hero also has a score multiplier, which does the same as overdrive in Rock Band.  It is called Star Power, which you earn by hitting glowing notes.  Also, a good addition, on Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, you could play as two real guitarists, Slash (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver & Rock’s Snake Pit) and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) and both have their signature guitars.

Basically, the games are equally matched.  It is all about the player’s preference.  Gamer Kenneth Pry leans towards Rock Band.  “Rock Band, when all together, feels like a real band," he said.

But a lot of enthusiasts prefer the Guitar Hero series.  “In Guitar Hero, guitar alone is easier than vocals or drums,” said Carson Karcher.

No matter the preference, BOTH games rock!