Xbox Gaming in South Africa

You'll be amazed at the lengths we go to, just to keep you all updated on what's happening in the gaming world. Take this little preview as an example. To bring you up to speed with how Band Hero is shaping up, I played a Taylor Swift song. Three times. Now, while the song may have made my head hurt, the game on the other hand is looking pretty good!

Having been enamoured by the rhythm game genre since the early Guitar Hero days, when all you needed was one plastic guitar and double-jointed fingers, I felt it was my duty to find out where the Hero franchise is headed with this latest iteration. The most obvious change here has to be the target audience. If you are wearing a Slayer t-shirt and possibly black nail polish as you read this, Band Hero is not for you. If, however, you have never even heard of Slayer, then Band Hero might be just up your alley.

Band Hero is aimed at a younger music fan. This change in direction goes beyond the songs themselves, with the visual style tailormade to suit the audience. The somewhat gritty rock 'n' roll atmosphere of previous Hero titles is replaced by a soft glow, bright colours and friendly looking band members. Accessibility is a big focus here, in a similar vein to Guitar Hero 5, and it works well. Getting the party started is a simple affair, and changing instruments and difficulty levels on the fly is seamless. It really is a far cry from the cumbersome menu's of the early Guitar Hero releases.

The gameplay itself is pretty much exactly as you imagine it would be. Neversoft has worked hard to refine the controls, and even from the three tracks playable in the demo it's not hard to tell that their work has paid off. The note structure is well put together and most importantly it just feels right. In my experience, sometimes a song you really love can be a chore in-game if the note structure doesn't flow properly, so they seem to have nailed it here.

Without the full game in our hands there really isn't a lot more we can say for now. There is definite potential here, and the chances are that Band Hero will sell like crazy regardless, but it really does come down to the track list at the end of the day. As soon as we have the completed product we will bravely head back to pop-land and give you our verdict. Until then, it might be worth downloading the demo and giving it a try for yourself.