Rock On!

So what did everybody get for Christmas? As you can see, GC got a new game.

This is not a review so much as a commentary on the latest music and rhythm game, Rockband. It was developed by the same folks that brought us Guitar Hero, so there are a lot of similarities between the two games. So let's talk about the differences. Up to four people can play Rockband at the same time, and not all of them have to play the guitar. The game is bundled with a guitar, microphone, drumkit and a four-port usb hub so one can use all of those devices on the limited ports of the XBox 360. Folks who have purchased Guitar Hero needn't fret, as the game is designed to work with those peripherals as well.

One of the big differences in gameplay is "solo" mode where you can strum, wail or otherwise rock til you drop without worrying about missing a note. Solos come at appropriate moments in the song where you can really show off and impress the fans.

I may be exagerating just a bit in my cartoon - all of those artists are represented in that game and can be heard performing their greatest hits. Over 50 tracks in all. And not all of the songs hit the top 25 charts decades before today's teens were born. But hey, I gotta get my jokes from somewhere, right? But seriously, a lot of these songs will resonate more with the gamemaker's generation than the kids that are playing this game.

As to the reason why this isn't an actual review - I haven't had a chance to play the game yet. And if things continue, it may be a while before I get the chance. Good thing I've got other things to occupy my time. Rock on, dudes!

Random Thoughts

The idea for this week's cartoon struck me when I saw the latest evidence of Big Oil's greed at the gas pumps. I'm still steamed. Still, a game where keeping your car going is just as important as getting to your destination seems like a good idea, right?

My son bought Guitar Hero II for the XBox360. I've not yet had the opportunity to try my hands at it, but I can easily see why this game is so popular. This is "air guitar" taken to the next level. What's amusing is that the song selection is made by folks my age rather than my son's age. So most of the songs are new to him, but actually were classics before he was born. Still, for those of you who were born to rock, this game is for you.

I felt obligated to note the passing of BC creator and cartoonist Johnny Hart who died over the weekend. I read this in an article on his passing:

Newcombe said "B.C." and "Wizard of Id" would continue. Family members have been helping produce the strips for years, and they have an extensive computer archive of Hart's drawings to work with, he said.

Could someone tell me what that means? Are they going to just cut and paste panels from old comics to make new ones? Is this the future of the funny pages?