Gamervision writes: "The music genre is evolving faster than almost any other in gaming, and 2009 saw the release of over a dozen rhythm games across all platforms, including cell phones and arcade. Rock Band Unplugged surprisingly managed to port the series onto the PSP, showing gamers that plastic instruments weren't always necessary for a good rhythm game. DJ Hero was a risk for publisher Activision, but ended up being a promising start to a new series. Guitar Hero 5 was the best Guitar Hero game in years, and the best full-band game in the series to date. Band Hero, while essentially a clone of Guitar Hero 5, managed to make the family-friendly formula fun, with a varied setlist full of hits for all ages. Yes, it was a good year for music games, with the winner years-you could even say decades-in the making."
Musicians take on other media all the time. Madonna was in A League Of Their Own. Ice-T is in Law & Order. MC Hammer has an Instagram account. But surprisingly few have dedicated themselves to starring in video games.
"The rhythm action game is probably the best example of a genre which killed itself through market saturation. "
The Marb looks back on The Beatles: Rock Band and assess whether the rhythym action game did the legnedary band justice.
VGW's Brian Shea: "The notion of downloadable content is commonplace in today’s landscape of launch-day DLC and season passes, but prior to 2007, to have a legitimate, laid-out plan to support a console game post-launch was not a common occurrence. Harmonix, a company that was in the midst of a transition away from the most popular franchise in the industry at the time, Guitar Hero, had a vision for a brand new IP that would eventually revolutionize the concept of downloadable content."
