Rock Band is a 2007 rhythm game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the first installment in the Rock Band series. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were released in North America on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was released on December 18, 2007 and the Wii version on June 22, 2008. Harmonix previously developed the first two games in the Guitar Hero series, which popularized gameplay of rock music with guitar-shaped controllers. After development of the series was shifted to Neversoft, Harmonix conceived Rock Band as a new title that would offer multi-instrument gameplay.
Cover art
Gameplay of a full band playing Metallica's "Enter Sandman". Each instrument is represented by a different interface: bass guitar (right), drums (middle), lead guitar (left), vocals (top). The Band Meter (green meter on left) measures the performance of each band member, while the Energy Meter (gold meter beneath each interface) tracks each player's Overdrive.
The Fender Stratocaster Controller, which features 10 frets, a whammy bar, and an effects switch
The drum controller, which features 4 pads, a bass drum pedal, and real drumsticks
Rock Band is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero series, the main Rock Band games has players use game controllers modeled after musical instruments and microphones to perform the lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, drums and vocal parts of numerous licensed songs across a wide range of genres though mostly focusing on rock music by matching scrolling musical notes patterns shown on screen. Certain games support the use of "Pro" instruments that require special controllers that more closely mimic the playing of real instruments, providing a higher challenge to players. Players score points for hitting notes successfully, but may fail a song if they miss too many notes. The series has featured numerous game modes, and supports both local and online multiplayer modes where up to four players in most modes can perform together.
The Beatles Rock Band complete set of controllers.
Lego Rock Band features Lego-style avatars with full customization along with a family-friendly soundtrack.
The Fender Stratocaster Controller, which features 10 frets, a whammy bar, and an effects switch. The first generation model is pictured.
The first generation Rock Band drum controller, featuring four pads and a bass pedal.