Obviously you get a USB microphone, which does exactly what you’d expect it to. Some of the singing requires SingStar-style pitch perfection, whilst other parts simply expect you to say the right words at the right time (might sound easy, but wait until you’re expected to perform a French rap).  Also included is the rather epic set-up for the drum kit, which once assembled is quite the joy to behold. Getting to grips with drumming feels tricky at first, particularly in terms of using the foot petal to activate the kick drum, but persistence is well rewarded; unlike the other instruments, learning to drum in Rock Band really does feel like you’re halfway towards learning an actual skill. Oh, and it’s just as much fun as you’d expect, and on harder difficulties just as exhausting (I’m unable to get further than halfway through Blitzkrieg Bop on Hard without my entire body feeling like it’s about to crumple).

Just as you’d hope drumming also relies on a much sharper sense of rhythm; in an opposite sense to playing the guitar parts it’s much easier to keep yourself ‘in the zone’ once you’ve nailed it, but in the same way when you manage to slip out of this groove it’s much more difficult to get back into it again. Memorization still plays a helping hand when drumming, but continued success is often much more reliant on getting a really good feel for the song. It’s when you finally nail this feel that Rock Band suddenly sparks to life. Personally my first Eureka moment was during a run-through of ‘The Hand That Feeds’ by Nine Inch Nails, looking around the room to see my fellow band members rocking around the room as I flawlessly hammered out the drum beats for the final stretch of the song. Rock Band is a perfectly good game to play alone, but it’s these moments that truly make it the phenomenon it is. Four friends hitting the last notes in tandem before turning to smile at each other, with a childish glint in our eye that simply screamed: “F**k yeah!”

When playing alone you’re able to clear sets of songs one at a time in the traditional Guitar Hero manner, or take the time to practice any section of any song you’re struggling with; slowing the speed right down before building it up again until you get to the stage where you feel comfortable. For solo play it’s an enjoyable experience, but as mentioned earlier it’s when playing with friends that the game really starts to live up to its name. Choose a band name; design your character (with fashion customization through the roof); get on the road for a world tour. Kicking off with individual songs and small setlists, you gradually accumulate fans, cash, staff, and flashy modes of transportation to open up the ability to play at more venues across the globe (A particular highlight of my rise to fame was the first time I saw my band’s name emblazoned across the top of a billboard: ‘KITKAT FRENZY’).

Before long the tour mode often expects you to play 4 to 6 songs in a row, and in some cases being even further upwards. Whilst these larger lists seem like a chore at first, but it’s playing these which really brings the ‘band’ element into play. Your drummer struggles on the third song, so it’s up to everyone else to reserve some star power in case they hit rock bottom and need to be brought back to life; you get stuck on a seemingly impossible section of the last song of a six song set, and have to strengthen each other’s morale in order to forge ahead once more; an excellent riff kicks in just when the whole band are beginning to tire, and suddenly everyone gets a second wind as they throw themselves back into the beat once again with more energy than ever.

Rock band tires to break you, but you’re in it together. When you’ve got room full of friends playing a great tune perfectly you can really feel a certain tangible buzz in the air. The proof of this can usually be seen in the singer; after the first initial embarrassment it’s incredibly easy to lose the inhibitions you’d expect to have as you see those around you getting equally involved in the melodies you’re collaborating on.