I figured I was immune to rhythm games after I sold off Guitar Hero 2. I reached a point in that game where the joy of rocking met the harsh reality of the difficulty curve and I realized in a flash of insight that I was done. I play so little anymore — even less these days now that Julia has The Cough That Time Cannot Dissipate and I’m in what I term “defensive mode” where all I want to do is sleep in the expectation that it will be an utterly miserable night — that when I do take the time to play I want to have fun. I don’t want drudgery, I don’t want to constantly bang my head against the brick wall of impossibility. I want simple enjoyment. So, once I hit the hard difficulty level in Guitar Hero 2 and started failing miserably I simply went on Craigslist and sold it.

I’d seen the runup in anticipation for the successor, Guitar Hero III and for the new kid on the block, Rock Band. I had witnessed from the virtual sidelines as the lined up across from each other with their own peculiar strengths and weaknesses, but I didn’t care. I was past that!

Until…

But then they get released and I start hearing rumblings:

“Rock Band is more approachable.”

“Rock Band + drums is almost pure, distilled joy.”

“Rock Band cures most transmittable diseases.”

So I caved. Early Christmas present for daddy. And it does indeed rock, and I haven’t even tried it with anyone else. Cat, of course, won’t touch it with a boat oar so that’s out of the question. I have some friends coming tonight and anticipation is high. The difficulty ramp is more approachable. I’m just on the cusp of hitting hard difficulty on the guitar — which is the first that actually uses all 5 frets — and I’m not dreading it. The drums on medium are doable for a total drum twit like me to approach, though whoever came up with “Green Grass & High Tides” and its 9 minutes worth of right-leg torture will roast long and slow in the deepest pits of hell. I’ve even done a couple of vocals on some Police songs and aced them… but I have the voice of a nightingale so this should shock no one.

Rock is meant to be rough

If only there weren’t rumbles of less than reliable hardware. The guitars have strummers that seemingly inevitably screw up and the “overdrive” doesn’t kick in consistently. The bass drum pedal snaps in half. The drum heads start not responding. People that can’t sing use the mics. I admit to being a bit worried about the longevity of the hardware, but it certainly hits the right balance to provide a simply astounding level of happy happy.

Is it time to rock yet?

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