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Despite instrument issues and the $170 price tag, Rock Band is selling very well, as is Guitar Hero according to the following USA Today story. I’m not surprised, these games are a lot of fun.

Guitar Hero III has sold about $300 million since its release and could generate $600 million by year’s end, says Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter. In comparison, the year’s top movie, Spider-Man 3, grossed about $337 million, and the top concert tour, the Police reunion, $212 million. Past Guitar Hero games, still selling well, may account for $300 million more. And Rock Band will likely sell about $200 million worth.

If you like music and Karaoke (in the case of Rock Band), you will be in heaven. Spike gave Bioshock the nod for 2007 game of the year, but I think it should have gone to Rock Band. Yes, despite the cheaply made controllers. Spike did award the studio who made Rock Band Harmonix the Best studio and named Rock Band the Best Rhythm Game and Best Soundtrack, but that wasn’t enough to best Bioshock.

I enjoyed Bioshock but the game was too short and it would have been better if it offered a greater ability to interact with the environment, especially the outside water scenes.

What should make up a Game of the Year?
As someone who has followed videogames for most of my life and bought many of the game systems over history (some of them, like the Xbox 360, multiple times), I have my own opinion on what should make up the Game of the Year. Here is the criteria that I use:

1. Game replay factor is high. Just try to beat every instrument on solo Rock Band on ‘expert’ setting, heck try it on ‘Hard’. With over 60 songs you can’t do it, even if you have the skills, in a single day. And once you get together with your friends you have the band World Tour mode to beat as well. We’ve been playing for 3+ weeks and still haven’t gotten every mode beaten.
2. Must be challenging, but not impossible. Along with replay the game has to give you some scintilla of hope that you can beat it someday. Or in the case of games like Robotron 2084 that you can get into a groove and beat your prior best score. With practice, as with real musical instruments, you can improve skill and eventually learn how to play songs skillfully. Must admit though as someone who also plays guitar I find playing some songs easier to play than playing the Rock Band versions.
3. Must offer something fresh or innovative either in a new genre or a twist on an existing genre. While Nintendo had already offered the Kongo Bongos, Guitar Hero had brought the guitar and the PS2 with Singstar offered Karaoke, Rock Band was the first to offer somewhat authentic drums controls, guitar and vocals all in one game. Play as a band, we’ve never been able to do that before.
4. Above all else it must be fun. Games are supposed to be fun, not work.

Notice I didn’t mention graphics or sound above. Graphics has been an area that too much reliance has been put on over the last 10 years. Some of the most beautiful games aren’t fun to play or offer limited game replay. Bioshock was a blast to play but it’s not a title I want to replay.

I can get into a game with very simplistic graphics and sounds if it is fun to play. I’d put sounds/music as more important than graphics in a game, so beeps and blips probably won’t help a game get to the top these days, but there is charm to the 8-bit gaming days that can’t be denied.

Would you add to my list of what makes a game of the year? Agree? Disagree?

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