Holiday Gift Guide for Music and Rhythm Gamers

As a rhythm game fanatic, I thought I’d share my expertise within the genre (though my first loves are FPSs and RPGs) for those who are searching for the perfect gift for music game mavens such as myself. In this Holiday Gift Guide for the Musically Inclined, you’ll find a sampling of some of the best ideas for that rhythm gamer dear to your heart this holiday season. Get your credit cards ready and make sure you’re in tune, because I’m parading out a symphony of the best of the best, from this year and years past!

The Beatles: Rock Band

Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that LEGO Rock Band is a better choice for the children on your list who enjoy rocking out. LEGO Rock Band is riddled with obscure songs that likely will not hold your kids’ attention (save for the occasional gems like “Ghostbusters” and “Ride a White Horse”),whereas The Beatles’ music is forever. Relive some of the biggest moments in their career with The Beatles: Rock Band, chock full of classics that children owe it to themselves to be exposed to rather than passable pop and “artsy” indie music. Do a good deed and introduce the young ones in your life to The Beatles, or surprise a Beatles fan with one of the greatest musical journeys to have hit shelves this year. With downloadable albums such as Sgt. Pepper’s Longely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, and Rubber Soul already available and more on the way, it’s sure to please.

Um Jammer Lammy (PSN)

Grab a PlayStation Network card for that special person on your gift list and treat them to one of the greatest rhythm games this side of Parappa the Rapper. Um Jammer Lammy went on my Christmas list the instant I discovered its existence so many years ago. Lammy used the same premise as PaRappa the Rapper, but you wailed on a guitar rather than relying on your rapping chops to pass through stages. Rodney Alan Greenblat lent his magical touch to the games, giving them a “paper-thin” look, as they were 2-D silhouettes. Who could forget lines like “Hold the hose real tight / And get ready for a real fight”? Or, “Now do you like munchies? / I wonder where lunch is?” I can’t. I went the extra mile and now Lammy is immortalized on my right arm as a tattoo, a testament to this game’s influence on me! Share this game with the musically-inclined dear to your heart or even those who loved Parappa the Rapper, as he’s included with his own playable stages and mash-ups to appeal to your inner rapper.

DJ Hero

DJ Hero could have ended up as a shameless Beatmania clone, but the result was a surprisingly challenging endeavor with a peripheral that worked extremely well. The idea behind DJ Hero is to provide gamers with the very same adrenaline rush that big-time DJs get when they’re buried in a crowd of people bumpin’ and grindin’ to the tunes they’re spinnin’. Though everything about DJ Hero is prerecorded, prerendered, and premade, the feeling as if you’re creating something new, raw, and inventive is absolutely astounding. Though it’s definitely a nightmare to master, the steep difficulty curve is ameliorated with some easy-to-understand maneuvers and tutorials. It wasn’t perfect, but it’s some good fun with a bangin’ soundtrack. If you’re staunchly opposed to buying yet another Guitar Hero or Rock Band (except for the superb Beatles edition), then gift-wrap this darling up for any aspiring DJs you may know.

Amplitude/FreQuency

Show the gamers in your life you’re up on music game history by introducing them to the roots of the Guitar Hero franchise — trust me, they’ll appreciate it. Before Guitar Hero and Rock Band, we had Amplitude and FreQuency for the PlayStation 2. Featuring the main premise of Guitar Hero, you had to “capture” notes by pressing corresponding buttons on the controller. However, unlike Guitar Hero, the object of each song was to conquer separate music tracks such as the vocals, the drums, the guitar, and several other aspects of each song. Capturing tracks perfectly and using multipliers combined to net you some astronomical scores. It didn’t require any peripherals and it chose a few songs that weren’t exactly mainstream, but they were good songs nonetheless. When you passed certain tracks you could even remix them to your liking. A visceral, colorful experience, this is where I would have liked to see Harmonix stay. However, it’s unlikely we’ll see any more of this kind since it doesn’t exactly cater to the “casual” gamer. Rare gems. Snap them up if you can find them for challenging music titles, though you might need to employ a shrinkwrap machine if you want to come out looking like you nabbed a sealed copy!

Guitar Hero 5

You might want to protest here. “But Molotov, it’s the same as all the rest of the Guitar Hero games!” As true as that may be, it’s overflowing with polish and flair in contrast to previous efforts. It may be on its way to catching up to Rock Band now, even though it’s without the massive song catalogue, but if you’re a Guitar Hero fan this latest effort is most certainly a gift worth giving. The ability to use your Xbox 360 avatar in-game is an interesting addition, as well as the ability to play with and as greats like Johnny Cash and Kurt Cobain. An impressive tracklist and improved choreography/gameplay go hand in hand to making Guitar Hero 5 perfect for slipping under the tree.

Hot Shot Splurge - A Trip to Japan

Okay, you really can’t giftwrap this, and it’s a bit more…expensive. So what? Don’t you want to show the gamer on your list that you care? If you do, a trip to Japan is most certainly in order, where he or she can experience some of the hottest music gaming known to man. Sure, we can import. There are even arcades scattered throughout the States here that you might want to visit. But journeying to the mecca of all things rhythm arcade will be a gift they’ll be eternally in your debt for. Think about it. Taiko Drum Master, jubeat, Guitar Freaks…that does it. I’m off there right now.

Happy shopping, and don’t forget to wrap up a little bit of gaming love in each and every one of your packages. Happy holidays, folks!