Bold New Suggestions for the Makers of "Rock Band"

A lot of people have trouble getting excited about the start of the school year, but thankfully, the coming of fall does have its good points. For anyone with a video game console and an extra hundred bucks, this particular September also has two other bright spots to look forward to.

On September 1, Guitar Hero 5 comes out, followed by The Beatles: Rock Band just a week later. Even with the hundreds of other music games out there, both these titles will sell millions of copies and dominate just about every party you go to this fall. But we think it's time to take the music game outside of its comfort zone. So, for the benefit of video game developers and fans everywhere, we offer the following suggestions:

Folk Band
Tune up your banjos and autoharps (banjo and autoharp controllers sold separately), because folk music is about to blow through your living room like a Dust Bowl storm!

Barbershop Hero

Do you have three friends who can sing? Barbershop Hero allows you to recreate the a cappella music of the 1940s. No instruments, but the game comes with a complete set of matching boater hats and striped vests!

Jazz Hero: John Coltrane
Previous Guitar Hero and Rock Band games have been all about following along with the instructions on your TV screen. Devoted to the father of “free jazz,” Jazz Hero: John Coltrane invites players to improvise in whatever way they like—no rules, no time limits, no possible way to keep score.

Conductor: New York Philharmonic Orchestra
In this game’s immersive story mode, play through an entire season as the conductor for the New York Philharmonic, including works by Dvorak, Strauss, and Beethoven!

Opera Hero
The same thing as Karaoke Revolution, but just basically impossible.

Are you picking up The Beatles: Rock Band? What about Opera Hero?