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POSTED 17/2/10


BAND HERO

Activision
PS3 (also on Xbox 360, Wii, DS)

Yet another Hero game? Dang!

So, what’s different about Band Hero? Well, they could have called it Family Hero or, if you’re more jaded, Tweenie Hero. Eschewing the big ol’ scary rock pigs that inhabit the likes of Guitar Hero 5, BH presents a friendlier, more capital P-O-P experience – and there’s nothing wrong with that.

So, what’s in store amongst the 65 songs? A grab bag of hits dating back to the ’60s, including The Jackson 5, Bowie, Village People (hell yeah!), Duran Duran and Devo for older players, plus the likes of Maroon 5, No Doubt, Evanescence and the inexplicably popular country twangette Taylor Swift. One of three included songs by the latter, complete with a ‘Swiftbot’ graphical representation of her, even includes references to pickup trucks. Won’t somebody think of the children?!

So, is pop, is mostly good, however there’s a big ‘C’ word we must mention. If you’re thinking a four-letter one then wash your brain out with soap, for it is ‘censorship’. In the sanitised Band Hero world, guns don’t exist, so any references in songs result in a gap. Blank. Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’ even has ‘whiskey’ zapped – WTF?! The appalling-in-every-way-and-then-some Hinder’s ‘Lips of an Angel’ is here, so we can only assume alcohol = bad, philandering = good. Oh, and if you’re gonna include a Stones song, ‘Honky Tonk Women’, an ode to prostitutes, probably isn’t the brightest choice…

We abhor the censorship, but the game’s otherwise fun, utilising the GH5 engine – there’s nary a difference save for an abundance of pinkness. Let’s POP!

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ALL WRITTEN CONTENT COPYRIGHT © AMY FLOWER 2008-2018. GAME IMAGES COURTESY OF RESPECTIVE GAMES COMPANIES.