Rock Band, Oh So Fun!

Okay, so I caved. I bought Rock Band (Xbox360) with the gift card that my brother gave us for Christmas!

Rock Band is a music video game very much similar to Guitar Hero (both developed by Harmonix) where players uses a guitar controller to simulate playing music by hitting notes in the scrolling music map on the screen. The first entry of the Guitar Hero series was released in the late 2005. Rhythm game was a genre that never attracted me. We own couple of Nintendo rhythm games (microphone and dance mat to play with) for Jackie. Since this type of game was not of interest to me, I was even unaware that people were gaga about Guitar Hero. Only when the third installment of the series was released that I have become aware of how fun this game is. Kudos to my husband for giving me (GH3) Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (released mid 2007) for Christmas - the best present! I had no idea that the game is so much fun, and very addictive. If there are stuff that needs to get done that day, I have to not play because I get lost in it and the entire day is gone - once I start I cannot stop.

Rock Band was released in November 2007. I became familiar of its existence several weeks ago because of American Idol (I am a fan of the show!). Jackie seem to have some interest in singing and I have been thinking about what to get with our gift card. I remember my co-worker mentioning in the past about the American Idol game (a karaoke game) he owned, and how much fun it is. I started doing some research on it and found out that American Idol Encore for Wii is scheduled for release on February 5th. I was reading reviews on the past installments of the game when I ran across Rock Band. All of a sudden my research got diverted to researching Rock Band - LOL. And then, it was finally decided - have to get Rock Band for sure :) Again, if not for GH3 I would not have been interested in reading about it. Thank you Don, I love you!

No regrets in getting Rock Band (RB)- it's a definite hit with me and Jackie. I have to encourage my husband to play more with us :) Before Rock Band we have to take turns playing Guitar Hero because we only have one guitar controller. Jackie has trouble with the game because of her tiny fingers. The frets are hard for her to reach and press. I felt guilty (and selfish) playing the game because she could not play with me (but she loves to watch and laugh at me when I miss notes and fail the entire song - ha ha). Though, I could tell that she really wants to play, but discouraged because of her physical limitations. With Rock Band I can play with her! This is where RB comes ahead of GH3. With RB you can play as a band - guitar, drums, and vocals. The game bundle (Rock Band Special Edition) came with a guitar, drum set, and microphone. At this time you cannot buy the accessories separately so you have to buy the bundle if you want to play band. You can use GH guitar (Xbox360 not PS3) with RB game, but not the other way around.

Here is a video of my 5 year old playing drums

EA may have rushed the release of the game because since launch there were so much problems being reported with regards to the hardware. Though I bought mine this January (box dated December), the hardware version is (my guess) the same as the ones sold at launch. The blue fret (upper set) is not working on my guitar and I requested warranty replacement. We are able to continue to use the guitar because the second (lower) set of frets are working. I hope that the replacement guitar works properly. I have heard that there are people who have the same problem with their replacement guitars.

Happy New Year!

It's 2008! Where did 2007 go? I can't believe that I had not posted here for the entire year of 2007. Main reason to only maintain one blog site instead of 2, 3 or more.

Wii Update:
After numerous attempts, very early morning waking hours, cold and long waits in line, I was able to get a Wii couple of days after Christmas in 2006. It was accidental. My co-worker and I decided to spend our lunch break hunting for the hard-to-find gaming system. We meant to check Best Buy, but because I made the wrong turn we ended up at Target. When we got there we saw a guy sprinting towards the electronics department. Somehow we both figured that he might be going for the same thing we were. At the electronics department there was a short line formed which we joined in. My co-worker and I were able to secure one for each of us, and the sales lady even allowed me to buy an additional system for a friend. All the trouble trying to get the system was all worth it. It really is a fun gaming system - there is nothing like it! Even none-gamers would enjoy it very much. If you don't have one, go get one :)

Technical Frustration Update:
After fighting the Dell laptop to capture my many many MiniDV videos I ended up using my Asus laptop. I completed 80% of the project in 2006 and made no progress for the entire 2007. What can I say? I am a procrastinator :)

2007 Recap:
Beginning of July I started work for a new company. May and June went by in a flash. I spent those couple of months migrating data, purchasing equipment, building and setting up new systems, and sitting in numerous boring meetings. The company that I now work for was owned by my previous employer which was purchased by another (a multi-billion dollar) company. Part of the agreement was to assist in splitting the two companies. Since all of the IT services were provided by the parent company new systems had to be purchased and setup. The system build had to be completed by first week of July. Then in August we had to move to a new building. Couple of weeks prior to moving we had to setup the entire network infrastructure. The move was a success. Day one at the new office all the employees had their phones, their computers, and had network and Internet connectivity!

Also in July we went to N. Myrtle Beach, S.C. for a week vacation. There, my daughter celebrated her 5th birthday. It was our first time in N. Myrtle Beach and we had a wonderful time. We loved it so much that we want to make a yearly trip there. I thank my college best friend, Mailah, for the idea. The condo we stayed at was a beach-front property and we loved the convenience of being able to just walk down the beach.

In November we adopted a kitty from the shelter. Our 5 year old daughter had been asking for one. But because of my allergy, my husband was opposed to having a cat in the house. A letter written by our daughter that said: "From Jackie Fox. I want a cat!" was all it took. My husband found this very sweet 9 month old male kitten from the county shelter. His name was "Chance" and our daughter wanted to keep his name. He is a medium-haired Tuxedo with a milk mustache. I had an allergy attack on the night that Chance came home. Since then I have not had any symptoms! We all love the new member of our family. He is mischievous and very sweet cat!

Christmas Present:
One of the presents I received from my husband was Guitar Hero III for Xbox 360. It is such a fun addictive game. The "Easy" level I completed in few hours of game play. The "Medium" level is another story. The more I played the better I am at it - it is all about practice :) Though some of us are just plainly gifted as this 9 year old kid who beat the hardest (Expert) level will demonstrate. Amazing! is all I can say. Can you do it? I wish I am as good as this kid!

New Year's Resolution:
I have not thought about it until just now. As in the past, I am not optimistic about sticking with it. But, I will definitely TRY this year. Maybe having a written Resolutions will help me stay on track. My main goal for this year is to get back in shape. I also would like to add reading and keeping up with my blog on the list. Basically, it is all about laziness. So my New Years resolution this year is to not be lazy. The reason I am out of shape is I am too lazy to exercise, lazy to think about eating healthy, and lazy about reading and writing.