On this day in 2007, Harmonix, EA and MTV Games released a game called Rock Band.
This profile from Kotaku remembers how much it was than a “$170-box-of-plastic-instruments.” It felt like the first video game that you could play with friends that didn’t involve shooting things up. In fact, I remember instead of trivia or karaoke at bar nights, people were actually having “Rock Band” competitions.
The song list from the original reads like a playlist at 101WKQX. It had well-loved tunes from Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters and more. But it also introduced people to groups like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Coheed & Cambria, and The Hives. Green Day even got their own version of the game released in 2010.
So if it was so popular, what the hell happened? The craze only last a few years…and a reboot in 2015 seemed like it came too late. Call it too much of a good thing: with tons of specialized Rock Band releases and copycats from the makers of Guitar Hero, people just got sick of it.
At least we can remember it fondly today. — [eric]
