As children we think that we have it made when it comes to video games.  The reality is as adults it is so much better!  We get to pick not only the console we want all by ourselves, but also the games (and we can even play the ones that are rated for adults only)!  Personally we went with the Wii system because it is the most child friendly console that we could find and it also allowed for a lot of games that required movement instead of just playing with the controllers.  Hands down the best single or multiplayer Nintendo video game we have come across is the Guitar Hero World Tour. 

Notice that I specifically bring up the World Tour Edition.  That is because there are actually several versions of Guitar Hero/Rockband.  The World Tour version addressed many issues that the previous versions had glitches with.  Availability to continue to gather star power while you are in overdrive for one.  Master recordings by the original artists for another.  The guitar is cooler, and has an overdrive button as an option to kick you into overdrive.  And star power is used in increments individually instead of all at once by everyone, just to name a few.

There are options allowing you to play lead, rhythm, or bass guitar, as well as singing and an awesome drum set (another upgrade from the previous versions).  The different colors on the guitar handle are used as chords while you strum the controller set in the guitar.  The drums have 3 primary and the snares where Rockband only had 4 that were even, no lift for the snare.  Vocals are done the same as previous versions allowing you to sing the lyrics into a microphone like karaoke.  The difference from karaoke is the fact that it is checking your singing for pitch and tenor on screen, making it much more fun!

The World Tour version offers 86 songs with the game and another 80+ are available for download online.  You can network with others online as well if you are home alone but want to play with someone else.  There is a huge variety of songs from the 1960’s to current favorites.  Songs including but not limited to Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Jackson, and Tool.

Being an adult does have it’s disadvantages of course…  We know more about how bad the economy is, and that Knight Rider’s Kitt will never be our car, driving out of the back of an 18 wheeler going 60+ down the highway just won’t happen for us, BUT we can pick our own games and even get the cheats if we want to open everything at once. 

We also may know we will never hold a real Fender Guitar strapped over our shoulder in front of thousands, BUT we can get together with our friends, mount our TV on the wall, light up our Wii’s and have a blast belting out the songs that have impacted us all at some point in time.