After the charity hypnosis show in Nantou we performed last weekend and the great music at PostSecret Takes Taiwan, we spent the evening and much of Sunday with friends in Taichung. My friend Brian had just bought an X-Box 360 along with a copy of the bundle for Guitar Hero II.

Well, my daughter Kaye really liked the game . . . as a gifted musician she basically kicked everyone’s butt twice and a half.

I did some searching a looking at versions online as we will likely buy her the game bundle when we get back from our US tour in February . . . and found lots of stuff on Rock Band by the folks at Harmonix which looks even more appropriate for her and her music social gaming needs . . . wow, that looks like tons of fun too.

Rock Band on Carson Daly

Rock Band Preview

Rock Band Trailer / Interview

Rock Band Gameplay

I haven’t played drums in years . . . I mean real drums and not the sort of drum games we’ve seen so far in video games so the Rock Band set looks very interesting to me.

Anyone know when/if this game will be hitting Asia? Really, I mean "when is it coming to Taiwan?" I do NOT want to get the US region version as we want to be able to play it on our un-modded Taiwan machine and go online so we can download the new packs and the like . . . but we don’t want to have to wait a million years to get it.

Of course, what I would really LOVE to see is a game with a keyboard peripheral so Kaye can really kick some serious butt (see http://www.kayephillips.com for her original piano compositions – yes, she is age thirteen). Personally, I’d like to see a music game that uses a horizontal scheme for note displays so that they are on a bar and are in proper music notation as they scroll past . . . a nice way for players to also learn proper music score reading instead of the now typical vertical system in place (you can still use the color keys in a horizontal display system).

The folks organizing Spring Scream really need to set up a Rock Band rock off in addition to the air guitar contest they had last year too. Speaking of Spring Scream, anyone know when they will be setting up for band/performer applications?

If anyone has a clue as to when Rock Band will hit Taiwan, drop a line.

All the best,
Brian