In my all-too-long and all-too-expansive gaming career, there have only been a few times when a game registered on my radar and attracted my interest, despite being in a genre or gameplay mode that previously held no interest for me. I for years avoided the "extreme sports" games, because I couldn't care less about skateboarding or BMX stunts or motocross...but then there was SSX. Rhythm games were until very recently in the same category. All the DDRs and Amplitudes and Frequencys in the world had done little to tempt me. I'm a 30-something white dude with no musical talent, for cryin' out loud. Rhythm games are, by design, my kryptonite. Then, someone talked me into trying out Guitar Hero. Air guitar, but it keeps score? With crazy pyrotechnics and screaming fans and tour buses and actual songs I like? Sold. And despite having no rhythm and being (I suspect) tone deaf, I played the hell out of GH2 and GH3, and I do pretty well in both.

Thus it was that when Harmonix split from their peripheral partners Red Octane to announce Rock Band, I was doomed. The game promised all the goodness of Guitar Hero, but with a full four-piece rock ensemble and a steady stream of content, thanks to their partnership with MTV. Add in a selection committee for new tracks headed up by Little Steven, and release day could not get here fast enough. Months dragged by with leaked track lists, rumors about future downloads, and agonizingly brief video clips of games press folks getting to check the early builds out. Despite this, I waited too long on preordering a copy, and was informed two weeks before release that the store would not accept my preorder. Rumors swirled in the blogosphere about incredibly limited supply, holiday shortages, back orders for months...I began to fear the worst. A few friends had secured their orders, however, so I consoled myself with the knowledge I could still at least try the game out before the spring thaw.

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