Hasbro Family Game Night is a worthy contender to the Christmas family get-together package. It’s fun, kid safe and worth a spin. Just watch out for some frustrating underlay and design.

One of the advantages that Rock Band has over Guitar Hero: World Tour is its ever-expanding array of fantastic downloadable songs.

As Screen Play has discovered, it's easy to get carried away and give your credit card a hammering.

Today Darryn, a 23-year-old IT specialist from Melbourne who has barely played anything else but rhythm-action games for the last nine months, provides handy tips for those who are about to rock.

And if anyone has spotted Rock Band bundles cheaply at any retailers this Christmas, please let us know where newcomers can grab a bargain.

Rock Out! - DLC tips for beginners

(Part 1 of 3)

First of all, If you have gone out and purchased Rock Band in the last week or so... I welcome you to the fold (cult!)

To those who waited for the Australian release (poor you, but it was worth it... right?) I thought I would put together a quick summary of the downloadable content (DLC) I have enjoyed so far, since purchasing the game myself some 9-10 months ago.

Of the greater than 300 extra songs Harmonix has made available to date, I have purchased a solid 120. So I feel that provides me some basis for insight.

As a preface, I think it's important to mention that I derive most of my joy from Rock Band as the lead guitarist, these days there's little I can't pass on expert difficulty, but when those challenges come along I thrive on the experience!

I am also the primary vocalist of my little rock group of regulars (sometimes simultaneously with the guitar). I'm certainly not setting the world ablaze with my voice, but I do well enough with most songs on Hard difficulty.

If you aren't familiar with Harmonix's model for DLC pricing, a quick summarization of what they generally provide:

- Full Albums - Usually 8+ tracks (R.H.C.P was 18!). Prices vary.
- 3 Song Pack - Ordered by artist, genre or promotion. (Actually, it has become somewhat of a mess).
- Single Tracks - Self explanatory.

This model will also provide the basis for which I will present my views, in 3 pieces. First up, the following covers the track packs I have enjoyed in their entirety (all 3+ songs). I will then move into individual tracks, which I will arrange out by genre so you can focus solely on those that interest you, before finishing with a piece about the full album content.

The selections I have made are based on two simple concepts, the "Drinks Friendly" tracks (which your mates probably won't fail you) and the "You Must Be Sober" tracks (where drinking probably isn't the best idea).

So before I lose your attention (already), let's begin.

Track Packs:

The first I'd like to mention is actually a 6-song pack, from legendary rockers Boston. I'm sure the first song that comes to mind is "More Than A Feeling", and maybe you like it, maybe you don't... I think it's a great song. But it's not a good indicator for the other awesomeness contained within this pack, especially for would be guitar masters.

"Smokin" is amazingly happening for those who can handle hammer-on's and pull-off's on a large scale, at times it brings on sheer terror and forces the calm guitarist within to wham wildly on the keys. "Rock And Roll Band" and "Peace of Mind" are also great fun on guitar (while being much more tame), and a great challenge for the vocalist.

Of course "More Than A Feeling" is a classic, guitar is pretty much the same as what you might have found in the original Guitar Hero .... That is spot on!

Moving on, the next finger punisher worth a mention for aspiring guitarists is the Disturbed pack, it is a sheer brutality pack. All 3 are genuinely challenging songs, and should leave you with a great sense of accomplishment if you manage to pull yourself through. Again, this is due to the healthy use of hammer-ons in the tracks.

A warning to the vocalists though: if you aren't a Disturbed fan you will probably be frustrated with the lyrical styling of the act.

Swimming into safer waters, the next pack I'd like to advise is "The Offspring". What you have here is 3 songs that would be recognisable to just about anyone in their mid teens to mid thirties. Combined with interesting, but still fairly tame guitar, drums & bass and you have a big party hit.

"Self-Esteem" provides an interesting challenge to the guitarist as it diligently changes up the tempo from a pace your most likely comfortable, to some really fast stuff that will have you grabbing the strum to keep up. The theme across this pack is definitely the double fret changes with mixed tempo, these types of tracks are some of my favourite as it won't take much to learn, but a great deal of concentration to master.

The drums in all 3 tracks remains exciting through shifting of the bass note in bars, you will need to stay sharp to notice the changes in pattern.

Of course what can you say about the lyrics, even if you aren't the biggest Offspring fan, the group's pop culture presence in the last decade should prove enough to have you catch on when the lyrics start scrolling in.

And last but not least, English melon collie rockers Oasis have a 3 pack. Of course, they also have a song that probably pops to mind immediately after digesting the name... and yes, Wonderwall is here.

Wonderwall is one of the most fulfilling songs as lead guitarist (and I'm sure any vocalist will get some kick out of it), as the track most resembles the "real" artist in action, that means a lot of chord changes and strum plucking. You will need very quick fingers to switch between those double and triple fret notes, and even if you master that... you still have the hammer-on's to contend with!

Don't Look Back In Anger, I feel, is a brilliant song. Amongst our virtual rock group, the track gets a lot of attention because it's just so damn "feel good". There's nothing here particularly challenging for the instruments, but you will have time to laugh and perhaps even point at your vocalist as he or she struggles (ok, maybe it's not so bad for girls) with the high pitched notes.

Live Forever is much the same, nothing particularly special, but endearing enough to get a decent amount of attention from our individual selections.

In closing (part 1 anyway), while Harmonix has delivered a fair number of track packs thus far, in my honest opinion not many provide 3 solid tracks to justify not otherwise purchasing separately. For the packs where I have perhaps picked up 1 or 2 of 3, these songs may find their way into my singles content wrap up.

Rock Out.

- Darryn

Screen Play readers can submit articles or ideas for consideration in Your Turn using the email address screenplayblog@gmail.com. The best blog post published on Screen Play between December 1, 2008 and January 30, 2009 as judged by Jason Hill will win a PlayStation 3 console from Sony Computer Entertainment worth $699. The next Your Turn prize winner will be announced on January 30. Only Australian residents are eligible and the judge's decision is final.

There are no buttons on the iPhone*. That should stop most console-style games from working on the device, despite power comparable to the PSP.

That didn’t stop Gameloft from bringing the “Brothers in Arms” series to Apple’s handheld, however, and I have good news to report: it actually works.

I booted “Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes” with low expectations. The game promised dual analog controls on a device with no analog sticks.

No way, I said! Yet, it works. Here’s how:

*When we say iPhone, we also mean iPod Touch, unless noted.

The iPhone “Brothers in Arms” moves the perspective to third person, a viewpoint found in the console “Brothers in Arms” when you line up against cover. The aiming has been simplified — you need only hover the reticule somewhat near an enemy and auto-aim takes cares of the rest — but character movement has been kept intact.

Because the iPhone’s screen is multi-touch, Gameloft has included a way to move and aim at the same time. With one finger, you look around the environment. Movement is a little trickier. In the bottom-left-hand side, there’s a small circle simulating an analog stick. By moving your thumb ever so slightly, it’s possible to run ‘n gun, thanks to the game’s auto-aim. By all expectations, it shouldn’t work.

But it does, and it works extremely well. By the end of the tutorial, I was zipping around the war zone without trouble. Despite Gameloft’s inventive use of the touch screen, however, they can’t get around the downsides that come with it. You will constantly be blocking what’s in front of you with your finger. Once you become accustomed to the auto-aim, it’s not such a big deal.

It’s ambitious that Gameloft attempted to re-create the authentic “Brothers in Arms” on the iPhone with as few compromises as possible. While not a perfect port, many of the hiccups seem rooted in the limitations of the device to support this style of play. For what it is, though, “Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes” is a step in the right direction for big, bold 3D games on the iPhone.

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• Midway may be in for fatality: stocks fall 40
  

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