Top 5 Xbox 360 Music/Rhythm Games

Choosing the #1 music/rhythm game is pretty easy on Xbox 360. Rock Band 2 is, hands down, the best game in the genre in terms of value, longevity, and gameplay. It has a massive tracklist on its own, but you can also import the Rock Band 1 songs as well as songs from the upcoming LEGO Rock Band. Plus there are hundreds of additional songs available as DLC so you can build your ultimate tracklist. It plays great, has a ton of features and modes, and offers a wide enough variety in difficulty modes that players of all skill levels can enjoy it. If you only buy one music game, this should be it.

Rock Band definitely has a wide range of songs to choose from, but it is sort of lacking in two areas – real heavy metal (not fake pop-metal garbage) and challenge. Guitar Hero: Metallica is the answer to both of those problems. If you are a fan of Metallica or oldschool metal in general, this game has an amazingly great song list. Plus, these songs aren’t stuck on perpetual baby-mode difficulty. They have tons of notes and can be hard to play, but are as rewarding and enjoyable as any song you’ll ever play in a music/rhythm game.

The biggest rock band in the world also has one of the best music/rhythm games ever. It is hard not to like The Beatles, and no matter what genre of music you claim to prefer, The Beatles offer clean sounding, catchy, fun music that everyone will recognize and enjoy. With that said, the songs aren’t exactly complex, so gamers looking for more of a challenge should try one of the other games on this list. If, however, you’re looking for a game for the whole family to play together, with casual difficulty and songs that everyone will like, The Beatles: Rock Band is a perfect fit.

World Tour introduced some new gameplay mechanics to the series that have greatly enhanced the gameplay of all titles since then. Holding a sustained note while playing others, slider notes, open notes on bass, etc. all make the game a lot more interesting to play than it used to be. It also offers a decently strong song list with songs you won’t find anywhere else. It also has the best guitar controller on the market, so it is worth getting just for that.

Guitar Hero 5 is right up there with Beatles: Rock Band in terms of family friendliness. It offers a ton of difficulty modes, lets players all play the same instrument if they want (choose from bass, guitar, vocals, drums), and has more gameplay modes than any other title in the genre. There is a lot of stuff in this game that will appeal to players of all skill levels. It doesn’t have the strongest song list and, I have to admit, the gameplay feels kind of lifeless and too easy, but depending on your interest level and what you want to do with the game (like play with your family), GH5 is a solid pick up.