Rock Band 4

It's time to get the band back together. Both once-popular music franchises return for the first time since 2010, hoping to capitalize on that next-gen hardware you have sitting in your living room. Rock Band has the advantage of arriving first, though the Guitar Hero reboot will be available for more platforms. The new Rock Band will allow you to keep using all of those extra songs you purchased as DLC for past versions, and you can even use your older instruments if you still have them (though newer versions are also available). Gameplay is similar as well, though guitarists will have more freedom to solo, and there's an optional career-driven RPG element available (though the new game won't try to teach you how to play the guitar, as the previous version did). Of the two games, Guitar Hero appears the most changed. The new guitar controller has a more advanced button layout (with two rows of three buttons), and the on-screen presentation has been upgraded, with full-motion video that puts you on stage in what feels like a real concert. There's also a new feature called Guitar Hero TV, which is basically a delivery mechanism for scheduled content and new challenges. While Guitar Hero Live will include vocals, it lacks the bass and drum parts that are a staple of Rock Band, which could be a dealbreaker for some. Ultimately, however, the choice between the two games may come down to the songs: here are the tracks included with Rock Band 4 (and remember, all the old DLC is still available), and here's the list of songs for Guitar Hero Live, with new content added regularly (starting on day one) through Guitar Hero TV.