Hard up musicians

Congrats everyone who just threw £140 at Rock Band for Xbox 360, you've just about made it as support act. The main attraction, hits the stage in September; three short months away. Rock Band 2 promises new instruments alongside better guitars, better drums, more music and, well, more, more, more...

Would you have rushed out on 23 May to buy Rock Band for your Xbox 360 had you seen this coming? Sure, Rock Band is a fun idea but it's pricey too. Looking at the innards of your £99.99 (most places) Band in a Box: Instruments Edition strewn on the living room floor, doesn't it bug you that in 10 weeks or so this lot will be old hat?

We don't want to sound like your parents, banging on about stuff being built to last. You're going to be bored of Rock Star in a year anyway; we suspected and maybe enjoyed the idea that Rock Band could be a fad. But four months and that's it? Makes you nervous to buy into the next one doesn't it.

We rather think MTV Games and EA are pushing this image of the wannabe Rock Band to the limits here, including a manager that fleeces you for a percentage in return for your dreams and the need for a mini-van to transport all your gear to a friend's for rehearsal! With the advent of Rock Band 2, we now have pawning in your old instruments for the axe and skins you need to give your act the edge.

We could question why all this madness is happening exclusively on Xbox 360 when the market seems to be swinging toward Wii and PlayStation 3. Are we to assume that the Xbox 360 gamers are that gullible? This is a subject for another discussion. Meantime, tell us how you're feeling right now about all this.