Rock Band 2

Jimi Hendrix's seminal second album is coming to Rock Band and Rock Band 2 as DLC. But being less commercial than Are You Experienced?, less solo-heavy than Band of Gypsys and less experimental than Electric Ladyland, the album is perhaps an unlikely first choice for the game. But closer inspection reveals plenty of scope for awesome plastic guitar gameplay. So we've rated each track as to how it'll fit the game.

When it comes to heavy metal, one of the pioneering “rock gods” is Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford. These days, he has his own clothing line and is helping new generations find music through games like Activision’s Guitar Hero and MTV Games’ Rock Band. Halford also starred in his first videogame last year, playing General Lionwhyte and The Baron in Tim Schafer’s Brutal Legend.

Unless you’re an eagle-eyed bargain hunter, the price of videogames can put a serious dent in your finances. Here in the US, $60 a pop means the game in question needs to offer hours of content to offset the steadily increasing cost.

Just because a game gets rated 'Mature' doesn't mean it's going to be grown up and serious and any better than something deemed suitable for younger gamers. However, chances are it is probably going to be more fun, simply because it'll have more violence, more sexy, more swearing, more alcohol. And all of those things, as any responsible adult will tell you, are the main ingredients for a good time. In our opinion, the following games could

The secrets of their success in their own words.

Mad Catz’s spokesperson Alex Verrey is a volcanic mountain of a man, a giant, hyperkinetic Englishman who spews forth not lava but PR jargon. Seriously – the guy speaks in bullet points. However, Mad Catz backs up Alex’s advertalking bravado with truly next-level products. If you’re into Street Fighter IV (and really, what true gamer isn’t?), Tom Clancy’s HAWX, or Rock Band 2, you’re going to want to check out these videos

We the proud musicians who don’t actually play a real instrument, yet still demand the ability to rock the hell out are in for a real treat thanks to our buddies at Mad Catz. Rock Band’s guitar buttons too click-clackity? Guitar Hero’s strum bar too squeaky? Screw ‘em. Mad Catz has the solution to your fake guitar woes and we’re giving you a chance to win a Fender Precision Bass Guitar and three sister

Last year we compared upstart Rock Band against Guitar Hero III to see which shredded harder, and more importantly, which one shredded properly. Difficulty is one thing, proper note allocation is another, no?

Ladies and gentlemen, we present the runts and rejects of the forces of darkness, the first line of defense for evil. They're kind of a joke. Nonetheless, they stand tall and straight, inches above knee level, and they bop, hop and wiggle towards any nearby heroes.

Rock Band can make anyone feel like a rock star, but feeling and being are separated by millions of dollars, obsessed fans, and a voice that anyone actually wants to hear ever. For each “Rock Band EXPERT 5 StArS!!!  OMG!” video you find on YouTube, you can find another song mangling performance so atrocious that it would make Simon Cowell's man breasts explode with snideness.

Some think they can actually