Joystiq [PlayStation]

Face it, you secretly wish you were a rock star. The girls, glamor and glitz are too much to pass up for strummin' on some chords. That's why Harmonix's Guitar Hero is so addictive. Sure, you're playing with a mass-produced plastic replica of a guitar not unlike a toy axe, but it's fun!

Wouldn't it be even better online? Publisher RedOctane's boss Kai Huang says that next-gen installments will include online stuff like "downloading new music or characters or skins or online play features." The last part sounds the best: rocking it out online against your best friend would be priceless. Of course we can only infer what else "online play features" would entail.

The allure of being able to download additional content like music begs the question: Would they charge for it? Micro-transactions could be a huge haul for a next-gen music-oriented title. We'll have to wait and see how that gets answered, but in the meantime try and imagine other "Hero" themed music titles for your imitation fix (Bagpipe Hero anyone?). More instrument peripheral games is the next logical step according to the publisher.