All music lovers know that a key element to the enjoyment of our favourite tracks is fantasy. Music has the ability to transport us to faraway places, allowing us to imagine ourselves in different lives or scenarios. If you're drawn to the escapist qualities that music provides, then you are likely already a fan of video games that incorporate the very best elements of the tracks and genres that we know and love.
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Some of the best video games allow us to step into the shoes of our favourite artists, or incorporate the most iconic soundtracks of our lives into an immersive gaming experience. If you're on the lookout for music-themed video games, here are seven of the very best that you need to be playing right now.
Guitar Hero: World Tour
There are many Guitar Hero tracks that deserve a mention for music-loving gamers, but World Tour is undoubtedly a cut above the rest. This best-selling game allows you to use the guitar, bass, drums, and microphone to step into the shoes of artists such as Black Sabbath, Blondie, Pat Benatar, The Foo Fighters, and System of a Down to recreate their most beloved tracks on your quest to world domination. The variety of music spans a breathtaking range of genres, ranging from class rock, heavy metal, emo, bubblegum pop, and folk. It doesn't get better than this.
Dance Dance Revolution
How many times have you passed away a rainy afternoon at the mall arcade by stepping onto the neon-lit dancefloor of a Dance Dance Revolution machine? This series arguably inspired a cultural revolution of its own, introducing a generation of people to some of the most iconic underground dance hits and J-pop anthems in history. Of course, this game is not for the faint of heart, and only the most nimble, quick-footed, and flexible stand a chance of making it to the final rounds.
Def Jam: Vendetta
When this game was first released in 2003, the music and game critics were quick to disparage it. Admittedly, the concept seems a little bit unhinged. Players can choose to play as a number of early noughties rap icons, including 50 Cent, Ludacris, DMX, and Ghostface Killah, before stepping into the wrestling ring and beating the living daylights out of your rap rivals. One thing that is certain is that the soundtrack to this game is flawless, making it a perfect title for fans of this golden age of hip-hop.
Music Ball Bingo
For those who prefer to use their brains while playing a game that serves as a tribute to a variety of musical styles, this popular online video bingo title by the Brazilian developer Ativo is one that cannot be missed. In Music Hall Bingo, players can play real-money online bingo at a variety of different difficulty settings. While doing so, they can also listen to a wide variety of musical genres, with different wins unlocking different sounds as you progress. This is a game for those who truly love music for music's sake.
Guitar Hero: World Tour
There are many Guitar Hero tracks that deserve a mention for music-loving gamers, but World Tour is undoubtedly a cut above the rest. This best-selling game allows you to use the guitar, bass, drums, and microphone to step into the shoes of artists such as Black Sabbath, Blondie, Pat Benatar, The Foo Fighters, and System of a Down to recreate their most beloved tracks on your quest to world domination. The variety of music spans a breathtaking range of genres, ranging from class rock, heavy metal, emo, bubblegum pop, and folk. It doesn't get better than this.
Dance Dance Revolution
How many times have you passed away a rainy afternoon at the mall arcade by stepping onto the neon-lit dancefloor of a Dance Dance Revolution machine? This series arguably inspired a cultural revolution of its own, introducing a generation of people to some of the most iconic underground dance hits and J-pop anthems in history. Of course, this game is not for the faint of heart, and only the most nimble, quick-footed, and flexible stand a chance of making it to the final rounds.
Def Jam: Vendetta
When this game was first released in 2003, the music and game critics were quick to disparage it. Admittedly, the concept seems a little bit unhinged. Players can choose to play as a number of early noughties rap icons, including 50 Cent, Ludacris, DMX, and Ghostface Killah, before stepping into the wrestling ring and beating the living daylights out of your rap rivals. One thing that is certain is that the soundtrack to this game is flawless, making it a perfect title for fans of this golden age of hip-hop.
Music Ball Bingo
For those who prefer to use their brains while playing a game that serves as a tribute to a variety of musical styles, this popular online video bingo title by the Brazilian developer Ativo is one that cannot be missed. In Music Hall Bingo, players can play real-money online bingo at a variety of different difficulty settings. While doing so, they can also listen to a wide variety of musical genres, with different wins unlocking different sounds as you progress. This is a game for those who truly love music for music's sake.
Source: Upsplash.
Tap Tap Revenge
This popular Guitar Hero-esque mobile game is synonymous with early iPhone gaming and remains one of the best-selling mobile titles of all time, with close to six million downloads before it was removed from the app store in 2014. The game requires quick fingers if you want to effortlessly perform iconic hits such as Daft Punk's Technologic and The Prodigy's Omen, as well as a genuine love for the wide range of tracks available.
Rocksmith
Rocksmith is an underrated console title that achieved what Guitar Hero never could; it actually taught its players how to play the guitar. Rather than using a five-button controller, this game requires you to actually plug your guitar into the console, from which point it uses a Guitar Hero style interface to actually teach you the chords of some of the most iconic rock songs in history. If you're a guitar novice yearning to be able to play the greatest hits of Judas Priest, Queen, and Fallout Boy, this game will show you exactly how.
These are the video games for music lovers that are simply unmissable. If you have any suggestions of your own, don't hesitate to let us know in the comments below.
This popular Guitar Hero-esque mobile game is synonymous with early iPhone gaming and remains one of the best-selling mobile titles of all time, with close to six million downloads before it was removed from the app store in 2014. The game requires quick fingers if you want to effortlessly perform iconic hits such as Daft Punk's Technologic and The Prodigy's Omen, as well as a genuine love for the wide range of tracks available.
Rocksmith
Rocksmith is an underrated console title that achieved what Guitar Hero never could; it actually taught its players how to play the guitar. Rather than using a five-button controller, this game requires you to actually plug your guitar into the console, from which point it uses a Guitar Hero style interface to actually teach you the chords of some of the most iconic rock songs in history. If you're a guitar novice yearning to be able to play the greatest hits of Judas Priest, Queen, and Fallout Boy, this game will show you exactly how.
These are the video games for music lovers that are simply unmissable. If you have any suggestions of your own, don't hesitate to let us know in the comments below.
