Sneak Peek: 'Band Hero' Tunes Up

'Guitar Hero' sequel promises a battle of the 'Bands' for Fall

The momentum behind the music-themed gaming category gets an added kick this fall with Activision's planned launch for "Band Hero," building on the formidable success of "Guitar Hero." MSN Entertainment offers the first peek at the new title with the unveiling of the publisher's first teaser trailer.

"Band Hero" will enable multiple players to create their own "dream bands" using any combination of guitar and drum controllers with vocals to tackle any of more than 65 major chart hits from stars including No Doubt, Maroon 5, Fall Out Boy, Taylor Swift, Lily Allen, the All-American Rejects, the Jackson 5, Snow Patrol and other mainstream acts. The November release will offer versions of the title for Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation PS3/PS3 and NDS platforms.

Activision is touting the flexibility and ease of use for the system via its "Party Play" mode, enabling players to join the game, drop out or switch personal options at any point in the game, without interrupting the action. The game also allows a range of options from solo play to any desired combination of multiple vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers.

"RockFest" mode lets players select from different levels of difficulty for up to four players locally and eight players online. A variety of points awards and penalty options are designed to provide additional variety to game play, and players can also expand their gaming options by accessing downloadable content from "Guitar Hero World Tour." "Band Hero" also supplies a classic karaoke mode that can allow up to four players to warble along with their favorite tracks from the set list.