As you all may know, Guitar Hero and Rock Band are a dominating factor in the music game industry and people seem to love those games. Time after time a new game gets released and they expect us to pay $60. I find that to be a bit ridiculous, and it really makes people turn away from buying them, especially newcomers who usually pay more than $150 for a new copy of the new game with the needed instruments of guitars, a drum, and a mic. It may seem hopeless, but it's not and I made this guide on how to get good deals on the music games, while getting the most out of your money. And note that some of these statements are based on my own personal opinion. So without further ado, enjoy!

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1: Browse through the different versions and see differences in quality

This is a rather easy one. All you have to do is to look up the specific music game you want on an informational website (I use Wikipedia, though it's not 100% accurate) and see the perks of each console version and pricing. My example would be Rock Band 2. The Wii version is $10 cheaper, yet it has all the features of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions. But one major difference is that the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 version has the ability to upload most of the setlist of the original Rock Band for only $5. If you have a PS3/Xbox 360 and a Wii, it is obvious that you would get more out of you money if you didn't buy the Wii version, because essentially you will have to only fork over $15 for over 40 songs. Now that is a deal.

The same can be said about Guitar Hero in terms of buying the Wii version. The Wii version and the other console versions are essentially the same, save for the graphics. And a warning is that just because the same game is made for a different platform doesn't mean you will be getting the same game. The Wii version of the original Rock Band was missing a World Tour Mode, character customization and DLC. Many unknowing people can fall for that and be left with half a game. Doing these steps will all help you see the pros and cons between the versions, and it will help you to get the best game for your liking.

2: Look at the setlist

Many people whine that The Beatles: Rock Band and Guitar Hero: Metallica had too few of songs in them and Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2 are better deals. That doesn't necessarily work. Honestly, can you really say that you love every last song in those games? I personally did not like the bonus songs in Guitar Hero III at all (which were quite a few) and about a few songs in the career mode, but I loved most of the songs in The Beatles: Rock Band. Buy a game that you are most comfortable with in terms of the setlist as well, not just solely the gameplay. I mean what good does a World Tour mode have if you really don't like any songs in the game. There's no point in playing a music game if you hate the music (the genre would kind of lose it's purpose there).

Another thing you should do is to check the DLC for the games (definitely if you own a Rock Band game). There are a variety of songs that range through many genres. Though the songs are great, they all cost $2 (they are a bit cheaper if you buy them off a pack), and since I am helping you to find the cheapest way to get a full music experience, this is not really advised.

3: Look at the older games in the series and just WAIT

This may sound weird, but have you looked at Best Buy on how much Guitar Hero or Guitar Hero II costs? Well you can buy them as a combo for under $50. Each game was $70 on the Playstation 2 with a guitar. Recently I went to my local GameStop and I saw many Gibson SG guitar controllers hanging there for less than $20, which to me is a great deal. Guitar Hero was a great game in 2006, and though it's showing it's age a bit it is still a very solid game, and a great deal in general.

Remember Rock Band 2? Remember how the full experience cost over $150 in August of 2008? Well in the holiday season of 2009, you can get the full kit for only $100 at certain retailers. The whole music industry in video games produces so many games that you can easily snag a year old game for half its value. Just wait, in a year or two, the $200 Beatles: Rock Band kit will go for $100. It's all in a matter of patience.

Another thing that worked well with me was visiting the game websites (particularly Red Octane's), where you can get great deals on the particular game that you want and their instruments. You can also get instruments bundled with the older games, like I mentioned with Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II. And then there is always eBay, where they have a huge variety of great deals. Remember there are many places you can get great deals, you just have to look hard enough. And keep in mind if you play by yourself and only are interested in one instrument, don't go buying the whole band kit. You simply don't need it and you'll just be wasting your money.

4: Mix and Match

This is probably one of the best methods of saving money for yourself. After newer instruments were released, the older instruments for the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games have gone down pretty well. Those expensive Rock Band drums that came out in 2007 are now at cheaper prices. The cheapest I found at the retailers was for only $30 at Best Buy. And that Guitar Hero II Gibson Explorer guitar was around $20. Mixing and matching between brands can often lead to great buys and usually you get a better deal than buying a full kit. But you should be very careful on whether the instrument brand has a had a history of defects *cough* Guitar Hero: World Tour *cough*

One thing I particularly dislike was when EA and Activision had that lawsuit and the Rock Band and Guitar Hero instruments and games were not cross compatible. Fortunately, that is no the case (no pun intended) anymore and you can play Rock Band with Guitar Hero instruments and vice-versa. However the Wii version of Guitar Hero II and World Tour are not compatible with Rock Band instruments. You should definitely research to see if your instruments are compatible before making a purchase.

5: Keep the game you bought and don't look back

Hey look this Guitar Hero has a jukebox mode! Hey this Rock Band has Legos! Hey, this Guitar Hero makes you a sandwich! Most of those things can be passed (though I would like a nice sandwich right about now), simply because those are small features that you can live without. Try not to fall into the habit of buying games within a two year period as it can assure you that the developers have not worked hard enough on the game and they were just in a rush. Tell me how different is Guitar Hero: World Tour from Guitar Hero 5 in terms of gameplay. Nothing.

If a game does not have a good setlist or is simply the same game with a coat of paint, with little innovation, then avoid it. If you really want it then go buy it, though you will save more money by just waiting. There's like over 15 Guitar Hero games anyway, and unfortunately Rock Band is falling in the same trend, just not as extreme, (though their games are a lot more worked out).

6. If a franchise is better than the other, then change franchises

This is only in terms of presentation and gameplay, rather than the music itself. I'll be honest, I thought Rock Band sucked when it came out and was convinced that Guitar Hero can do miles better. When Guitar Hero: World Tour came out I was in shock and surprise, since there was no change besides the fact that you can play with more instruments (I have not played Guitar Hero or Guitar Hero II, so Guitar Hero III was not a disappointment. I got Rock Band 2 as a present from one of my friends and when I popped it in my Wii, I really could not compare the quality difference between that and the latter series. I was simply impressed. I thought everything was great and to this day I still play it.

To make it simple, imagine Taster A had been making good toasters every year, but Toaster B comes every two years and is better in quality and both have relatively the same price. Which one do you get? I would personally choose Toaster B.

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In the end when you buy these video games keep in mind that you are buying them just to have fun. The music genre is just like any other video game genre and having fun is all it counts. Thanks for reading.