The opening act was Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, then Rock Band hit the stage and sales of both games on all platforms have skyrocketed this holiday season. Guitar Hero 3 launched in October with a price tag for game and controller of about $100. The new comer, MTV Game’s Rock Band allows up to four people to play at the same time, with up to two guitars, one lead and one bass, a drum set, and a microphone for vocals.

The retail for Rock Band is about $170 and this price tag doesn’t seem to be deterring gamers and music lovers in the least. Each game boasts of a great song list from legends of rock and roll right up to todays top bands including The Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, The Who, The Clash, The Police, R.E.M., The Ramones, Faith No More, and so many more.

So if the music gamer in your life is a soloist, either game will work well, but if team play is in the future of your band wannabe, then Rock Band might be the better way to go. Some have said that Guitar Hero 3 has the better controller while Rock Band seems to have more to offer. Either way you go, it seems that this holiday season is a rockin’ affair for many gamers. And as for the developers, music games seem to sell very well so I think we can expect to see more on the horizon.