The Guitar Hero and Rock Band games aren't the force they once were. The last Guitar Hero game released was Warriors Of Rock while the last Rock Band game was Rock Band 3, both released in 2010. However, thousands of songs can be downloaded for the games so the lack of new standalone titles doesn't mean everybody has stopped playing and sent their arsenal of plastic instruments to the local thrift store.

A new title called Rock Band Blitz has also reinvigorated interest in the rhythm-action genre. But the instruments are out, normal controllers are in. Which is a shame. I like to remember the time when everyone was playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and, judging by the videos below, filming themselves doing so.

Zero Punctuation Review

Zero Punctuation is a series of video game reviews by Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw. He doesn't really like many games, instead focusing on the negative elements of each title. This makes his reviews thoroughly entertaining but not the best for helping you make a purchasing decision. In this video he jointly reviews Guitar Hero 5 and The Beatles: Rock Band.

9-Year-Old - 'Through The Fire And Flames' Guitar

Through The Fire And Flames is one of the hardest songs ever featured on Guitar Hero. I can't complete it on anything above Hard. And yet this is a 9-year-old kid beating it on Expert. He wasn't the youngest kid filmed owning at these games, but he was one of the first. The smug look on his face is therefore somewhat justified.

The Impossible Song [NSFW]

There's a song on Guitar Hero 3 called We Three Kings. I only know so because of this video. I assume it's an original song but I've never found it to clarify the information. These guys did, tried to play it, and went a little mad getting to the end. I'd suggest it's impossible to hit all the notes, or even 50 percent of them. This is when Guitar Hero stops being fun and starts being a chore.

100% Expert - 'Holy Wars... The Punishment Due'

This is the video to watch if you want to see how these games are meant to be played. It shows two brothers playing co-operatively on Holy Wars... The Punishment Due by Megadeth on Expert. They don't just reach the end, they ace the song, getting a 100 percent rating on both guitar and drums. If you're anything like me your eyes will be glued to the screen in astonishment all the way through.

Rage Quit - Guitar Hero Metallica [NSFW]

Rage Quit is a Rooster Teeth series of videos showing one guy getting so frustrated, annoyed, or vexed while playing games he quits each of them in a fit of rage. This time around he's playing Guitar Hero: Metallica, one of the many band-centric Guitar Hero games released. He's playing online with someone who is a lot better than him. Hence the unfettered aggression and eventual rage quit.

Ultimate Pro Drums - 'Through The Fire And Flames'

Mastering the guitar on these games is hard enough but it pales into insignificance when measured against how hard it is to master the drums. They're nails. I've heard it said that if you can ace the drum part on Expert on Guitar Hero or Rock Band then you could play that song on a real drum kit. In which case this guy is a budding Dave Grohl.

Bike Hero Viral Advert

This is something a little different but entertaining nonetheless. Forget playing Guitar Hero on plastic instruments in your living room, play it on your bicycle instead. By chalking the notes on the ground it's entirely possible. Unfortunately this turned out to be a viral video ad concocted by Activision to promote Guitar Hero: World Tour, but it's still a slice of genius.

Guy Smashes TV After Rock Band Fail [NSFW]

Some people really don't take failure well. Everyone sucked at Guitar Hero and Rock Band on their first few goes, but they stuck it out and eventually improved. Not this guy. After struggling to even grasp the concept of the game he decides to end the gameplay session prematurely by smashing his Rock Band guitar into his television set. At least I assume it was his TV...

5-Year-Old - 'Enter Sandman' Drums

We've seen a 9-year-old who's far too good at guitar, now it's time to watch a 5-year-old who's far too good at the drums. This little boy owns while playing Enter Sandman by Metallica on Rock Band. This requires an immense amount of coordination and concentration and yet he seems to enjoy it rather than feel stressed. If anything ever happens to Lars Ulrich we have a replacement ready to step up to the plate.

Future Rock Band... Possibly

This video shows Freddie Wong's vision for the future of the Rock Band series. Forget watching the notes flying towards you on a television screen, that's old-school. Instead we get to see an augmented reality version of the game, with the notes landing exactly where they need to on your real instrument of choice. Perhaps this will come to pass in the future thanks to Google Project Glass.

Conclusions

Compiling this list of videos made me want to play the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games again to the degree I had an all-night session. Sad I know. especially as I was alone. I wonder if watching this list of videos made any of you do the same.

Or perhaps you have moved on to the likes of Rocksmith, which has taken the essence of these games and added real guitars. Either way please let us know in the comments. And if you have a better example of an entertaining Guitar Hero or Rock Band video I'd love a link to it.

Image Credit: Maxstrz