Harmonix, Electronic Arts, and MTV have announced a joint collaboration in the making of an upcoming title entitled Rock Band, which claims to, "takes the core premise of Guitar Hero and expands it tenfold." Set for a release before Christmas of this year, the game will include a four-player option that allows you to jam with three other band members over the Internet.

Alex Rigopulos, co-founder of Harmonix, revealed that the new game, "lets you create a complete collaborative band," with microphone and drum kit controllers coming along with two guitars (lead and bass).

Thanks to MTV's involvement, Rock Band will feature tracks from original artists rather than shockingly bad cover versions (some of Donkey Konga's copycat song renditions made this writer cry). MTV's Jeff Yapp commented: "This game offers a meaningful way for labels to participate in a segment of entertainment they, for the most part, have not been able to."

Although a track list is yet to be revealed, it is said to include a range of music, "from metal to classic rock to Southern rock to everything in between," according to Rigopulos, and will also allow gamers to download new songs from the Internet. Major labels including EMI, Warner Bros. Music and Sony BMG are already confirmed to supply the title’s tunes.

Rock Band will be available on the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 when it's released. If you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of hapless rock god wannabees forcing themselves into spandex outfits and garish cat suits already.

Much down to the success of Guitar Hero and its sequel rocking into mainstream gaming, rhythm-based titles have suddenly become very big business, indeed. Nintendo Wii owners won't have to miss out on the fun either, mind you. Not only is Guitar Hero II on its way to the platform, but also EA recently announced a Wii-specific dance/rhythm game - Boogie - for Nintendo's latest console.

"Boogie will have gamers dancing, singing and starring in their own music videos," said EA in a press release. The game will be similar to other rhythm games, and will take advantage of the specific Wii features.