Ed Humphries writes:
''Ever since Harmonix proved there were millions to be made in the rhythm and music genre with the meteoric rise of the original Guitar Hero, a war has waged between game developers looking to launch the next hot music game. Of course, Harmonix moved beyond the guitar and assembled a full-on band with their latest hit, Rock Band, while Neversoft picked up the reigns to Guitar Hero III and kept gamers rocking all night. While those two franchises represent the apex of this formerly niche genre, there's plenty of competition looking to make a name for itself. Into the fray comes Planet Moon's Battle of the Bands.
In Bands, the player assumes the role of front man for a fictional ensemble and must journey across the map and take on other garage bands. The character designs take a page from the Guitar Hero playbook, with the bands and characters projecting exaggerated cartoonish personas that are emblematic of their musical stylings - hence the Goth group that has sold their souls to El Diablo or the Day of the Dead skeletons that inspire a Mariachi band.''
