Rock Band 4: Same as it ever was

In 2007, Rock Band was a triumph. It turned music-rhythm games, which were focused almost entirely on an intense, feverish show of dexterous prowess, into a smooth, laid-back experience. You could care about your high score, about nailing a performance, but both of these aspects took a back seat to just experiencing music with a group of people you enjoyed hanging out with. Players wanted to party with their music, not grind it out, and Rock Band gave them this.

Then a not-so-chill cold war broke out between Guitar Hero and Rock Band, sequels saturated the market with games (and people’s houses with plastic instruments), and rhythm games went comatose around 2010.