Frustratingly, yet somewhat fittingly, the Canadian release of hotly-anticipated new music game Rock Band has been akin to a tour--as giddy reports rolled in from afar, the wait for its arrival became interminable.

Most companies want as wide a release as possible to aim for Halo 3-style sales bragging rights. But EA simply couldn’t produce enough of those virtual instrument-filled Rock Band boxes to meet the holiday demand down south, though guitar controller failures reportedly also played a role (but at least EA decided to give out free games if your guitar dies...but smashing it in a fit of Clash-inspired euphoria don't count).

So while Americans have been Rock Band-ing out since Thanksgiving (theirs, that is) Canadians had to wait impatiently for today's release, biding their time playing Guitar Hero 3 and air-drumming (or paying exorbitant eBay prices). But now that Rock Band is finally taking the Canadian stage--though there will no doubt be shortages and other delays through the holidays--was it worth the wait and the $170 price tag?

Hells yeah. Admittedly, playing alone isn’t a particularly better experience than with the also-awesome Guitar Hero 3 (Rock Band‘s developer Harmonix also made the first two editions of GH) but you won’t mind the chance to rehearse on the drums before inviting friends over. While the guitar-playing and karaoke singing are familiar, the drums present a new challenge. The four colour-coded drum pads are relatively intuitive but adding in the foot-driven kick drum pedal requires a new skill-set and a well-developed sense of rhythm (seriously, on expert you may as well be drumming for real).

But to truly appreciate what Rock Band has to offer, you really need to throw a party. In a fundamental shift from competitive head-to-head battles, Rock Band brings cooperation to social gaming--it’s built to be a jam session, even if most friends will be fighting over the drum kit. Oh, and while I appreciate the realism of RB’s Fender Strat--and its second set of buttons for solos--I still preferred using my wireless GH3 Les Paul.(A minor controversy has erupted because that compatibility doesn’t work on the PS3--both GH’s Activision and RB’s Harmonix are blaming each other--while RB’s guitar doesn’t work with GH3 at all).

Most importantly, the musical lineup is stellar--sure helps to have MTV Games as Harmonix’s new parent company--with a solid mix of classics (KISS, Metallica, Stones, Rush); alternative (Pixies, Hole, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More); and modern rock (New Pornographers, Hives, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Killers). Once you finish off your world tour, you can simply start downloading new tracks, including eventually full albums like The Who’s Who’s Next and Nirvana’s Nevermind.

There’s only one real drawback...your significant other may have let that single Guitar Hero controller slide, but she might be less cool once your living room is cluttered with all those precious plastic Rock Band instruments.