"There are a lot of new games coming out for this genre," says Anita Frazier of market tracking firm NPD Group. "Some will do well, some won't. The challenge for each newcomer to the genre is to differentiate and communicate how it's special or brings some new magic to the table."

Music-game sales have risen from $132 million in 2005, when Hero was first released, to more than $1.2 billion last year and $896 million so far this year.

The category, Frazier says, "was very small before Guitar Hero and Rock Band came on the scene."

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