Finally! Everyone’s been waiting for the day they could somehow rock out to Metallica and play with their Legos at the same time, and that day has come. Lego Rock Band is another iteration of the Rock Band franchise to be released alongside the Beatles edition this fall. Players will jam to their favorite tracks from previous Rock Band titles with their blocky counterparts rocking with them all the while.

The new features of Lego Rock Band are few, and what is worth note isn’t much that’ll knock the socks off of any veteran of the rhythm genre. Players will wield the standard Rock Band guitar or drum set and hit notes as they stream across the screen to play the song. While you’re pulling off guitar solos and banging on the drums, though, the Lego band members will be trying to survive the cataclysm of the song.

Should you play “Final Countdown,” for instance, once the song got to the second chorus beams might fall from the ceiling, nearly crushing the Lego men as they scramble out of the way. It’s very entertaining to watch, and truly what players should come to expect from the Lego version of any game, but it doesn’t add much to the actual gameplay. If you’re hoping to find some sort of deal-breaking difference in the console versions of Lego Rock Band from any other Rock Band game, you might take solace in the fact that there’s no dark thrash metal in this title if you’re into softer classics.

The DS version, on the other hand, takes a new approach to the genre and the Rock Band franchise by utilizing the face buttons to produce the first ever Rock Band game with no external peripheral involved. Much like the PSP game Rock Band Unplugged, players will shuffle between the tracks on which there’ll either be notes to hit in order to play the vocals, guitar, drum, or bass. Rather than have a plastic guitar or detachable peripheral, you’ll use up on the D-pad to play the yellow notes, left for red, the X button for green, and A for blue.

Playing on the DS will probably feel as realistic as these Lego characters look

If you think that sounds confusing, wait until you learn about the overdrive mode. Playing notes on time with consistency will put your band into a groove. Once in a groove, you’ll gain multipliers to your points, and earn the ability to enter the overdrive mode. Overdrive mode will multiply your points even higher while increasing the points you earn for each mode, and is activated by holding the down button on the D-pad and pressing B while screaming into the microphone. Yes, my friends, it seems the game will be hand-crafted for players without any shame.

All versions will have multiplayer and customizable characters. The DS version will come with local wireless play, so long as your friends all have their own copies of the game, and will allow players to maintain their own instruments once playing together in order to share the band experience on a handheld. The console versions will all of course come with the standard local and online co-op, so tell your friends to bring all their stuff from the previous Rock Band games.

While Lego Rock Band seems like it’ll be anything but a giant leap forward for the franchise, it may be worth a look for fans of both the Lego games and rhythm genre in general. We’ll reserve our judgment for when the game finally hits retailers. Lego Rock Band will be available on the Xbox 360, PS3, DS, and Wii November 3rd, 2009.