Rock Band 2 Review

Music rythem games have become all the rage in recent years with the guitar hero series bringing a new life to what was once considered a hardcore gamer genre. What was once relegated to a couple counterculture kids playing DDR in an arcade in the back of a mall has now been turned into an overnight phenomenon using the same style of game play but infusing a barrage of upbeat pop and rock songs for the rock enthusiasts and armchair guitarists. Rock Band plays off the old guitar hero game play (both were created by Harmonix) but includes the ability to invite 3 friends over for a full band simulation with drums, guitar, and a microphone.

Rock Band 2 is not reinventing the Rock Band wheel by any means but certainly builds on everything the first game incorporated, while also fixing some fan complaints and streamlining the experience even more. You can now play through the entire World Tour mode on-line through Xbox Live or solo, with the ability for multiple friends to jump in as substitutes if your regular bassist has a pesky day job to get in the way. There is also the ability to turn on a "no fail" option if you want to practice on an expert song all the way through until you get it right. Quickplay has become even quicker to get set up as you can turn on the system and be rocking out in about a minute without having to go through all of the initial set up the first game required. The customization options are richer for creating the coolest rocker you can and there are a ton of in game sponsors like Zildijan, Fender, Gibson, and more. Also the MTV name is used as this is part of the MTV Games umbrella.

The World Tour is where most people will spend most of their time to unlock new songs and get more money to do cool things with. As your band grows larger in fans you will have the ability to participate in label showcases, music video's (which are VERY well done), get a tour bus, and eventually play shows all over the globe in front of thousands. The track list for Rock Band 2 is truly what sets it apart from its Guitar Hero World Tour counterpart. There are 82 songs off the bat, and Harmonix promises another 20 free one's before the end of the year making the total at over 100 songs. Not to mention you can export your songs from Rock Band 1 to this game and all of your DLC will still work as well. When everything is said and done you will have the option of over 500 songs to play with, quite a feat from the original 25 or so the Guitar Hero games would have.

There is some deep variety in artists as you get everything from The Who, Rage Against The Machine, Bob Dylan, Blondie, Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, Disturbed, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Fleetwood Mac, and The Allman Brothers. There literally is something for everyone in this game and there will be new DLC every week including track packs and sometimes even full albums. The biggest news on this list was Guns N' Roses debuting their new single in over 10 years on Rock Band. "Shackler's Revenge" is the name of the title and it will be quite the challenge on expert mode.

Overall, if you bought Rock Band 1 there is no reason not to shell out 60 bucks for the additional 100 songs of Rock Band 2. The co-op and online modes are fun and will keep you addicted to your console for the better half of the next year. Rock Band is the ultimate music party game and Rock Band 2 builds on everything from the first creating a rock experience that the competitors just can't seem to match.

9/10