Score
Gameplay:	9
Graphics:	8
Sound:	9
FunFactor:	10
PlasmaFactor:	10
Overall:	9.2

Rock Band 2 Review
September 24, 2008 by Jereme Puik

Harmonix has made quite the stride in the music genre when it first broke off from the Guitar Hero series and partnered with MTV Games to bring us Rock Band. The original Rock Band had quite the feature list and was a well done entry into the competition with Guitar Hero. Rock Band was the first game to give us the full experience of gathering friends together to perform in unison in a Rock Band. Rock Band 2 follows swiftly under the heels of the first Rock Band and with Harmonix continuing its push of the weekly DLC, its becoming the most addictive and most in-depth music game on the market. With almost all tracks being master recordings, there is plenty to love and hate about Rock Band 2.

Hello There, Ladies and Gentlemen!

I’ve always been addicted to music games, going back to the craze that was Dance Dance Revolution in the arcade and soon in our homes. When Guitar Hero released, I immediately jumped on it and started life as a digital rock star. Now we get Rock Band, and a game I immediately shrugged off at first until I was given a chance to take on the drums with the Playstation 2 version. I had a blast and was able to make the purchase of the first Rock Band. The same gameplay methods carry over to its sequel but make use of new instruments that were designed to take things up to the next level.

The new drum set is a lot quieter that it’s predecessor and provides for a much more comfortable experience. Although you’ll have to change batteries, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem to considering the batteries last a decent amount of playing time. Some of the new features included are the Drum Trainer, which will give you lessons and teach you the basics of drumming. Whether you’re just looking to beef yourself up for the game or to eventually getting your own drum set, the Drum Trainer will help you along the way. There’s an added No Fail mode to give players a chance to succeed in a sense and give you that feeling of accomplishment.

The biggest thing that gamers might be worrying about is being able to export there downloaded Rock Band 1 tracks to Rock Band 2. If you haven’t been catching up on the news, then the good news is that you will for a small licensing fee which is under $5.  This brings an even greater backwards compatibility between the two games and increases the already large library of music available for play right on your console, whether it is the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. World Tour is expanded to finally bring the rock experience online. Players can join bands, create bands and play battles against other bands. You’ll be traveling to new cities and exploring all kinds of different venues. A bonus this time around is the ability to hire staff and gain more popularity as your band gains more.  The online portion works almost flawlessly in giving each gamer their spot depending on the instrument their playing.  The servers are pretty smooth and don’t allow for much lag when getting into matches.

Another highlight is the ever awesome track list that is filled with great artists and only continues to grow with downloadable content. You have artists from the likes of Foo Fighters with Everlong in the 90s to Norman Greenbaum with ‘Spirit in the Sky’ back in the 1960s. Weekly DLC helps keep the track list fresh and up to date. With Battle of the Bands, you’ll be able to battle against your friends or players all across the world on Xbox Live. There’s no limit to the possibilities of your band.

Graphics

You’ll notice that with music games, they don’t quite up the ante in the graphics department. There isn’t much to update. Character models and venues are more or less the same in terms of the feel that brought the original Rock Band to life. Your customized character will appear visible for the crowd to go crazy over and the overall presentation makes everything look like you’re performing in a music video. You won’t be paying too much attention to these graphics though considering you’ll be paying more attention to the flying notes across the screen. What is different about the presentation, though, is that Rock Band seems to be going darker and darker. The artistry makes for a more concert like feel in the end of it all.

Sound

Ah, the biggest thing with music games these days. All of Rock Band 2’s tracks are master recordings, which give you the highest quality of music possible. Rock Band 2 features an impressive 80+ set list with more on the way thanks to the Weekly DLC and an extra 20 tracks available to all players for free after launch. Don’t be afraid to crank up that volume and blast away with your favorite song as you knock it out and perfect it. Thanks to the master recordings we don’t have to worry about blips or unexpected bumps in the music and it’s just as free flowing as if you were listening to it on your IPod.

Plasma Factor

The most important factor here is the expanded world tour mode and the included World Tour Online. This is a great time to be a Rock Band fan and to take on the tour challenges. If playing in a band with you and 3 of your friends online and off doesn’t tickle your fancy enough, then you just aren’t into music games then. The emphasis of co-operative play easily makes Rock Band one of the biggest titles to date and completely knocks out Activision’s Guitar Hero series. Co-Operative play is the word here.

Conclusion

It’s time now to take a step back and seriously look at where Harmonix could go next. We’ve seen the developments of Guitar Hero and how far that side of the spectrum has come. But, now with Rock Band 2 easily taking its predecessor off the charts in terms of playability and replayability, you begin to wonder what the developers behind the game have in store next. Is it possible to add a new instrument to the mix or would that make things a little too busy on the stage? Whatever comes to us next time, we know for sure that sticking with an already winning formula is the best way to go. This is one title Rock Band fans should not pass up.