Rock Band 2

"The quintessential music game"

Rock band 2 isn't exactly a sequel and more of a continuation, very little about the game has changed since Rock Band but what has changed makes the game vastly superior.

Sound:

Sound seems a sensible place to start when talking about a music game. The sound track for this version is great; the game has a bit of everything and has very few bad songs. With the ability to transfer the songs from the original as well gives you a very large song database without even touching on the download content. However there is a fee to transferring these songs and 3 of them won't transfer; unfortunately these are 'Enter Sandman', 'Run to the Hills' and 'Paranoid'. This game really comes into its own with the download content (which includes 20 free tracks once you register your game) the library is simply huge and grows every week. The game never gets old but this is a rather expensive with most songs costing a couple of dollars.
10/10

Graphics:

The graphics haven't changed much since the original Rock Band in fact I'm not sure they've changed at all. But there was nothing wrong with them in the first place, the game still allows you to create a rock star to use, I personally didn't notice an increase in the amount of clothes available but it's not something I spent a long time checking. However the number of instruments does seem slightly bigger. The stages seem nice enough not that you'll notice them much while playing. The graphics do what's required of them and nothing more, it'd be difficult to call them bad but also difficult to call them good.
7/10

Gameplay:

The gameplay is basically more of the same, there are a few tweaks, for example now the spoken sections work while singing, but overall it's a case of if it ain't broke don't fix it. But for those who never played the original the basics are simple, there are 4 instruments (well technically 3 since bass and guitar are all but the same) you can choose to play with a guitar, drums or as a vocalist. With the guitars and the drums notes come down and you have to try to hit them as they pass, this doesn't really do justice to just how fun the game is. When singing the words scroll along and you have to try to match the pitch, you don't have to sing the actual lyrics just any noise will work. The biggest alteration to the game is the game modes, while last year a band tour could only be played in multiplayer mode now it is accessible in single player. This makes the game much longer and gives more of a reason to come back to the game; you can also create other characters to fill your band which is a nice touch. However on the downside unlocking songs now takes a long time, this is where the challenge mode has been introduced. The challenge mode is a series of challenges which usually just involve playing a certain type of song, whether it be an artist, a decade or a style. These alone give far more replay value as it takes a long time to beat it all and more challenges are added as more tracks are downloaded. Another new addition is the battle of the bands mode where you can enter your band into contests, these are similar to the challenges only some have special stipulations and you're ranked along with everyone else who enters. Unfortunately those who don't download songs may find a lot of these are unavailable to them. Finally multiplayer has been overhauled and is much more fun be it with friends or online and make the game a bit more interesting.
10/10

Replay Factor:

This game will have you coming back for more an awful lot; the single player mode alone will have you playing for weeks even months and keep drawing you back in. The multiplayer however is where this game scores, with a friend this game will keep you entertained for hours and even without the online features will give you more than enough entertainment. Of course the download content is a major factor in this games replay factor and simply put if you're going to be downloading tracks then this game will last much longer than those who don't.
10/10
Hardware:

This is something I don't know much about as I didn't purchase new hardware with Rock Band 2 but I did purchase the new Guitar Hero hardware and simply but the guitar is a huge improvement over the Rock Band version and I would recommend that guitar to anyone, however I found the rock band drums to be much easier to use, however while I have never had any problems a lot of other have had reliability issues with the pedal. This may be fixed with the Rock Band 2 set but I don't know, however the ability to add cymbals does seem like an interesting addition. The microphone is simply a microphone and any USB mic will work, if you intend to play while singing then a mic stand or a mic you don't have to hold would be a good investment. I'm not going to rate the hardware as I don't have the up to date stuff.

Overall:

Simply put Rock Band 2 is the best music game on the market it is a big improvement over the original and is a much better game than Guitar Hero World Tour, if you're looking for a music game then look no further.
9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/09

Game Release: Rock Band 2 (US, 10/19/08)