Rock Band 2 Review

Harmonix has also added more fills, guitar solos and made speaking parts in songs easier to complete so that you and your band can experience a more dramatic and profound on-stage experience. The Rock Band 2 special edition bundle features an updated wireless guitar and new wireless drum kit that is claimed to have quieter, more responsive pads and expansion ports for the really hard core to add cymbal attachments and a reinforced foot pedal ( a much needed tune up). I did not feel like shelling out the 190 bucks just to go (mostly) wireless and since my original Rock Band instruments still work just fine, most returning players will most likely opt for just the game disc as I did. However, if you are purchasing your first rhythm game, the special edition of Rock Band 2 might be the way to go.

That chain looks heavy.

Hit me!

Finally, while Rock Band 2 (of course) features a new batch of songs that range from the 60's to today, owners of the original game can 'import' the majority of those tunes for five dollars. I was bit irritated having to purchase the songs again from a game I already owned but to be honest I cannot think of a way for them to prevent people from just renting the original to doubt the song library in the second game. However, any tunes you purchased online can be downloaded again further expanding your list of tracks. Finally a code is included with Rock Band 2, that when registered online will allow you to download an additional 20 tracks for free at a later date. The only thing that makes me a little nervous on this point is there is currently no indication of who these tracks are from.

So is Rock Band 2 a sequel or an add-on? Well the answer is yes and no. It's mainly the exact same gameplay as the original with some new features thrown in and some of the annoying points cleaned up. You are getting more songs and the ability to play online with others but the core gameplay is largely the same as we experienced when Rock Band launched 10 months ago. Is that a bad thing? In my opinion, heck no! Jamming with friends to some classic tunes that span 4 decades and a variety of genres is a load of fun and a great way to waste an evening. The new features are not enough to convert anyone who can't stand rhythm games to begin with but to anyone who enjoys this kind of experience should go out and add Rock Band 2 to their library today. The real problem is for the first-time buyer who is looking to pick up the Special Edition for the instruments. With Guitar Hero World Tour set to be released in a few weeks, you might want to wait to compare which set of instruments feels right for you. As for me, I don't care what you want to call it: sequel, add-on, whatever. Just let me play.