Rock Band 2 surpasses its predecessor with more modes, options, and songs, making an overall bigger experience for all.
The World Tour mode has also earned itself some much needed tweaks. Now you can actually play through the World Tour alone instead of requiring multiplayer bandmates. The mode can be played through with any from one to four players, with the empty spots being filled with fill-in instrumentalists. The Tour is quite expansive; you'll find a great selection of modes in the Tour selection. The World Tour is the main event, where you move up from the depths of obscurity, ultimately reaching stardom across the game world. You can design a band's name and logo; then it's off to the rock circuit. You'll visit different rock locales like San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston, earning cash and fans by performing shows and setlists. Along the way, you earn new agents, transportation, and fame, all the while unlocking new shows and sets. In addition to the World Tour, you also get Challenges, themed setlists that introduce new songs and DLC. You may find yourself playing some songs more often than others, but overall, the main Tour mode has plenty to offer in terms of content.
The multiplayer has always been the Rock Band series' strongest aspect and Rock Band 2 delivers the classic party gameplay. Aside from being able to compete in the World Tour with friends, the game still emphasizes the full-band theme over the single-player. While it's not anywhere as limiting as the original Rock Band was, Rock Band 2 is still best played with friends. You'll find competitive multiplayer over Xbox Live, along with the famous cooperative full-band experience. If you do play through the World Tour or even Quick Play alone, you'll find as packed a community as with a whole. Whether it be drums, guitar, vocals, or the entire band, the community aspect is very well implemented. The Rock Band series has always been about the band experience, and Rock Band 2 still delivers.
The skilled and competitive players will love the new leaderboards and Battle of the Bands modes, which challenge a band to a usually themed setlist. While you won't find a ton of satisfaction in the Battle of the Bands unless you're extremely dedicated and skilled in playing your respective instrument, it's a fun diversion. The different themes in each Battle of the Bands are cool, although some sort of feel like advertisements for the DLC. At one point, I wanted to play through the Offspring Battle of the Bands, so I convinced myself to spend my precious Microsoft Points on the pack of songs. It was a worthwhile pick since I'm a fan of the Offspring, though the Battle of the Bands mode does demand you to pinch your pennies a bit less.
But if you're a Rock Band veteran, a majority of your interest will depend on the song list, which is ferociously extensive. The song list in Rock Band 2 is as comprehensive as you can get and chronicles rock legends over the decades. Whether you're a fan of classic rock of the 80's or are just used to listening to your favorite new track on the radio, Rock Band 2's song list will deliver in spades. Also, each track on the on-disc setlist is performed by the original artists, so there are no worries about lackluster covers in Rock Band 2. While my personal favorites were Soundgarden's "Spoonman," Alice in Chains' "Man in the Box," and System of a Down's "Chop Suey!" any gamer who loves rock music will find something to like in Rock Band 2's stellar collection of rock anthems. Pack in a healthy and frequently-growing amount of downloadable content along with the ability to import nearly the entire song list of the first Rock Band to your hard-drive and you get a song list that will keep you interested for months and months to come. Some of the songs feel out of place, and not all of them are as fun as others, but overall, the setlist is impressive and delivers enough rock and metal to satisfy even the most jaded of rock stars.
At its absolute core, however, you're still playing plastic instruments, watching the screen full of scrolling bars, and listening to your favorite rock music. There's a degree of familiarity to the system, and while it's definitely one of the most fun party games for the system, Rock Band 2 feels a bit too familiar. Rock Band 2 is still a great game, but being released around a year after its predecessor does feel like a bit much. It probably would've been much more impressive if this came out a few months later along with a few more improvements, but the folks at Harmonix did a respectable job overall. The inclusion of more subtle additions like a Drum Trainer and No Fail Mode rounds out a great package of old and new for the Rock Band loyal. It's not entirely different, but it's definitely hard to put down.
Pros
+ Rock Band gameplay is still fun
+ Huge song list, especially when combined with Rock Band and DLC
+ Improved World Tour
+ Challenges, Battle of the Bands modes are fun and cleverly thematic
Cons
- Not much has changed
- Not all of the songs are fun
- Emphasizes multiplayer over single-player
Okay, so Rock Band 2 isn't the rock rebirth that the original was. At this point, we've seen the band gameplay aspect in multiple forms for multiple franchises, and Rock Band 2 doesn't go that extra mile in changing the gameplay significantly. It does feel more like an update than it should be, but all minor gripes aside, Rock Band 2 delivers enough new modes and music to satisfy fans and newcomers alike. You'll have a tough time finding a game with such a huge library of music (both on-disc and DLC). Rock Band 2, despite being released barely a year after its predecessor, still packs a serious punch when it comes to delivering a strong party experience with an amazing songlist. If you have played the original Rock Band, Rock Band 2 may feel like bit of a re-hash, but the stellar collection of rock music and interesting new modes really make the idea feel refreshed. If you haven't played the original, Rock Band 2 is a great starting point. At the end of the day, Rock Band 2 makes some significant improvements to its formula, all the while delivering more of what fans want, both in modes and music. It's a great follow-up to an incredible game and worth picking up for music and gaming fans alike.