Gather the group, don the plastic instruments, and get ready to rock!
Rock Band 2's single player doesn't follow any story nor does it follow a linear solo progression. Rather it's an open band world tour mode in which you and your friends can jump in and out of at your whim. You start out with nothing, no money and a customized character with the most basic clothing and hair. As time goes on your unlock more cities, more songs, more setlists, and different rewards. These rewards include managers who can give benefits like added money and fans. They aren't game changing but hey they help a bit. You can also earn rewards like clothing to customize your character. The last reward you can earn is the band upgrades which let you access more remote locations as well as the songs you earn as you progress.
The Band World tour is actually a lot of fun. Rather then being like Guitar Hero, Rock Band 2 uses a setlist based system a lot which keeps the game going and minimizes menu shuffling. Basically depending on the length of the setlist you either get a premade setlist, a random setlist, or a make your own setlist. I really like this system and it's a lot more fun and keep the 'concert vibe' in the game. The game also sports excellent customization which has a lot of variety though I wish you could customize your body type and facial structure more.
My only complaint about the Band World tour is at times you're forced to play songs that really aren't that good. This is especially true at the beginning of the game when you have to play some utterly painful songs before you can get to the cream of the crop. In the end though once you get past this short interval of non-rock lameness, you'll be rewarded with some of the best tracks seen in any rhythm game.
Rock Band 2 sports a few other modes. For one there is the standard quickplay mode. It's perfectly fine and it has all the necessary components like the ability to make a 6 song setlist. To be honest though you'll be mostly going to the Band World Tour; quickplay is practically obsolete in this game. The practice mode in Rock Band 2 is one of the best I've seen. You have the standard tutorials and practice song options for Guitar and Vocals but for Drums they really took it to a new level. Not only do you get the tutorial but you get a fill and beat trainer which works wonders for your skills. It helped me a lot and it's very well implemented. Harmonix knows the drums are hard and it's good to see they're willing to help.
The online aspect is where Rock Band 2 is stellar as well. If your friends are away at the moment, you can play the band world tour online. While the game is meant to be played with friends in real life, it's pretty damn fun progressing online. This is especially helpful if your friends aren't the most talented bunch. The tug of war and battle modes are also very good and simply involve scoring higher then the other player. It's actually fun and with a thrown in trueskill system it's good competition. The core of Rock Band though is group co-operation, not versus and Harmonix is always ready to remind us of this.
Harmonix keeps the online community very well updated. The weekly DLC is something to be applauded and though a bit expensive at 1.99 a song it's well worth it especially if you have some songs in there you enjoy. All of the songs I've downloaded have been a blast to play and almost all the DLC is the master track. The battles are also a nice addition though I wish they weren't so heavy on the DLC battles. In the end though Harmonix kept their promises concerning their online community and I think developers should take note. That's how you take care of a customer, especially one who's paid 189.99 for your game!
Speaking of the price, yes Rock Band 2 is a very expensive game. The instruments are integral to the game though and I do not recommend getting the game if you just want to play one instrument. I have all the Special Edition instruments so I'll give a quick run down on them all.
Drums: Installation was a bit difficult due to the poor instruction but I got it in about twenty minutes. Once I had it connected I can say I've had no problems with it. The pads are very quiet and they work well. They have a nice bounce and they just feel really nice. They look great too and they seem very sturdy. The drum pedal is also great and it seem unbreakable. The drum set is a lot better then then World Tour drum set in my experience.
Guitar: The guitar is not as good as the Guitar Hero ones but it's still good. It doesn't have the snapping sound but it still works well and it's very effective. The solo buttons are great and the frets are also pretty quiet though one of mine sounds a bit springy. I've had no problems and the guitar is quite sturdy.
Microphone: Nothing special, sturdy and works perfectly.
All in all you're getting your moneys worth in the instruments. Harmonix took the community complaints to heart and they really went all out on these plastic instruments.
On a graphical level, Rock Band 2 is a nice looking game. The stage effects are really nice and I love the lighting in this game. The flashing lights on the screen make it feel like a real concert and you're immersed into the game. The character animations are just so alive and fluid, I absolutely love watching my character jump around on screen. The game also boasts some nice visual effects that, while cool, are sometimes distracting.
The sound is what matters here and this game sounds amazing. The music is all master tracks and it's a very good soundtrack. Some songs are just not very good but I'd say a good 80% is superb. It's one of the best I've seen in any rhythm game and the game also boasts a ton of well charted songs.
When it comes down to it, there's no reason to not get Rock Band 2. Even if you don't play with a group, you can still switch between instruments for a ton of variety or you can always enjoy the online mode. If you're a group oriented person, you most likely already own this game. In the end you'd be hard pressed to find a rhythm game more worth your time and money.
The Good: As challenging or easy as you want, great instruments, excellent support from Harmonix, Band World Tour more engaging then other rhythm game solo modes, great drum trainer, superb soundtrack except for...
The Bad: ...some terribad songs in the beginning, a few design nitpicks.
The Ugly: This is a rhythm game which has raised the genre's standard. A must buy.