As Guitar Hero and Rock Band duke it out for supremacy in the music gaming world, Rock Band 2 is released before Guitar Hero: World Tour(GHWT) and how will it measure up? Will Rock Band 2 blow GHWT out of the water and allow no trace of its existence? Or, will Rock Band 2 fall on its face and allow GHWT to deliver its World Tour all over Harmonix candy ass? Let’s find out…here’s your review of Rock Band 2.
Story:
Well there is technically a story but you know the gist of it. You are in a band which you create (My band name is the White Swallow. Haha…yeah…)and you start in your hometown (Dublin, Boston, etc.) and work small gigs for fans and cash. The best thing about this I believe is the track lists you play weather it’s 2, 3 or 5 tracks back to back. You still can play single songs and must get stars to open new venues and tracks to play. You do get stuck playing the same songs over and over which does suck but in the end you bought this game to play music so why complain? There will always be about 10 or so songs you will never like to play but you get over it and play them to get through it. Fun story with a lot of buyable clothes for your created character as well as tats and instruments.
Overall: B
Gameplay:
The guitar works just the same and just as well as the first Rock Band and the mic isn’t as pitchy as the original was. The real thing that people were looking at is the drum set. New and improved it feels more like a drum set should and is much more fluid compared to the original for Rock Band. The other thing is always the song list and Rock Band 2 provides an exceptional amount of music as well as free downloadables. Also you can move your original Rock Band tracks to Rock Band 2 for just a small nominal fee of $5 for licensing issues. Rock Band 2 provides 84 tracks with 9 being unlockable. The unlockable tracks are not bad but there are much better tracks such as my personal favorites;
System of a Down “Chop Suey!”
Nirvana “Drain You”
Bon Jovi “Livin’ On A Prayer”
Linkin Park “One Step Closer”
Interpol “PDA”
Paramore “That’s What You Get”
Jimmy Eat World “The Middle”
Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know”
Dream Theatre “Panic Attack”
Alice In Chains “Man in the Box”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_in_Rock_Band_2 Rest of the tracks here for you.
These are my favorite tracks off of here. The gameplay is solid overall and is more fluid than Rock Band which is a great asset for the 2nd round of Rock Band. They also added in a no fail ability which can help you train for harder difficulties as well as the training sessions for all interments. The gameplay is solid and will be hard to beat when Guitar Hero: World Tour is released.
Overall: A
Graphics:
The graphics work well for its system but, are not in anyway what the game is built upon. The graphics are beautiful and flowing when playing tracks and your wacky looking characters and attire you can choose from. Everything hits on all cylinders and works well and is amazing in HD.
Overall: A
Sound:
The real important part of the game here! The sound quality is amazing and exceeds all expectations. Still being able to switch your guitar or bass around to say the wowowowow thingy your guitar can do as well as the drum set is amazing and has a lot to offer for the people who get to play the drums. I loved the drums and the sound that they offered. The drums are not as loud when you band on them which I found to annoy the hell out of me with the previous drum set. The sound is great and works beautifully with the game. Wonderful sounds and great for the music you offer.
Overall: A+
Replay:
The replay value is of course outstanding. The online is great and band battles are a huge plus. Playing tracks you know and love are a huge addition especially when you consider than AC/DC live is coming exclusively to Rock Band 2 which leaves you to wonder who else might go exclusive between Guitar Hero or Rock Band.This leaves a lot to be seen in the musical warfare that counsel systems will face and the downloadable content wars that still continue on.
Overall: A+
Overall:
Overall I loved the co-op band and online play. The game lacks some true hardcore tracks to finish the job but that will be taken care of with downloads. The graphics are strong and the sound is booming and orgasmic for your ears. The instruments are worth the price tag if you want the new drum set or need some new polished instruments. Time will tell on who will win this war of attrition via downloadable content. In these wars downloads matter more than the tracks you give them to start out with. Rock Band 2 has put their foot into the door and is fighting their way to try to tackle the #1 spot in the music gaming world. In the end it will be Guitar Hero vs. Rock Band and whoever has the better music and better instruments will win. The simpler the gameplay and the better the music will determine the overall victor of this cult hit. But until then let us bask in the glory of this musical warfare as only us the consumer will will truly win. But still seriously Rock Band and Guitar Hero where the hell is "The Final Countdown" by Europe? That track could determine the winner...for me at least. haha.
Overall: A
Achievements:
Solid Gold, Baby! (25 points): Gold Star a song.
The Bachman-Turner Award (25 points): Maintain deployed Overdrive for 90 seconds.
Flawless Fretwork (25 points): Score 100% notes hit as a guitarist on Expert.
Flawless Guitar Solo (20 points): 100% a guitar solo on Expert, using only the solo buttons.
Flawless Drumming (25 points): Score 100% notes hit as a drummer on Expert.
Flawless Singing (25 points): Score a 100% rating as a vocalist on Expert.
Flawless Groove (25 points): Score 100% notes hit as bassist, up-strums only, on Expert.
Comeback Kid (25 points): Defeat the last player that defeated you over Xbox LIVE in either Score Duel or Tug of War.
Victory! (15 points): Defeat a player in either Score Duel or Tug of War.
Band Savior (20 points): Be a savior three times during a single song.
Overdrive Overdose (25 points): Achieve an 8x Band Multiplier.
Hello Cleveland! (20 points): Deploy Vocal Overdrive 4 times in a single song.
Million Point Club (25 points): Earn more than 1,000,000 points in a single song.
You're Hired! (10 points): Hire a staff member.
Needs more Umlauts! (10 points): Make a band logo.
The San Dimas 4th Annual Award (15 points): Compete in a Battle of the Bands event.
You Killed the Radio Star (15 points): Make a music video in World Tour.
Clothes to the Edge (20 points): Buy over $100,000 worth of items from the Rock Shop.
Along for the Ride (10 points): Beat an instrument-specific challenge while playing another instrument.
Challenge Novice (10 points): Complete either 25 challenges on Medium, 10 challenges on Hard, or 5 challenges on Expert.
Challenge Master (15 points): Complete 25 Challenges on Hard Difficulty or 10 Challenges on Expert Difficulty.
Challenge Savant (25 points): Complete 25 Challenges on Expert Difficulty.
The Final Countdown (15 points): Unlock an Impossible Challenge.
Groove Assassin (20 points): Beat the Impossible Bass Challenge.
Lord of the Strings (25 points): Beat the Impossible Guitar Challenge.
Stage Igniters (25 points): Beat the Impossible Band Challenge.
AN-I-MAL!!! (25 points): Beat the Impossible Drum Challenge.
Virtuoso (25 points): Beat the Impossible Vocal Challenge.
West Coast Performer (10 points): Play a set on the West Coast of North America.
Heartland Performer (10 points): Play a set in Middle America.
East Coast Performer (10 points): Play a set on the East Coast of North America.
God Save the Band (10 points): Play a set in the United Kingdom.
Western Europe Performer (10 points): Play a set in Western Europe.
Eastern European Performer (10 points): Play a set in Eastern Europe.
Worldwide Sensation (25 points): Gain access to every venue in the world.
Road Dog (30 points): Play in every venue in the world.
One Million Fans (30 points): Reach 1 million fans in World Tour.
Open Road (20 points): Win a Bus in World Tour.
Got Wheels (20 points): Win a Van in World Tour.
Jet Setter (20 points): Win a Jet in World Tour.
Beat It! (10 points): Complete all beats at 60 BPM or higher or half of the beats at 140 BPM or higher.
The Beat Goes On (20 points): Complete all beats at 100 BPM or higher or half of the beats at 180 BPM or higher.
Fill Me In (10 points): Complete all fills at 60 BPM or higher or half of the fills at 140 BPM or higher.
Fill Legend (20 points): Complete all fills at 100 BPM or higher or half of the fills at 180 BPM or higher.
Secret Achievements:
Buy a Real Instrument Already! (35 points): Beat an "Impossible" Challenge with all players on Expert Difficulty.
Rock Immortal Inductee (20 points): Joined the Rolling Stone Rock Immortals list.
Vinyl Artist (20 points): Finished the Endless Setlist 2 in World Tour on Medium.
Gold Artist (30 points): Finished the Endless Setlist 2 in World Tour on Hard.
Platinum Artist (50 points): Finished the Endless Setlist 2 in World Tour on Expert.
(25 points): Completed the Endless Setlist 2 without pausing or failing.
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