The first Rock Band game disappointed me, besides a small handful of songs, there was nothing that greatly interested me, and sure, the added instruments were fun to try for a little bit but if I can't get into the songs, I can't get into playing them. Now that I've picked up Rock Band 2 I can safely say, I'm not sure any music game will ever be able to top this games set list.

Much like Rock Band 2, you have your Quick play and Tour game modes, in Quick play you have the option to play in a band through the songs you've already unlocked, go head to head in a tug of war themed dual, or try to score more than your opponent in a versus option, a nice little bonus on top of the already long and fun Tour. Speaking of Tour, you still have the option to create a band from scratch, along with customizable band mates which your friends can take full force and edit. After thinking of your band name and designing your own logo, it's time to hit the road.

Just like the previous installment, you'll be visiting cities one by one and tearing up sets in different venues. Sometimes you'll be asked to play a Benefit gig, challenged to use no Overdrive, play a private party, or do a double or nothing, it's a nice little addition to stir things up throughout the long winding Tour.

Character creation has improved slightly, with more options and clothing to choose, the character models move smoother than the last game and everything looks soft and clean. Filters and music video visuals during a performance are back again, and are placed at the best times during a play through a song. It's great and fits well with each song. One last thing worth mentioning is the camera cuts, which play out flawlessly. During your venture through the song certain notes will trigger the camera to change angles, on a fast-paced metal song, this amps you up.

Now after you go through the basics and new modes, really there's only one thing to take judgment on, the set list, and as I already said, it'll be hard to beat this one. Keep in mind this is my own personal opinion and preference, but still, it has some great songs. Personally I like every genre of music, excluding country rock and jazz. Included with RB2 you'll get big hits like "We Got the Beat", "Bad Reputation", "White Wedding", "One Way or Another", "American Woman", and "Eye of the Tiger." On top of that we have "Carry on Wayward Son", "Any Way You Want It" by Journey, and some newer stuff from Paramore and Guns N' Roses.

Songs are spread out well throughout the Tour in playlists and single sets. Your Tour ends on some of the greatest Metal to grace Rock Band, which is unsurprisingly the most fun to play. Songs like "Battery" by Metallica, "Almost Easy", and "Panic Attack" are the fastest and hardest songs in the mix. Then of course next to those songs we have the death metal, which is a fun time when singing since you could just tape the mic to an angry dog's mouth and get 100%.

So, another Rock Band is down, in its core elements nothing much has changed. You now have full support for cymbals which is great, since it definitely makes the game more fun, but other than that, the only BIG thing that's changed is the set list, and wow, what a set list.

Score - 8.6

- Hobo

article id: 715 | poster: OG