Set list

While all the new modes certainly improve on the foundation that the original Rock Band formed, no good music game is worth its salt without a great soundtrack. Rock Band 2 ships with 84 songs, featuring bands such as AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, Guns N’ Roses, Journey, Megadeth, and Pearl Jam. Being that music is highly subjective, the strength of the set list is up for debate but Harmonix has certainly provided a more well-rounded soundtrack this time out.

Rounding out the soundtrack a little bit more is the ability to import 55 of the 58 original Rock Band disc songs to Rock Band 2. Grouped with the Rock Band 2 disc and the copious amounts of downloadable content, players will have access to over 200 songs right out of the box. In addition to all of that music Harmonix has announced that 20 additional songs will be coming for free at some point before the end of the year. They have stated also that by January the game will feature over 500 songs.

Minor changes

One area that Rock Band 2 does not really improve is in the graphics department. That isn’t to say that Rock Band 2 doesn’t look good – because it does – but it’s pretty much just like the original game. While the game doesn’t look much better from a graphical standpoint it has improved in its overall presentation. From the slick new intuitive menu system, modelled after the Rock Band store, to the slightly deeper character customization everything feels more finished. Almost like this is what Rock Band was supposed to look like.

Another area that got some minor changes was in the new instruments. While the Rock Band 2 Fender Stratocaster controller is still inferior to the Guitar Hero III Gibson Les Paul controller, it has improved a little bit (the strum bar is more firm), but certainly not enough to justify its price point. The new drum kit however is a big improvement over the original. The drum pads are now velocity sensitive, meaning less missed notes and the kick pedal has been reinforced and is less flimsy feeling. The new drum kit certainly isn’t needed but if you are looking for a solid upgrade, the new kit fits the bill.

True sequel

If Rock Band was a shot across the bow of the Guitar Hero franchise, Rock Band 2 is a salvo. It has set the bar for what a music game could and should be, mixing a deep and satisfying single player game with one of the best multiplayer games of last year. In the end Rock Band 2 is a true sequel. It fixes the little issues that Rock Band had, while adding some significant gameplay additions making Rock Band one of the best games of the year.