|
In a matter of months, the original Rock Band took the world by storm. Equal parts party game, skills challenge, and a music fans wet dream, it successfully bridged the gap between casual and hardcore audiences. For the first time in as long as I can remember, a new IP debuted that everybody could enjoy. That's why it was so surprising to hear that the sequel would be on store shelves less than a year from it's original release.
So was it just a quick cash grab, or did the team at Harmonix have the time they needed to make big enough changes to the Rock Band formula to justify a sequel? Read on to find out;
Kevin: It's been well documented here on the site and in the BitCast where our loyalties lie when it comes to the big rhythm games. While Rock Band was able to do a great job capturing the spirit of playing in a plastic band there were some small issues here and there that got in the way of the fun. When it came time to make Rock Band 2 it's like Harmonix read my mind of all the things I wanted them to fix.
Don't let the "2" tacked on to the end of this release fool you, this isn't a true sequel in the way we're used to thinking of them. Really Rock Band 2 is a huge pack of new songs (all masters) and a big patch thrown in. Is this a bad thing? Of course not. The huge number of songs included on the disc are alone enough to justify the price (84 in all). Add in to that the 55 songs from the Rock Band 1 disc that can be exported into this title and you have plenty of songs to keep you occupied without even counting the downloadable tracks you might already have. Of course you don't have to worry about all the songs you bought in the first game not being compatible with the sequel, it all works both ways. Activision, you should be taking notes here.
Gone are the "solo tours" from the first game since you can now play the main part of the game, World Tour, without needing at least two people. This is the most useful and welcomed "fix" from the first game. Also characters or avatars you created aren't tied down to any one instrument finally, another highly welcomed change. If this had been all Harmonix did to improve on the first game I would have been a happy camper.
The gameplay is completely in tact from the first game, thankfully unchanged. The note charts still feel natural and fun when they should be and challenging when the song calls for it. Having picked up the disc-only version I can't really comment on the new equipment (all the same equipment that was compatible with the first game works here as well) but I'd love to know if the guitar has improved over the first version.
The track list includes a very wide variety of songs that is sure to have something for anyone who wants to play the game. Between the included tracks and available DLC it's pretty easy to customize the game to cater to your own tastes. Maybe some day instead of judging our friends' taste by their CD collection we'll rate their Rock Band content instead...
Rock Band 2 does everything to keep its place as my go-to rhthym and party game of choice. All the welcomed fixes and changes they made to the game only make it easier to keep the beer-soaked nights of advanced karaoke going until the neighbors start complaining. Even when they do the game makes it hard to want to stop the party.
Dan: I've got to admit it's getting better... a little better, all the time.
Rock Band 2 is by no means the revolution that the first game was, so if you've been playing Rock Band 1 since release day (like me) don't expect to have your socks blown off by Rock Band 2. That being said, the second installment in the series adds a few new elements and more importantly fixes some problems to easily make it worth your while to pick up.
It's been written about a few times now but it's worth mentioning again that for five bucks they let you copy almost all your Rock Band 1 songs to your local HDD so you can play them in the new game. This limits you from having to go back to a less polished game in order to play the songs you enjoy. Likewise, all DLC is cross-game compatible so that money isn't wasted. If you haven't made the jump to RB2 yet you can continue to buy songs and know you'll be able to use them down the line.
The main issue addressed this time around is the so called "World Tour" mode. In the first Rock Band you needed a least 2 players to enjoy it, and without a bandmate you were pretty much stuck with a standard list of tracks to work though. Well no more. "World Tour" is now the only game mode here, except for the featureless and quintessential "Quickplay." Whether you have one player or four, playing local or over the web, you'll be rocking out to the World Tour mode that was so awesome in the first game. Working your way from club to club with objectives to complete (setlists, minimum stars, etc) adds some much needed variety and is a welcome change to RB1's "beat song to continue" structure.
Notecharting seems spot on once again and doesn't suffer from the Guitar Hero mantra of adding extra notes just to make songs hard. In Rock Band harder songs are towards the end of the game, so I felt a bit letdown since the end was mostly metal.
Even the drums get a much needed facelift. The originals were awesome but definitely needed improving. Now we get wireless on the 360, velocity sensitive pads and more importantly everything in QUIETER. No loud thwacking. RB2 offers some definite improvements over it's predecessor.
Jim: Despite my recent Rock Band related hardware fire, I couldn't help but rush out and buy a replacement hub so I could keep on rocking. That's just how good this game is. If you've played the first game you know this already, and itt's good if you have because not a lot has changed since the first go round. It may echo what my fellow writers have written here, but why would Harmonix change anything? When you've got a solid formula with your franchise, a sequel should address the few complaints people had about the predecessor and embrace what people already love. It's a big part of the reason why Guitar Hero III was such an epic failure -- nobody had a problem with GHII, yet they felt the need to toss in a hokey battle mechanic and make the game artificially more difficult. Luckily the team behind Rock Band 2 followed that logic to a tee -- they addressed the issues in RB1 and embraced what made the game great.
The game is filled with little tweaks that really round out the experience. Song selection now mirrors the layout of RB1's late arriving Music Store. Single player ditches the GH carbon copy in favor of solo World Tour play. Band members aren't tied down and can be shuffled around. So many of these little tweaks rounded out the package so that it didn't feel like a cookie cutter sequel. Roll that together with the 84 tracks that ship on disc and you've got yourself a hell of a bargain. Seriously - think about it. People pay 160 points a song. PS2 and Wii owners were pay $30 for a 20 song track pack. With an MSRP of $59.99 you're paying 71 cents a song. That's the lowest price yet. Even as a standalone track pack RB2 is an incredible value.
The downside? Once you get used to the small tweaks, RB2 sometimes does feel like a glorified track pack. Don't get me wrong, all of the changes were appreciated, there's just still more that need to be addressed. Character creation is the same awkward mess it always was. Band members can change instruments now but not without an awkward profile logout and back in. And the instrument+vocal solo mode that had been hinted at in an interview with IGN last spring? Nowhere to be found.
Rock Band 2 is a definite step forward for the franchise, but there's still some work to be done before this attains perfection. The revamped World Tour mode was a great start. I can't wait to see where they go from here.
Ryan: Rock Band 2 is very precisely more of a good thing. It would not be inaccurate to term it Rock Band 1.5 for the sake of accuracy, but this in no way diminishes the fact that it is still 1.5 X somethingawesome. What you get for your money – and which particular configuration you opt/need to buy – will vary depending on where you are coming from in terms of not just RB1 but also the Guitar Hero factor. But first thing's first.
I was an owner of the original Rock Band kit and kaboodle (for PS3) and I felt no particular hurry in picking up RB2, despite having played the great snarking bejeezus out of the original. We just passed into November 2008 and, I don't know if you've noticed, but it is absolutely raining games out there. Giant gales and drifts of them flying down the street. One's time must be prioritized. If you haven't played Rock Band yet I would urge you to just stop everything you are doing right now and go get it. Really. The game continues to successfully convert rooms of bored people into a noisy bedlam of shrieking, flailing, YouTube blackmail-worthy antics. The thing prints fun. Only the most dour and soulless (or elitist) cretins dare malign the game's achievements out of anything other than some misplaced spite. For returning veterans who need no introduction, what awaits you is a comfy couch that is slightly more stylish and cushy than the one you feel like you just bought last year.
Harmonix has smoothed over the prominent warts from RB1 – the band leader tedium is gone as are the instrument-specific characters; world tour can be played individually offline or on; there's obviously a pile of new content (84 songs on-disc, 20 bonus indy tracks available for free download); and a new emphasis on drum play extension is present as well. It is in areas like this that you can see the philosophical differences between the (new) Guitar Hero series and the Rock Band platform. Harmonix seems more intent on attempting to nurture and extend the game's reach into musical training on the drums specifically (rather than a complicated music-arrangement sequencer ... thing.) There's also evidence of much greater internet connectivity in the works for the game aside from the current online tour and "battle" modes. It's not difficult to foresee something like Burnout Paradise's calendar of events in a future patch where players meet online to compete. Freestyle mode is a welcome and painfully obvious addition as well, allowing the user free reign to flail away sans notechart using any accompanying background MP3 they chose. We must hail such an inclusion for no other reason than the fact that it will bring us videos of people with freakishly fast feet.
In the end I obviously would recommend the game, but with the caveat that unless you are absolutely dying to play it right now it can in fact wait, as Rock Band is a known quantity. There's nothing very drastic here unless you're a total freak for the drums, in which case there are no reservations. If you are invested in Guitar Hero as well you'll be happy to know that the instruments supposedly play nice between GH:WT and the RB games. Take a look at the tracklists for each game and decide accordingly. It is all about the content, after all.
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 