As an exercise in sheer oneupsmanship, it seemed damn near impossible to trump last fall’s Rock Band, considering the progression that led up to that point. After 3 iterations of strictly guitar-based gameplay, fleshing out the experience to include vocals, bass guitar and drums was nothing less than absurd; one could be forgiven for wondering if a literal kitchen sink would eventually be involved.
While RB’s competitors are covering similar ground for their fall releases, stuffing in their own proprietary plastic instrument peripherals, Rock Band 2 ($59.99, X360, PS3, Wii, PS2) takes a decidedly less ambitious approach, for better or worse.
Developer Harmonix has always described the game in interviews as a “platform,” and in that sense, it might be better to call the game an expansion pack, loaded with numerous incremental upgrades, instead of a full fledged sequel.
The game comes packaged with 84 tracks, 20 more than in the original, and selections run the gamut from classic rock to metal, though there’s a heavy slant towards recent bands; a majority fall under the “Hey, didn’t I hear this on a movie/T.V. soundtrack?” category.
This isn’t necessarily an issue, though, as with most rhythm-based games, how much enjoyment you get from Rock Band 2 depends on how well you know the song and the game strikes a good balance between solid tracks and songs meant to be drunkenly group-sung during your next party. (With said drunken parties, the self-explanatory addition of a “No-Fail” mode definitely helps in avoiding buzzkills from a friend failing everyone else out of the song)
Outside of the track additions, the single-player experience’s the only major aspect of the game to get any considerable attention; the traditional single-player campaign, where players would unlock songs by progressing through the track list, has gotten rolled into the “World Tour” mode.
While both modes served the same purpose in the original, having them merged together makes the process of unlocking songs slower than it needs to be (though the usual codes still apply, for those of a less moral persusasion). “World Tour” mode has, thankfully, been made more flexible, as band leaders have been taken out; players aren’t bound to instruments either, so missing one person won’t force players to stick to Quickplay.
Challenges, band battles and drum trainer round out the additions; the first two have bands facing off on playlists with various constraints for personal & leaderboard notoriety. Finding other players is also a relatively pain-free process.
While playing Rock Band online could be best described as an exercise in self-loathing and patience, finding players was quick and dropped players could leave without forcing the session to end, a definite plus.
Drum Trainer is relatively straight forward, as each mode (Beat/Fills) throws a variety of rhythms for players to master at adjustable speeds. For players struggling to master drums, the lack of instruction beyond the lines doesn’t really lend itself well to training, but for players who need the practice, it works well enough.
On the whole, Rock Band 2 serves its main purpose well enough; namely, more Rock Band, though whether or not that’s an issue depends on your enthusiasm for the franchise. RB 2’s relative unambition is its biggest fault, though.
Considering the scene a year ago, where Guitar Hero (now bundling a full fledged music creation suite), was getting derided for “playing it safe,” the role reversal at play is definitely a bit disappointing. After all, having Rock Band come to its second outing by rehashing its older work seems a little… well, un-rock and roll, to say the least.