Become a rock star, with a little more practice than before!
It’s always hard to make a sequel of a rhythm based music game without entering a state of déjà-vu. But if you already have the winning formula in place, why change it? Just throw on a new soundtrack, tweak the graphics a bit and throw it onto the shelves. Either that or add a harmonica accessory…
Thankfully Harmonix have decided that we’ve shelled out just about enough money on plastic instruments (although quieter drum kit and wireless guitars have been released for those of you who don’t know the meaning of the word ‘recession’). That just leaves the software to improve. With a toolbox in one hand and a list of things they can improve on, Harmonix got to work.
In the review for the first game, I made a minor complaint about the fact the solo career was very linear, whereas in multi-player you could experience the satisfaction of touring the world, collecting fans and roadies along the way. Yet in Rock Band 2, any number of people can take part in the tour. Even if just the one person decides to rock the world over, they can switch between the instruments whenever they want to.
Along with downloadable content, that makes just over 500 songs
For those who were a lot more comfortable following a more structured path in their musical career however, the Challenge mode should satisfy. Challenges…challenge you…to complete set lists with a particular instrument or another band member. Once one is completed, another is unlocked and increases in difficulty as you progress.
Creating your band is a much more personalised affair this time around. If you’re playing alone, you can allow characters you have created to take to the stage. This means that throughout the whole journey, be it alone or with others, you are always accompanied by your own specialised band. The ability to create your own logo and hire staff to help you out also helps draw you into the musical experience.
A new feature that is welcomed by many is the new ‘Drum Trainer’. Open up this training program and you’ll be given 76 beats and 45 fills to practice at your own leisure at whatever tempo you want. For those 
who felt uncomfortable by being thrown into the career mode with the drum kit, this is the perfect practice mode. Give it time and you’ll eventually be conquering beats at rapid speeds whilst feeling damn proud of your accomplishments.
Online has been given a bit of a revamp as well. Tour mode can now be played over the wonders of Broadband, whereas the ‘Battle of the Bands’ challenges pit you up against other bands worldwide.
As for the soundtrack, Harmonix has kept with the same formula as before, mixing up loads of songs from well known, independent, modern and classic artists, as well as throwing in fantastic classic hits(anyone who disagrees with me on that point obviously hasn’t discovered ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ on it yet).
If you have already glimpsed at the soundtrack and thought it wasn’t your cup of tea (as Rock ‘n’ Roll as that sounds…), you can still obviously download tracks off of Xbox Live. However if you’re one of those fussy players who thinks that the original soundtrack can never be beaten then for a very modest price you can export the songs from RB1 onto RB2.
Along with downloadable content, that makes just over 500 songs. Yet even if that doesn’t make you happy, the freestyle mode gives you the chance to play the drums to any music tracks you have saved to the Xbox music player. These can’t be played in tour mode, nor can you sing or play guitar in this mode, but it’s still a fun feature, if a little over-rated.
Other minor improvements are ones we expected. There are a few more venues and previous ones haven’t changed at all. There’s a new clothes shop filled with second hand stuff for some bizarre reason and there isn’t a vast increase on the amount of clothes you can purchase. C’mon though, you’re not vain enough to let that bother you…are you?
This doesn’t feel like a true sequel. More of an add-on or expansion pack, fixing problems found in the original. But it does its job well, making this utterly flawless. Let’s hope Harmonix don’t run out of new ideas, or expect a xylophone add-on for RB3…
The Bad: Nothing has changed in terms of gameplay
Diamond Y Award