Only 10 months after the release of Rock Band, developer Harmonix has returned for an encore with Rock Band 2, a game that improves on almost everything the previous game did, and that's saying a lot considering the original Rock Band was met with near universal praise by critics and gaming enthusiasts alike.
The main feature of Rock Band 2 is, of course, the music. The set-list is the most diverse selection in a music game to date.
The 84 on-disc songs would be incredible on their own, but Harmonix has more than a couple things up its sleeve to keep players rocking for a very long time. Almost all songs from the original Rock Band disc can be exported for use in the game for just $5. In addition to the Rock Band songs, any song downloaded from the music store in Rock Band is instantly added to the playlist for Rock Band 2.
Then, there's the slightly hidden secret printed on the back cover of Rock Band 2's instruction manual: Some time before the end of the year, anyone who has bought the game will be treated to 20 extra songs, completely free.
Developers have focused on refining the Rock Band formula, improving it and removing some of the flaws from the previous game.
A couple of welcome changes have been made in this incarnation. Bands have no leader anymore, giving players the opportunity to guide their band through the World Tour, whether they are jamming with three of their friends or just pulling a David Lee Roth and deciding to go solo. The difficulty impedance has also been removed for the most part, although players rocking out on easy or medium difficulties will see diminishing returns in terms of fans and cash as they rise through the tiers.
The biggest new feature in the game is the online Battle of the Bands. This mode pits players against their friends in themed competitions. Harmonix has promised at least one new challenge every day, giving considerable replay value to the game for months to come.
The game isn't without faults though. Some of the songs that are great outside of the game just aren't suited for the game-play style, leading to snoozers like Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue." The game could have also used more options for character customization.
Rock Band 2 isn't a groundbreaking sequel, but it is a brilliant extension of the brand, and at $60 it's worth the cash to live out your rock dreams.
Sean May is a senior telecommunications major and writes "Bytes and Pages" for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
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