Today we spent some time with MTV Games and Harmonix’s Rock Band 2, a title which should be self-explanatory enough for anyone who’s a fan of the original. Still, the Harmonix rep provided a very rational explanation of the company’s approach to developing the sequel to the smash hit: If Rock Band was innovation, Rock Band 2 is perfection.
What? You have to buy new instruments all over again? It might sound rather insane, but when you hear about the improvements that have been made, you’re probably going to want them anyway. For starters, the strum bar on the guitar is less “mushy”, meaning while it’s still pretty easy to depress in either direction, you get more tactile feedback and a very slight “click” feel when using it. This makes it feel more like the Guitar Hero hardware, except without the loud audible clicks while you’re playing. While this is a good improvement, it’s also rather minor.
The drums are a whole different story though. The new set looks sturdier and more refined than the older one, with a slick hybrid-metal petal and nicer pads. These drums also provide for snap-on cymbals in case you want to have a little more fun while playing. Or, if you’re really serious, you can opt for the $300 professional set, developed in conjunction with an actual drum set manufacturer. This set comes complete with cymbals of its own and is extremely high-quality. If and when you decide to graduate beyond the realm of Rock Band and into the world of making your own music, the $300 drum set actually converts to a real drum set and can be used professionally. Very cool!
The game itself has seen some pretty profound upgrades as well. For starters, the set list selection screen has been completely revamped to better accommodate large numbers of songs. This is inspired by the online downloadable song shop, and it allows for sorting in a variety of different ways. It also provides difficult ratings for each individual instrument, as well as an aggregate rating, for every song in the library, making selection easier than ever.
In quick play, you can actually put together your own custom set list, which means no lingering pauses in-between songs that would get a normal band booed off-stage during your typical controlled substance-laden chest-flashing festival. There are even competitive set lists that will be provided for bands to see who can reap the highest score on a daily leaderboard (rather than try to off-seat the highest-ranked-of-all-time hyperbands that quickly find their way to the top of the overall leaderboards). One of these, for instance, will consist of the longest songs in the game all on the same set list, and is possibly going to be named the Peeing In Your Pants competition.
Apart from all of that, the World Tour mode will now consist of more venues, more challenges, and more options as well, such as the ability to ditch the rest of your band and go solo if they piss you off. A new drum trainer mode provides an opportunity for more serious players to really brush up on their percussive skills. And finally, Harmonix has heard the cries of everyone complaining about how much of a pain it is to get Rock Band to work with their LCD television, fumbling endlessly through the same dredging calibration sequence, only to become hypnotized by the moving white bar… calibration in Rock Band 2 is automatic, my friends. There’s a photosensor on the guitar that you simply hold up to the screen to execute the calibration. Awesome? Awesome.
But while the interface and features are important, what’s equally impacting, of course, is the list of songs in the game. Though this has been posted all over the place, here it is again, direct from EA.
Rock Band 2 On-Disc Track List:
1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s
2. AFI “Girl’s Gone Grey” 2000’s
3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990’s
4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990’s
5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970’s
6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000’s
7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970’s
8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990’s
9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000’s
10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990’s
11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980’s
12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970’s
13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970’s
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980’s
15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970’s
16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980’s
17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990’s
18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000’s
19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000’s
20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980’s
21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970’s
22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970’s
23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990’s
24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000’s
25. Interpol “PDA” 2000’s
26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980’s
27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970’s
28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000’s
29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980’s
30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970’s
31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990’s
32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970’s
33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990’s
34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000’s
35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000’s
36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990’s
37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990’s
38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000’s
39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980’s
40. Metallica “Battery” 1980’s
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990’s
42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000’s
43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980’s
44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990’s
45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960’s
46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000’s
47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000’s
48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990’s
49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990’s
50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990’s
51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980’s
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990’s
53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000’s
54. Rush “The Trees” 1970’s
55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000’s
56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990’s
57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990’s
58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980’s
59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990’s
60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970’s
61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970’s
62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970’s
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980’s
64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000’s
65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970’s
66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000’s
67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990’s
68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000’s
69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980’s
70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980’s
71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970’s
72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990’s
73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990’s
74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980’s
75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960’s
And, of course, the bonus songs in the game:
76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000’s
77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000’s
78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000’s
79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000’s
80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000’s
81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000’s
82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000’s
83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000’s
84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000’s
All Rock Band 1 songs are also immediately importable into the second game after simply providing the game disc once, and all downloaded content will be forward-compatible as well. The Rock Band team has promised over 500 songs by this holiday season, which sounds quite impossible to achieve, but they’ve assured us that it’s going to happen. That’s a lot of songs.
Anyhow, for even more in-depth information about Rock Band 2, check out Greg’s preview of the game (also here on the site, of course), or the fully free downloadable video presentation from the Harmonix designers themselves.
We’ll have more on Rock Band 2 as soon as it’s possible—meanwhile, I’ve got to find my chance to step up and sing a tune or two.
