After a long delay, I was finally able to play Rock Band 2 over the weekend. The gameplay is basicall the same as the first version of the game. A friend even referred to RB2 as merely an expansion pack, which is mostly true.
There are a few different challenges in tour mode, but really, there's not a whole lot to do differently with rhythm games. So, in lieu of doing a traditional game review, here are my favorites and least favorites by instrument. I haven't unlocked all of the songs, by the way. (Note: I play guitar and drums on medium. I am not very good.)
Favorite guitar song: "Lazy Eye," by Silversun Pickups
Reason: When playing guitar, I don't care much for songs where you just quickly bang the same note over and over. So this one is nice because it builds up to a crashing, slightly complicated solo. "Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill is also very fun.
Least favorite guitar song: "Hello There," by Cheap Trick
Reason: I understand this is the theme song, but it's just too short and easy. Sure, I could play it on a harder level, but my pinkie finger isn't a fan of moving around.
Favorite drum song: "Everlong," by Foo Fighters
Reason: This isn't necessarily a difficult song, but it's a lot of fun, especially when your friend insists you play like Dave Grohl. Needless to say, my arms were swinging and I was sweating — both uncontrollably.
Least favorite drum song: "The Trees," by Rush
Reason: Just a personal choice. Rush sucks, in a big way.
Favorite singing … song: "Tangled Up in Blue," by Bob Bob Dylan
Reason: Everyone has a Bob Dylan impersonation. It's even more fun to unleash it during an actual singalong. Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" was also a fun one. A special note: My friend Jay, who is very much not a woman, really liked singing "We Got the Beat" by the Go-Gos. Just wanted to mention that.
Least favorite singing … song: "Rob the Prez-O-Dent," by That Handsome Devil
Reason: Singing can be pretty hard when you've never heard of the song, it goes really fast and you hate it. That was the case with this one. A blood vessel in my brain nearly popped trying to keep up with this mess.
That will most than likely do it for my Rock Band 2 talk. There will probably only be mentions of game in passing. But don't fret, Guitar Hero World Tour drops next month!
• Hat tip: I partly stole the title for this post from I Rock Cleveland, which is by far my favorite local music blog.
