"Guitar Hero" was always a pretty fun series, but what if you wanted to do more than simulate just playing a guitar? Well, the original "Guitar Hero" creators at Harmonix answered that with the "Rock Band" series, allowing gamers to play the guitar, bass, drums and vocals on a song. The first game was a massive success, and a solid step forward for rhythm games, so of course it was exciting when the sequel was announced. Alongside "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock," this was a game I sunk way too many hours into, and it remains one of my favorite rhythm games and even one of my favorite video games ever.
"Rock Band 2" is best enjoyed with friends and family, and playing it as a full band is unbelievably fun, but that's not to say that the game isn't fun to play on your own: the charts are challenging but accessible across several different instruments, and having an expansive 80-song setlist (plus tons of downloadable content and the ability to import songs from the original "Rock Band" game) is a blessing. Not only that, but the setlist is extremely memorable, and among the best on-disc "Rock Band" setlists. I also like a lot of the changes to the game that, despite seeming incremental, are actually really great: having an Online World Tour is plenty of fun, the instruments included in this game are far better than those in the first game, the addition of the "No Fail" mode is great for novice players (and for hardcore players, it's nice having "Breakneck Speed" akin to "Hyperspeed" from "Guitar Hero"), and there are also plenty of great new modes and improvements for the drums in particular. There's the addition of drum solos (like the guitar solos in the original), new sets of drum training for things like beats and fills, and a full-blown Freestyle Mode as well. Call it a bit of bias given that I'm a drummer, but I love those modes. It's a shame "Rock Band 4" didn't offer similar modes for beats and fills.
I can't really say too many negatives about the game itself, but I guess the one negative I will bring up is that it was all downhill from here: I mentioned in the title that this game was perhaps the peak of the rhythm genre, and that's not to say I liked it more than "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock," but this game was, to me, one of the last truly "excellent" plastic instrument-based game. It was after this game that 2009 would arrive and flood the gaming world with far too many games, staling out what was once a novel concept and reducing it to a mere fad. Let this be a lesson: don't take for granted the high points of a series or genre, and don't let those high points be an impetus to flood the world with them. Work smarter, not harder.
Overall, though, "Rock Band 2" remains the peak of the "Rock Band" series, and maybe even the peak of the entire legion of plastic instrument gaming. It's still a stellar game to this day and one of the most memorable experiences the series has offered. If you play one game in this franchise, make it "Rock Band 2."
Final rating: 10 out of 10 "Fantastic"