Rock Band 2

9.5 Overall Score
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 10/10
Controls: 10/10

Responsive controls, great songs

Average graphics

 

Game Info

Game Name: Rock Band 2

Developer(s): Harmonix (PS3/XBox 360)/Pi Studios (Wii)

Publisher(s): MTV Games

Platform(s): PS3, XBox 360, Wii

Genre(s): Music

Release Date(s): September 14, 2008 (XBox 360)/October 19, 2008 (PS3)/December 18, 2008 (Wii)

ESRB Rating: T

rock-band-2-screenshot

Aim high, score big!

Your band is back and now there is even more music to play.  Get your friends together, make a setlist, and start your rock odyssey.

Rock Band 2 really overtook the Guitar Hero franchise with the release of this game.  Its smooth controls, graphics, and huge setlist in addition to all the downloadable content just dwarfed Guitar Hero:  World Tour’s attempt to get into the multi-instrument arena.  Rock Band at this point was too established and had a larger music pool to pull from since artists were really recognizing the advantage of being on the popular video game.  The setlist is awesome and with the ability to import songs from Rock Band’s original game, it even adds more content.

The complete Rock Band 2 song setlist:

A Jagged Gorgeous Winter—The Main Drag

Ace of Spades ’08—Motorhead

Alabama Getaway—Grateful Dead

Alex Chilton—The Replacements

Alive—Pearl Jam

Almost Easy—Avenged Sevenfold

American Woman—The Guess Who

Any Way You Want It—Journey

Aqualung—Jethro Tull

Bad Reputation—Joan Jett

Battery—Metallica

Bodhisattva—Steely Dan

Carry On Wayward Son—Kansas

Chop Suey—System of a Down

Colony of Birchmen—Mastodon

Come Out and Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)—The Offspring

Conventional Lover—Speck

Cool for Cats—Squeeze

De-Luxe—Lush

Down with the Sickness—Disturbed

Drain You—Nirvana

E-Pro—Beck

Everlong—Foo Fighters

Eye of the Tiger—Survivor

Feel the Pain—Dinosaur Jr.

Float On—Modest Mouse

Get Clean—Anarchy Club

Girl’s Not Grey—AFI

Give It All—Rise Against

Give It Away—Red Hot Chili Peppers

Go Your Own Way—Fleetwood Mac

Hello There—Cheap Trick

Hungry Like the Wolf—Duran Duran

I Was Wrong—Social Distortion

Kids in America—The Muffs

Lazy Eye—Silversun Pickups

Let There Be Rock—AC/DC

Livin’ on a Prayer—Bon Jovi

Lump—Presidents of the United States of America

Man in the Box—Alice in Chains

Master Exploder—Tenacious D

Mountain Song—Jane’s Addition

My Own Worst Enemy—Lit

New Kid in School—The Donnas

Night Lies—Bang Camaro

Nine in the Afternoon—Panic! At the Disco

One Step Closer—Linkin Park

One Way or Another—Blondie

Our Truth—Lacuna Coil

Painkiller—Judas Priest

Panic Attack—Dream Theater

PDA—Interpol

Peace Sells—Megadeath

Pinball Wizard—The Who

Pretend We’re Dead—L7

Psycho Killer—Talking Heads

Pump It Up—Elvis Costello

Ramblin’ Man—The Allman Brothers Band

Rebel Girl—Bikini Kill

Rob the Prez-O-Dent—That Handsome Devil

Rock’n Me—Steve Miller Band

Round and Round—Ratt

Shackler’s Revenge—Guns N’ Roses

Shooting Star—Bad Company

Shoulder to Plow—Breaking Wheel

So What’cha Want—Beastie Boys

Souls of Black—Testament

Spirit in the Sky—Norman Greenbaum

Spoonman—Soundgarden

Supreme Girl—The Sterns

Tangled Up in Blue—Bob Dylan

Teen Age Riot—Sonic Youth

Testify—Rage Against the Machine

That’s What You Get—Paramore

The Middle—Jimmy Eat World

The Trees (Vault Edition)—Rush

Today—Smashing Pumpkins

Uncontrollable Urge—Devo

Visions—Abnormality

We Got the Beat—The Go-Go’s

Welcome to the Neighborhood—Libyans

Where’d You Go?—The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

White Wedding (Part 1)—Billy Idol

You Oughta Know—Alanis Morissette

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Rock longer & rock harder with one of the best setlists out there!

With the huge setlist and a much improved band tour, Rock Band 2 is definitely one of the best, if not the best music games out there.  Harmonix hit their stride with this game, destroyed Guitar Hero, and unfortunately was so successful that a flood of music games hit the market (including more games by Rock Band).  Great success is sometimes met by failure and the rise of the music game may end up being a failure in the long run…Guitar Hero is out…could Rock Band be next with all the games on the market?

Related Links:

Rock Band

Rock Band 3

The Beatles:  Rock Band

Lego Rock Band

Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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