Announcing Rock Band 2

[J Dogg]

Harmonix, MTV Games, and Elictronic Arts are taking the groundbreaking music platform that forever changed the face of music video games to the next level this September with the release of Rock Band 2. With the original providing millions of players a new way to interact with the music and artists they love, Rock Band 2 is the next evolution of the franchise that redefined the standard for music games.



Rock Band 2 builds upon its foundation as the first music game to introduce co-operative band gameplay, multiple instruments, a robust online multiplayer experience, an unrivaled offering of downloadable content and raises the bar by delivering an entirely new level of depth, connectivity, authenticity and features including:

- Backwards compatibility with Rock Band downloadable music content. All previously purchased tracks will immediately load into your Rock Band 2 song list. No need to re-purchase or re-download.
- The biggest and most diverse soundtrack ever featuring some of rock’s most prolific acts, comprised entirely of master recordings.
- Major new and dynamic online modes that will connect the entire Rock Band community in more ways than ever before both locally and globally.
- More variety of instrument choices than ever before with new and improved drum and guitar peripherals, enhanced functionality and innovative new designs - all fully compatible with the original Rock Band instruments.

"As successful as the original Rock Band continues to be, we've now had the benefit of the last eight months to listen to our fans' requests and to build upon that foundation," said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix. "Rock Band 2 is a second-generation band game that will elevate the music game experience to the next level."

Rock Band 2 will make its debut on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and have an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for additional platforms later this year.

“We expect Rock Band 2 to continue to drive an amazing social music experience on Xbox 360, said David Hufford, senior director, Xbox Product Management for the Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft... “We look forward to supporting Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360 as gamers continue to download hundreds of new music tracks from Xbox LIVE so they and their friends can perform the rock music they love most."
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[ThePandemonium]

Oh man. This should be quite awesome. I can't wait for this.
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Nintendo Wii Friend Code- 0484-4722-2393-6025
Nickname- Moz

[lazer1985]

wow! didnt expect this so soon!!!! especially since you can dl songs!!! this is gonna be awesome
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~DDR~ Simply the worlds best game

[eryk]

[Szalkow]

This could provide some vicious competition for the upcoming Guitar Hero World Tour.

Unfortunately, as a Wii player my preference will depend on the feature compatibility. Hopefully Harmonix will realize that porting the PS2 copy is a horrible idea (by comparison, GHWT will have full features for Wii, with minor effect/graphics differences from Xbox/PS3 versions).

[Rockstar]

Looks like Harmonix HAVE been listening to their fans:

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/puzzle/rockband2/news.html?sid=6193439&part=rss&tag=gs_previews&subj=6193439
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Bliss, My Muse Tribute Band:
http://www.myspace.com/tributetomuse

[Flameboat]

[Rockstar]

That's how I read it, too, hence the awesomeness.

Then add to that:
-Online Band World Tour
-Improved Solo Tour, for ALL instruments (yes, bass too)
-Characters can switch instruments
-No more mandatory band leader

Yeah, this looks kickass.
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Bliss, My Muse Tribute Band:
http://www.myspace.com/tributetomuse

[Rockstar]

So it is officially confirmed. Support for RB1 dlc AND on-disc songs, among many other things:

http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63005

And the full setlist is announced too:

http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63006


Looks like they are bringing in some big names and features; Guitar Hero and Rock Revolution better be ready to play hard!
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Bliss, My Muse Tribute Band:
http://www.myspace.com/tributetomuse

[Flameboat]

Hahahahha the Squier controller.

I'm super excited about the following tracks: Battery (Metallica; this has been my most wanted song for GH/RB for quite a while), Feel the Pain (Dinosaur Jr.), Drain You (Nirvana; I guess I'm just glad that they went with an album track for once), Today (Smashing Pumpkins), and Teen Age Riot (Sonic Youth; this is so awesome).
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"its never a mistake with flamebait"

[mtwieg]

Yeah, this is probably what convinces me to finally get a 360. I was hoping they'd add another pedal to the drum set, but whatever.

Also liking these songs:
Dream Theater “Panic Attack”
Judas Priest “Painkiller”
Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son”
Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen”
Megadeth “Peace Sells”
Motorhead “Ace of Spades”
Rush “The Trees”
Testament “Souls of Black”

It's about fucking time painkiller made it into a game. And Panic Attack had better have the hardest drumming part yet seen or it will be an outrage.
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[Flameboat]

My getting this all depends on whether or not the drums are actually better. I didn't get RB1 because it was so frustrating to try to get the drums to register correctly on every set I played on, and it was also the most annoying sound ever. If they're really quieter, and a bit more responsive... I'm in.

Also, the reinforced strum bar (I'm assuming GH style) is good, and I'll be interested to see how the in-guitar calibration works.
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"its never a mistake with flamebait"

[Syn Zero]

Mm, the special edition controller from Ion looks awesome. I'd totally consider selling off my original RB set and grabbing that instead.
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I'm just being nostalgic.