Keeping the Rock Band Together Comes at a Price—$60 to Continue to Rock Out

There was one question that continuously popped into my mind while playing Rock Band 2, the newest entry in an ever-crowded field of music games that require plastic instruments: did I seriously drop 60 bucks on something that should be downloadable content? I mean, did I really walk down to GameStop to buy what amounts to a software update?

The updates to this game are minimal to say the least. Even the most die-hard Rock Band players will have a hard time getting excited about anything in Rock Band 2 other than the impressive song library. While minor additions—such as the ability to hold down fret buttons in anticipation of notes and the “No Fail” mode for drums—are welcome changes, they are not changes worthy of a $60 sequel to one of the biggest games of 2007.

The one saving grace in this obvious money-grab from Electronic Arts and Harmonix (the publisher and developer, respectively) is the 84-song set list. It is pretty stunning, spanning original tracks from the Talking Heads (“Psycho Killer”), to Red Hot Chili Peppers (“Give it Away”), and even throw-away tracks like “One Step Closer” by Linkin’ Park. There’s not much you can say about the collection other than the fact that it is really fun to play through. Even when the game throws you something disappointing, like “Nine in the Afternoon” by Panic! at the Disco, you can feel relieved that something awesome (like “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains) is right around the corner.

Also, as in the last game, Harmonix has done an excellent job tooling the song charts in such a way that everybody, no matter what instrument they’re playing, can feel as though they’re contributing to the virtual band in a positive way. While the guitar charts are still not as complicated and involved as anything in Guitar Hero, the game makes up for it by presenting a cohesive band experience—nobody gets left out of the fun.

Unfortunately, there are major problems regarding the song collection. First off, it’s ridiculous to have to pay to transfer your songs from the original Rock Band to the current version, reminding you that you have been conned by Electronic Arts into buying an expensive software upgrade. There is no reason why that function should not have been free.

Second, the unlock mechanic within the collection is maddeningly frustrating. Very few of the tracks are open to you from the outset of the game, which is sure to anger many players just hoping to have some fun with friends without toiling through career mode to unlock the killer songs. While die-hard players will have no problem playing and replaying songs just to unlock new ones, it’s shocking that Harmonix would create such a barrier for casual players.

Overall, this is a very disappointing follow-up to an amazing game. The original Rock Band was innovative—it shattered conceptions of what a game could be and was worthy of the millions of units it sold. This iteration is merely a repeat and comes off as a shady attempt to sell more units by Electronic Arts.