Rock Band 2

E3 2008: Rock Band 2's Big Challenge
World Tour gets a welcome upgrade.
by Hilary Goldstein
July 16, 2008 - Breaking news: Rock Band 2 plays like Rock Band 1. Ah, but here is the difference; Rock Band 2 adds a new challenge mode to both competitive multiplayer and World Tour. When first described, the idea of adding some challenges doesn't seem like such a big deal. But the new challenge additions should greatly improve Rock Band 2.

Solo mode has been absorbed into the revamped World Tour. No longer will you be playing through a linear track list only to find yourself stuck on a single song and never able to progress further. You can do the Tour solo or with a band. Either way you will travel from one venue to the next, as with RB1, working to unlock new goodies. But now instead of just playing some songs, you will engage in completing challenges.

The challenge list in World Tour is pretty robust. We saw options that included individual "warm-up" sets for each instrument as well as a warm-up for a band. But on top of this there was a Weezer DLC challenge (because Weezer's Red Album was in our collection) and genre and decade challenges.

The challenges can be as simple as beating some songs or it can require you to average a certain number of stars or to beat the set list without using overdrive or anything else Harmonix can dream up. This is a great way to integrate DLC into World Tour and should make for a far more stimulating campaign to become rock legends.

Harmonix revealed one other significant change to World Tour. You can now hire up a staff (and have it matter). Your mom is a freebie and is your #1 fan. She doesn't do much for you (other than ironing your underwear), but she'll never turn her back on you either. Who you hire outside of your mother affects your influx of fans and/or money.




Remember how in RB1 you could choose to sell out just to earn some extra cash at the expense of your hardcore fans? These one-time events are now rolled into actual people whom you hire. Hiring a street team to pass out fliers is a great way to get more fans, but it will cost you some cash. Or you can hire a marketing manager who will get you more money for every gig, but may turn off some fans.

But enough about World Tour, what about competitive multiplayer? Glad you asked. Battle of the Bands is Harmonix's big push. It's not what you are thinking. This isn't a band head-to-head battle. Instead, just as with World Tour, there will be numerous challenges generated. Harmonix promises to add new challenges every day.

You'll have score battles, tests to see who can get the longest note streak, or be expected to beat the hardest songs in Rock Band without using overdrive. Not only do the types of challenges change, but also the artists refresh regularly. So one day you may have an "Ace of Spades" guitar streak battle and the next it might be for "Tangled Up in Blue." There will be challenges for the most hardcore of RB players and softball pitches to novices.

Your band competes in these challenges and has their results uploaded to a leaderboard. If your score gets passed up, you'll be notified instantly so you can reclaim your spot in history. But time will be limited, as challenges change regularly. The cool thing about this system is that if you get boned on a challenge, you know that the next day will bring another one. That's a big change from the current leaderboard system where you can no hopes of cracking the top 100 without playing with your band every second of every day.







here's the list of rockband 2 songs


Song title Artist
"Ace of Spades" Motörhead
"Alabama Getaway" Grateful DeadGrateful Dead
"Alex Chilton" ReplacementsThe Replacements
"Alive" Pearl Jam
"Almost Easy" Avenged Sevenfold
"American Woman" Guess WhoThe 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 & Play (Keep 'em Separated)" OffspringThe Offspring
"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
"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" MuffsThe 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 Addiction
"My Own Worst Enemy" Lit
"New Kid in School" DonnasThe Donnas
"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" Megadeth
"Pinball Wizard" WhoThe Who
"Pretend We're Dead" L7
"Psycho Killer" Talking Heads
"Pump It Up" Elvis Costello
"Ramblin' Man" Allman Brothers BandThe Allman Brothers Band
"Rebel Girl" Bikini Kill
"Rock'n Me" Steve Miller Band
"Round and Round" Ratt
"Shackler's Revenge" Guns N' Roses
"Shooting Star" Bad Company
"So What'cha Want" Beastie Boys
"Souls of Black" Testament
"Spirit in the Sky" Norman Greenbaum
"Spoonman" Soundgarden
"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" Rush
"Today" Smashing Pumpkins
"Uncontrollable Urge" Devo
"We Got the Beat" Go-Go'sThe Go-Go's
"Where'd You Go" Mighty Mighty Bosstones
"White Wedding Pt. I" Billy Idol
"You Oughta Know" Alanis Morissette


Bonus songs
Song title Artist
"A Jagged Gorgeous Winter" Main DragThe Main Drag
"Conventional Lover" Speck
"Get Clean" Anarchy Club
"Neighborhood" Libyans
"Night Lies" Bang Camaro
"Rob the Prez-O-Dent" That Handsome Devil
"Shoulder to the Plow" Breaking Wheel
"Supreme Girl" SternsThe Sterns
"Visions" Abnormality






Plus the amazing amount of DLC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not really impressed with the song list, especially the bonus songs. There are better songs from a lot of those bands that could have been used. I don't even recall ever hearing of any of the bonus songs, although I liked the Bang Camaro song in Rock Band.

hm... you can't go wrong with DLC's they have every week tho... i know just about every other song but as soon as i find out wich dlc's they r thinkin about i'll post em

Meh its Rockband SO BORING!
Guitar Hero WOrld Tour ONLINE BAND MATCHS YEEEAH BOY!

So does rockband!!!

The premium drums

I can't wait to play spoon man, shooting star, SHAKLERS REVENGE FROM GNR'S FIRST ALBUM SINCE I WAS BORN lol close enough to it lol, round and round by ratt, rock'n me, ramblin' man, i'll attempt to sing pump it up lmao!, pinball wizard even tho its better with elton john, already d/l judas priest songs and they could have a btter one than painkiller, linkin park, my own worst enemy is definately my fav song in the 90's, man in the box, Lump even tho in my head I will b singing Gump from when weird al did it, livin on a prayer, ACDC, hello there by cheap trick they need a better song from them, go your own way a fleetwood mac pack would b bad ass, down with the sickness, come out & play an offspring pack would be awesome, chop suey, carry on my wayword son, bad reputation I had all the cassettes of joan jett, aqualung, any way you want it journey pack id definately get in a heart beat just like the boston pack, almost easy, alive PEARL JAM would be a great pack.

i'd love to see a blues traveler pack if they could or some counting crowes

Too bad saints row 2 is stuck in my mind in october i will never see this game lol

my wife by then will beg me to get this so we can play that... u might b seein her play the new cod if it has the split screen again... like how she used to play halo3 with me... shes actually pretty good

Amanda loves rockband!
I hate RockBand!
I like Gh hero series and the new guitar hero world tour is going to outsell rockband 2 fursher look at the equipment

lmao yea right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We'll find out when the sales reports come out... cant wait to prove u wrong on that