It’s all about perspective. Yesterday, I told you why Guitar Hero World Tour is better than Rock Band, but upon further inspection, the exact reverse may be true. Yup, there are definitely some arguments that may lead you think that Rock Band 2 is superior to Guitar Hero World Tour. Lean in the direction of Electronic Arts and Harmonix, because they’ve got Neversoft and Activision beat.
Familiar Multiplayer Experience
Harmonix may not have been the first one to come up with the “band” concept for a rhythm game, but they were one of the first to popularize the concept in North America. Furthermore, before Harmonix created the Rock Band franchise, it was responsible for Guitar Hero. In this way, you know that the developers are already bringing a wealth of experience to the table and you’ll exactly what to expect when you play Rock Band 2, just as you know what it’s like to play the first Rock Band. It’ll be familiar, so you wont’ have to learn a new interface or game screen before fully immersing yourself in a world filled with killer tunes.
Automatic Guitar Calibration
As nice as it is to play Guitar Hero or Rock Band on a nice big-screen HDTV, this can bring about some calibration issues because these high-definition televisions may have a slight delay in either the audio or video department. Your timing will be off and you’ll quickly fail just about any song in Rock Band. Previously, there was a calibration function where you had to manually get the timing just right, but with Rock Band 2, it’s automatic. The wireless guitar will have a tiny microphone and a small light sensor, so you just enter the calibration tool and it will make the adjustments for you.
100 Songs At Launch, 500 Songs By Christmas
A rhythm game is only as strong as its playlist. As much fun as I had with Guitar Hero III, it didn’t take long before I was yearning for more tracks to enjoy. Addressing our insatiable appetite for music, Rock Band 2 will ship with no fewer than 84 songs on the disc with a redemption code for 20 free downloaded songs to boot. This is in addition to the ability to import your tracks from the first Rock Band, not to mention the aggressive expansion of DLC (downloadable content) on the way. Harmonix and Electronic Arts are shooting for 500 tracks by Christmas.
Drum Trainer for Newbies
Of the instruments played in Rock Band and Rock Band 2, the drums have to be the most challenging. You’ve got to coordinate the movements of both hands, as well as one foot. It’s a lot to learn and it can be very frustrating for beginners. To address this concern, Rock Band 2 will have a proper drum trainer program in the game that will walk you through all the basics and introduce you to some standard patterns.
Ion Premium Drum Set
The newbies may appreciate the drum trainer mode, but the hardcore enthusiasts may like the Ion Premium Drum Set even more. Instead of batting around on some plastic drums, you can opt for this more expensive set. They’re not professional grade, but they’re a huge improvement over the basic set. Just be prepared to fork out about $300 for them, in addition to a couple of guitars, a mic, and the game itself.
Clearly, Rock Band 2 is superior to Guitar Hero World Tour and that’s why it’s the rhythm game for you. Rock on!
The ION Drums made by ALESIS are professional grade. The only difference between it and their “REAL” kit is the lack of a high hat pedal and the Midi brain module. If you want to turn the RB2 kit into a real kit, all you need is that model and the extra snare pedal that plugs in. You can also turn it into a double kick kit with an extra pedal. It’s pretty uber and it’s ON my list 😉
Now you leave us wondering what your real opinion/preference is….
Rock Band 1 was just launched in Singapore last week, 10 months after it was launched in US.
It’s a shame for music gamers here and we still got a long way to go to be the Digital Media Gateway of Asia.