Rock Band 2 Options

[donkeybeatz]

To no one's surprise, Harmonix, MTV and EA are preparing an encore for Rock Band later this year. Rock Band 2 is now official -- and it's coming to Xbox 360 this September, with "other platforms" releasing later in the year.

Before you start deleting the dozens of tracks you've downloaded for the first Rock Band, know that RB2 features ground-breaking cross-title compatibility. There is no distinction between Rock Band 1 and Rock Band 2 DLC. Any DLC you've previously downloaded will instantly work with Rock Band 2 and all DLC will continue to work with the original game from here and into eternity. While Harmonix has yet to reveal the number of tracks included on the RB2 disc, with the inclusion of all the previously released DLC, the set list at launch may top 300 songs.

"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."

As with Activision's recently announced Guitar Hero World Tour, Rock Band 2 features all master recordings on disc. You can also expect major improvements to online functionality and a more "party friendly" set-up so it's easy to get guests rocking out faster.

While all RB1 peripherals will work with the sequel, upgraded versions will be available in a bundle pack. Harmonix isn't revealing what these upgrades are just yet.

Rock Band downloads will continue to arrive weekly for both Xbox 360 and PS3. Each track you purchase is essentially extending your library of Rock Band 2 tracks. And even though PS3 owners will have to wait longer to get Rock Band 2 on disc, they will still have access to new downloadable content with RB1. With Rock Band DLC having now surpassed 15 million paid downloads, there appears no end in sight for the most successful digitally distributed product on 360 and PS3.

So why release first on Xbox 360? "Microsoft has been a great partner throughout the launch of Rock Band in the last year and their continued support is instrumental in supporting the more advanced features and cross title compatibility we will have in Rock Band 2," a Harmonix representative told IGN. "Of course, our goal is to make Rock Band 2 accessible to all and we look forward to bringing Rock Band 2 to all relevant platforms later this year."

For more details on Rock Band 2, check out IGN's exclusive interview, which is packed with info.

via IGN

Official Press Release

Man, THIS September? Going to be an interesting showdown between GH:WT & RB2. I, for one, am totally sold. More info will be revealed at this year's E3.

[Crushinator]

Got the Ion kit today!

Big box is big. It weighed 33 lbs!


It has a cool RB branded box too, next to the Strat for size comparison.


Every part comes in its own little box. Yes the "Empty Box" has nothing in it.


This is the frame, took me about 50 minutes to get to this point. The whole undertaking was about an hour and a half for me.


And the final product, ready to rock!


The feel of the whole product is fantastic. Everything is heavy and high quality, you can tell its set to take a beating. The bass pedal is entirely metal, which makes it take a lot less effort to push the pedal down compared to the stock RB set. I'm still getting used to using the yellow cymbal as a hi-hat, but the green crash cymbal is like second nature now.

I still have some tweaking to do as far as the pad positioning and height, but all in all I couldn't be more pleased with the Ion kit. Now if only I had a house (or at least a ground floor apt) so i could play till all hours of the night

EDIT: Pics of the bass for Donkey. I decided to pick it up since my Xplorer GH2 controller died during my inaugural RB2 marathon.



The little black knob is the whammy, and you also have a knob that twists to the left or right for Start/Back, which is pretty cool. The double strum bar is nice too when you're playing pluck-style on bass, not so much on guitar.