Last year, as a family Christmas present, I took several gift cards I had collected and purchased Rock Band for the family. It was an instant hit as everyone in the house created a character and, because there are six of us, we were allowed to shift out when someone needed a break. And if there was ever a party game to have, it was this. Friends would come over or we would go over to someone else's house and inevitably the game would come out from a closet and several hours later, a band would break up, only to be inevitably reunited at the next get together. But for all the fun there was, there were a few glaring problems to iron out. Well thankfully, one year later, Harmonix drops the new and imnproved version of Rock Band and boy does it, er, uh, rock.

So here we go, Rock Band 2 for the PS3 does what it set out to do. Make a game that is relatively family friendly (some music is a little rough for little ones; Dad, what is the sickness?) and then inject 80-plus songs into the game along with 20 free song downloads online. That's more than 100 songs for the mathematically challenged. Factor in, the fact you can upload all the songs unlocked from the first game, and you have well over 150 songs. AND, if you downloaded any songs for the first game, they too, will be brought over. This is something impressive folks, no other rock game can touch this.

 
 "Gonna need some ice after the set..."

So let me say that the game pretty much plays and looks the same as the last version. This is not bad; the whole setup is easy on the eyes, has a natural feel to it and makes long playing a bit more comfortable. But what is new in terms of actual gameplay? Well, for starters, all the instruments got a kick in the pants. Guitar players who mastered the Guitar Hero series had complained that the guitar section was too easy. They can't complain anymore; the lead guitar has gotten quite complicated and much more of a challenging instrument. And just so everyone gets to partake in the spotlight, the drummer position also has seen a boost in the action in the form of drum solos and much more challenging riffs. Last but not least, the bass guitar, long languishing in the background gets the opportunity to shine in the form of lead bass lines and more driving bass groves. 

But what about the songs Mike, the songs???? Well, I would be lying if I said I liked them all, there is no pleasing everyone all of the time, but I do like a lot of the selections they have added to the game. Songs like, Livin on a Prayer by Bon Jovi, Hungry like the Wolf by Duran Duran, Alanis Morisette's You Outta Know and others can really get your inner rocker pumping. And I have to mention that there is a song called "Lump" by the Presidents of the United States. I used to sing that song to my eight-year old when he was born, and now I am rocking out to it with him. It practically brings a tear to my eye; I love this game.

 
"Start a band, rock the world, break up because it's bedtime for the drummer."

But there is more. Aside from the world tour mode that made everyone really push it to get every song unlocked, there are challenges that occur online at random times allowing bands to duel against one another. Some of these challenges are up on the game server for days, others for hours and at all sorts of weird times. I mean I realize the game is global, but who has their band ready to challenge at 3 a.m.? Fortunately, I did and we lost, but that's what is so cool; the game constantly throws things at you. In the tour mode with your band, you are often challenged to do things you might not normally do - things like play the set without using the power move (that amps up your score) or do something for charity (the cause, not the girl). All of it affects your fan total and the total number of stars you can get. And those stars are pretty important. Many places are inaccessible unless you have a certain amount of stars. And since this game has a gajillion songs potentially, you are gonna want to have your "A" game going.

Interestingly enough, the developers also added a "no fail" option to the game, so that players who are novices and those who are veterans can play through the song completely. This, I suspect was done so that the party-style atmosphere could be kept rockin' instead of failing out of a song. Let me set the scene: you and your wife/girlfriend or boyfriend are attending a holiday party with many other guests. Your spouse reluctantly straps on a guitar and is told to play bass to "Spirit in the Sky" with three other people who know what they are doing since they have played before. Your spouse shoots you a nervous look and after three quick fails, the song is cut short and your spouse is embarrassed, they go to the bathroom and lock the door for the next 90 minutes. The party atmosphere feels very uncomfortable and several people leave after your spouse had a breakdown by the punch bowl. Not a pretty situation. However, this did not happen because you told the host, who was playing the drums, to put it on "no fail" and even though your spouse only scored a 58%, the song was completed, high fives were given and you lost your date for the remainder of the evening to a mock band. Everyone goes home happy; good times.

Additionally, there is a tutorial on the drums to help maneuver though the very tricky sets that are laid before you in the game. There players will be able to work on their off-beats, rhythms and other drumming essentials.

 
"Take that Steven Tyler!"

 One gripe about last version was that you could create a character and then that character was associated with that instrument you created them with. No longer. When you reload your saved band file, and you want to play the bass this time, and the drummer now wants to sing, you can still select your created character and now they are available on whatever instrument you play. This is great because I know everyone was sick of having to have to make another character every time they wanted to try a different part of the band. Much simpler and much more time efficient.

Rock Band 2 is honestly the greatest rock/music game out now. I know, it's not as unique as it was last year, but the developers literally addressed every issue and then still came up with some good innovations to keep things moving in the right direction. It does not matter if you bought last year's full kit, save yourself some cash and just buy the game. Sure, it's neat to get a new guitar, but honestly, you don't need to. The thing about this title is that it is all about the songs and the gameplay.

Gameplay: 9.2
It doesn't get much better than when four people all come together and score a five star on a really rocking song (like Spoonman). This is gaming bliss.

Graphics: 8.8
Not much has changed, although they have added some interesting visuals in the background, like when the music video is shot, but all the chords are bright and clean and the words to the music are easy to read.

Sound: 9.7
C'mon, this is a hit soundtrack if I ever heard one, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Bon Jovi, The Gogos (really!) and many, many more.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Things definitely get a bit more dicey this time around. Everyone needs to keep the energy up; some songs are marathons.

Concept: 8.8
It's a rehash of last year's very original concept, this time they nailed it though with all the extras and options.

Multiplayer: 9.7
This is easily the greatest party game ever made. I'm sorry, but I got both my 60-year-old parents to buy one for their cabin by the lake (no foolin'); they love the Rock Band games. This game transcends generations.

Overall: 9.1
What more can I say? If you have the first one, then you know how much fun it is; if you want an opportunity to play one of the all-time feel-good games ever made, then go and get it. Even the full-boxed version is totally worth the price.