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Friday, September 12th, 2008
Rock Band Twooooooooo!!!!
I am currently 23 hours and 18 minutes from picking up Rock Band 2, but hey, who's counting?
Rock Band, for those of you who may not have heard of it, is a video game that simulates the "rock" experience. You choose from one of three instruments (guitar, drums, or vocals) and follow along with a popular song, hitting buttons (or singing) along with the notes that appear on the screen. Silly, yes, but also extremely addictive. While most games can probably only boast about 10 to 20 hours of gameplay, Rock Band has almost unlimited potential. I am often drawn back to songs I have played dozens of times before just to see if I can beat my previous high score. Also, when friends come over, it's an instant good time...everyone picks a different instrument, tries to get through a song, and it never seems silly as one might think it is. It's the ultimate pick-up-and-play game. I can play for ten minutes, or for an hour, and feel satisfied...other games take forever to accomplish a simple task, and Rock Band is full of tiny, song-length accomplishments. Playing the guitar solo in Green Grass and High Tides or merely getting through Won't Get Fooled Again on drums can be extremely rewarding, and something to brag about to others who play the game.
Since its release last fall, Rock Band has also steadily released new songs to buy every week, and they've promised that by the end of the year, there will be 500 songs in its library. They've already made it possible to take the songs from the first Rock Band game and put them on your hard drive for use in Rock Band 2.
Anyway, in my time with Rock Band (and its predecessor, Guitar Hero), I've gotten pretty darn good. On a leaderboard that shows the top 100,000 scores, I'm top 4000 on guitars, top 12000 on drums, and top 500 (nope, not missing a zero) on vocals. I'm excited to try my hand at the songs that Rock Band 2 has to offer, which are more plentiful and supposedly MUCH more difficult.
Here is the song list. As you can see, there's a great list of classic rock tunes and newer hits (and for the first time, NONE of them are covers). The most exciting for fans of rock is probably "Shackler's Revenge" by Guns 'n' Roses, a song from an album that has been in the works and a closely guarded secret for a decade. Rock Band will be the only place that the song will be released at this point. Period.
1. AC/DC "Let There Be Rock" 1970s
2. AFI "Girl's Gone Grey" 2000's
3. Alanis Morissette "You Oughta Know" 1990's
4. Alice in Chains "Man in the Box" 1990's
5. Allman Brothers "Ramblin' Man" 1970's
6. Avenged Sevenfold "Almost Easy" 2000's
7. Bad Company "Shooting Star" 1970's
8. Beastie Boys "So Whatcha Want" 1990's
9. Beck "E-Pro" 2000's
10. Bikini Kill "Rebel Girl" 1990's
11. Billy Idol "White Wedding Pt. I" 1980's
12. Blondie "One Way or Another" 1970's
13. Bob Dylan "Tangled Up in Blue" 1970's
14. Bon Jovi "Livin' on a Prayer" 1980's
15. Cheap Trick "Hello There" 1970's
16. Devo "Uncontrollable Urge" 1980's
17. Dinosaur Jr. "Feel the Pain" 1990's
18. Disturbed "Down with the Sickness" 2000's
19. Dream Theater "Panic Attack" 2000's
20. Duran Duran "Hungry Like the Wolf" 1980's
21. Elvis Costello "Pump It Up" 1970's
22. Fleetwood Mac "Go Your Own Way" 1970's
23. Foo Fighters "Everlong" 1990's
24. Guns N' Roses "Shackler's Revenge" 2000's
25. Interpol "PDA" 2000's
26. Jane's Addiction "Mountain Song" 1980's
27. Jethro Tull "Aqualung" 1970's
28. Jimmy Eat World "The Middle" 2000's
29. Joan Jett "Bad Reputation" 1980's
30. Journey "Anyway You Want It" 1970's
31. Judas Priest "Painkiller" 1990's
32. Kansas "Carry On Wayward Son" 1970's
33. L7 "Pretend We're Dead" 1990's
34. Lacuna Coil "Our Truth" 2000's
35. Linkin Park "One Step Closer" 2000's
36. Lit "My Own Worst Enemy" 1990's
37. Lush "De-Luxe" 1990's
38. Mastodon "Colony of Birchmen" 2000's
39. Megadeth "Peace Sells" 1980's
40. Metallica "Battery" 1980's
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones "Where'd You Go" 1990's
42. Modest Mouse "Float On" 2000's
43. Motorhead "Ace of Spades" 1980's
44. Nirvana "Drain You" 1990's
45. Norman Greenbaum "Spirit in the Sky" 1960's
46. Panic at the Disco "Nine in the Afternoon" 2000's
47. Paramore "That's What You Get" 2000's
48. Pearl Jam "Alive" 1990's
49. Presidents of the USA "Lump" 1990's
50. Rage Against the Machine "Testify" 1990's
51. Ratt "Round & Round" 1980's
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Give it Away" 1990's
53. Rise Against "Give it All" 2000's
54. Rush "The Trees" 1970's
55. Silversun Pickups "Lazy Eye" 2000's
56. Smashing Pumpkins "Today" 1990's
57. Social Distortion "I Was Wrong" 1990's
58. Sonic Youth "Teenage Riot" 1980's
59. Soundgarden "Spoonman" 1990's
60. Squeeze "Cool for Cats" 1970's
61. Steely Dan "Bodhitsattva" 1970's
62. Steve Miller Band "Rock'n Me" 1970's
63. Survivor "Eye of the Tiger" 1980's
64. System of a Down "Chop Suey" 2000's
65. Talking Heads "Psycho Killer" 1970's
66. Tenacious D "Master Exploder" 2000's
67. Testament "Souls of Black" 1990's
68. The Donnas "New Kid in School" 2000's
69. The Go-Go's "We Got the Beat" 1980's
70. The Grateful Dead "Alabama Getaway" 1980's
71. The Guess Who "American Woman" 1970's
72. The Muffs "Kids in America" 1990's
73. The Offspring "Come Out & Play (Keep 'em Separated)" 1990's
74. The Replacements "Alex Chilton" 1980's
75. The Who "Pinball Wizard" 1960's
Bonus Artist Bonus Song Title Decade
76. Abnormality "Visions" 2000's
77. Anarchy Club "Get Clean" 2000's
78. Bang Camaro "Night Lies" 2000's
79. Breaking Wheel "Shoulder to the Plow" 2000's
80. The Libyans "Neighborhood" 2000's
81. The Main Drag "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter" 2000's
82. Speck "Conventional Lover" 2000's
83. The Sterns "Supreme Girl" 2000's
84. That Handsome Devil "Rob the Prez-O-Dent" 2000's
Rock Band Twooooooooo!!!!
I am currently 23 hours and 18 minutes from picking up Rock Band 2, but hey, who's counting?
Rock Band, for those of you who may not have heard of it, is a video game that simulates the "rock" experience. You choose from one of three instruments (guitar, drums, or vocals) and follow along with a popular song, hitting buttons (or singing) along with the notes that appear on the screen. Silly, yes, but also extremely addictive. While most games can probably only boast about 10 to 20 hours of gameplay, Rock Band has almost unlimited potential. I am often drawn back to songs I have played dozens of times before just to see if I can beat my previous high score. Also, when friends come over, it's an instant good time...everyone picks a different instrument, tries to get through a song, and it never seems silly as one might think it is. It's the ultimate pick-up-and-play game. I can play for ten minutes, or for an hour, and feel satisfied...other games take forever to accomplish a simple task, and Rock Band is full of tiny, song-length accomplishments. Playing the guitar solo in Green Grass and High Tides or merely getting through Won't Get Fooled Again on drums can be extremely rewarding, and something to brag about to others who play the game.
Since its release last fall, Rock Band has also steadily released new songs to buy every week, and they've promised that by the end of the year, there will be 500 songs in its library. They've already made it possible to take the songs from the first Rock Band game and put them on your hard drive for use in Rock Band 2.
Anyway, in my time with Rock Band (and its predecessor, Guitar Hero), I've gotten pretty darn good. On a leaderboard that shows the top 100,000 scores, I'm top 4000 on guitars, top 12000 on drums, and top 500 (nope, not missing a zero) on vocals. I'm excited to try my hand at the songs that Rock Band 2 has to offer, which are more plentiful and supposedly MUCH more difficult.
Here is the song list. As you can see, there's a great list of classic rock tunes and newer hits (and for the first time, NONE of them are covers). The most exciting for fans of rock is probably "Shackler's Revenge" by Guns 'n' Roses, a song from an album that has been in the works and a closely guarded secret for a decade. Rock Band will be the only place that the song will be released at this point. Period.
1. AC/DC "Let There Be Rock" 1970s
2. AFI "Girl's Gone Grey" 2000's
3. Alanis Morissette "You Oughta Know" 1990's
4. Alice in Chains "Man in the Box" 1990's
5. Allman Brothers "Ramblin' Man" 1970's
6. Avenged Sevenfold "Almost Easy" 2000's
7. Bad Company "Shooting Star" 1970's
8. Beastie Boys "So Whatcha Want" 1990's
9. Beck "E-Pro" 2000's
10. Bikini Kill "Rebel Girl" 1990's
11. Billy Idol "White Wedding Pt. I" 1980's
12. Blondie "One Way or Another" 1970's
13. Bob Dylan "Tangled Up in Blue" 1970's
14. Bon Jovi "Livin' on a Prayer" 1980's
15. Cheap Trick "Hello There" 1970's
16. Devo "Uncontrollable Urge" 1980's
17. Dinosaur Jr. "Feel the Pain" 1990's
18. Disturbed "Down with the Sickness" 2000's
19. Dream Theater "Panic Attack" 2000's
20. Duran Duran "Hungry Like the Wolf" 1980's
21. Elvis Costello "Pump It Up" 1970's
22. Fleetwood Mac "Go Your Own Way" 1970's
23. Foo Fighters "Everlong" 1990's
24. Guns N' Roses "Shackler's Revenge" 2000's
25. Interpol "PDA" 2000's
26. Jane's Addiction "Mountain Song" 1980's
27. Jethro Tull "Aqualung" 1970's
28. Jimmy Eat World "The Middle" 2000's
29. Joan Jett "Bad Reputation" 1980's
30. Journey "Anyway You Want It" 1970's
31. Judas Priest "Painkiller" 1990's
32. Kansas "Carry On Wayward Son" 1970's
33. L7 "Pretend We're Dead" 1990's
34. Lacuna Coil "Our Truth" 2000's
35. Linkin Park "One Step Closer" 2000's
36. Lit "My Own Worst Enemy" 1990's
37. Lush "De-Luxe" 1990's
38. Mastodon "Colony of Birchmen" 2000's
39. Megadeth "Peace Sells" 1980's
40. Metallica "Battery" 1980's
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones "Where'd You Go" 1990's
42. Modest Mouse "Float On" 2000's
43. Motorhead "Ace of Spades" 1980's
44. Nirvana "Drain You" 1990's
45. Norman Greenbaum "Spirit in the Sky" 1960's
46. Panic at the Disco "Nine in the Afternoon" 2000's
47. Paramore "That's What You Get" 2000's
48. Pearl Jam "Alive" 1990's
49. Presidents of the USA "Lump" 1990's
50. Rage Against the Machine "Testify" 1990's
51. Ratt "Round & Round" 1980's
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Give it Away" 1990's
53. Rise Against "Give it All" 2000's
54. Rush "The Trees" 1970's
55. Silversun Pickups "Lazy Eye" 2000's
56. Smashing Pumpkins "Today" 1990's
57. Social Distortion "I Was Wrong" 1990's
58. Sonic Youth "Teenage Riot" 1980's
59. Soundgarden "Spoonman" 1990's
60. Squeeze "Cool for Cats" 1970's
61. Steely Dan "Bodhitsattva" 1970's
62. Steve Miller Band "Rock'n Me" 1970's
63. Survivor "Eye of the Tiger" 1980's
64. System of a Down "Chop Suey" 2000's
65. Talking Heads "Psycho Killer" 1970's
66. Tenacious D "Master Exploder" 2000's
67. Testament "Souls of Black" 1990's
68. The Donnas "New Kid in School" 2000's
69. The Go-Go's "We Got the Beat" 1980's
70. The Grateful Dead "Alabama Getaway" 1980's
71. The Guess Who "American Woman" 1970's
72. The Muffs "Kids in America" 1990's
73. The Offspring "Come Out & Play (Keep 'em Separated)" 1990's
74. The Replacements "Alex Chilton" 1980's
75. The Who "Pinball Wizard" 1960's
Bonus Artist Bonus Song Title Decade
76. Abnormality "Visions" 2000's
77. Anarchy Club "Get Clean" 2000's
78. Bang Camaro "Night Lies" 2000's
79. Breaking Wheel "Shoulder to the Plow" 2000's
80. The Libyans "Neighborhood" 2000's
81. The Main Drag "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter" 2000's
82. Speck "Conventional Lover" 2000's
83. The Sterns "Supreme Girl" 2000's
84. That Handsome Devil "Rob the Prez-O-Dent" 2000's
Guitar Hero on the other hand, I'm looking forward to that one coming out soon!
LoL
There are 20 other songs that will be free for download, but they haven't announced them yet. On top of that, there are six full albums coming out by the end of the year from Megadeath, No Doubt (an exclusive collection of greatest hits), Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jane's Addiction. I think Vaughan's "Texas Flood" album is the one I'm most likely to buy.
Jenn, I agree that the Wii owners got the short end of the stick. Rock Band 2 IS coming out for the Wii...I don't know if you're aware, but they are also coming out with add-on packs for the Wii and PS2 versions. 20 songs each. You don't get to pick and choose what you want, but it's better than nothing, I suppose. I actually bought an X-Box for the sole purpose of getting Rock Band with all the extra features.
It's crazy to think that, after all the playing I did today, there are 37 songs I haven't even played yet.