After Rock Band hit last December, it was originally believed that - thanks to the weekly onslaught of downloadable songs - a sequel would be at least a couple years off. Not true. In what is clearly an effort to pre-empt Guitar Hero World Tour due in October, Rock Band 2 is being delivered in September. Not many details are being revealed yet (including track lists), but so far we know:
- Original Rock Band instruments will work with Rock Band 2, though new instruments will be "quieter, more realistic, and more reliable"
- Downloadable content will be interchangeable between the two games (a first, particularly for the Xbox 360 where downloads have traditionally been locked to each title)
- Band World Tour will most likely be playable online out of the box, though this has only been hinted and not confirmed
- There will be new options to pick and play your music, including ways to balance the risk/reward of random tracks in Band World Tour so you don't get blindsided by too difficult songs at inopportune times
- A party mode should permit more fluid play with less time spent on set up
- A new guitar vocalist mode should streamline the game for players who want to strum and sing at the same time
- Many unspecified new features and improvements are in response to feedback and concerns posted on public Rock Band forums
- Rumors indicate AC/DC, Bad Religion and Turbonegro will have songs in the game though no songs have been officially confirmed
- Don't expect a music creation mode; Harmonix indicates they want to provide this, but said "we want to do it right" suggesting it won't be ready this year
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