Rock Band 2 Special Edition Bundle (PS3)

Rockband 2, a continuation of the previous game, has made multiple improvements that would normally merit praise, and this is no exception. This is the best overall experience you can get in the music genre today.

The instruments have been significantly improved upon. The guitar, for example, has quieter, more easily felt buttons that make it seem more as though you are playing an actual guitar rather than a piece of plastic. The strum bar, however, is still the same basic idea that has frustrated Rockband players since the dawn of this series. It has been improved slightly from its predecessor; however, it still has that difficult to follow feeling of being "squishy", as I have heard multiple people call it.

The drum kit has had so many improvements from the previous version that there are almost too many to mention, but I will give it a try. The pads now contain a gel like substance that gives excellent rebound and makes it much quieter than the previous kit. It is, however, less realistic feeling from the previous version, as the gel makes it more soft feeling and less like a real drum. They have also fixed the problem of breaking kick pedals with a simple metal reinforcement that should have been there from the beginning, but I give credit where it is due, even if it is late.

The format of the game is almost the same as the previous game except for the fact of smooth playability. The ability to make a setlist is a very welcome edition, and the graphics make for an enhanced experience, though I was personally more than happy with the previous graphics. More power to them anyway. There is, however, one thing that has made me somewhat angry about this game. The new format makes some of the notes missed almost every time despite the amount of calibration one may put into it. On very fast parts, even if you are a fantastic player, you will miss the note.

The setlist is the best I have seen from any of the games in this genre. This game is worth the price of the entire kit, even if you were to simply buy it for the sake of participating in this setlist. I use no exaduration here when pointing out the fantastic qualities of this setlist.

Finally, the overview. I should think that this game was more than a welcome improvement from the previous game due to the increase in graphics, improved quality of the instruments, and a setlist that could be described as art. I rank this game a 9.25 out of 10.