Rock Band 2 hands on, live shots, Ion drum kit, first impressions: woot!
By Joshua Fruhlinger 
posted Jul 16th 2008 10:08PM
posted Jul 16th 2008 10:08PM
First, the new guitars not only look better, but they will include some welcome hardware tweaks. The new axe includes an optical sensor that will make syncing the game to your display a breeze. Rather than go through that annoying tap..tap...tap synchronization scheme, all you'll need to do is hold up your controller to your display and it will figure things out with you based on your screen's refresh rate. In addition, the new guitars have been updated with slicker fret controls that make it easier to slide from one to the other. Meanwhile, the strum bar has been tightened up a bit. No clicking, though -- the guys at Harmonix say no one "dreams of playing a metronome" anyway. A dig at Guitar Hero? Perhaps, but if you're looking for some click feedback from your controller, look elsewhere.
Then there's the new drum kit. We already knew that this thing was coming with pressure sensitivity, but the results in play are pretty impressive, adding some serious dynamics to your pad-whacking. The kit also includes three auxiliary outputs to which you can connect cymbals, currently under development by Mad Katz. They promise that the cymbals will be triggered differently than the traditional round pads, adding to your drum solo score.
Speaking of drum kits, the sold-separately and uber-tech Ion "Drum Rocker" kit was also on display. This is the same kit that can be attached to a real drum sound module for those of you who want to take your Rock Band chops and turn them into an actual, stand-alone act. The kit looks very solid, plays like a dream, and for $300 is almost worth it.
On the software side, Harmonix promises 500 songs by year-end. Song browsing has been made to mimic the current music store, and set lists are now officially a part of the game. World Tour mode adds some sim options like choosing a manager or even letting your mom set up your gigs all the while cleaning your underwear. Really. We wouldn't make that up. There are also some new venues to check out, including Tokyo and Tijuana. Finally, a "no-fail" mode has been added for those moments when you have some less-than-coordinated guests over and don't want to embarrass them. And don't forget, Harmonix has stated that "most" songs from the original game can be ported over to the new one barring any licensing issues though which they're currently working.
So there you have it, kids: Rock Band 2 in full gory glory.
Yes! Cannot wait for Rock Band 2! Only problem: PS3 user, so delayed launch. :(
Xbox 360 User
THIS WAS A TRIUMPH,
WE DO WHAT WE MUST BECAUSE WE CAN (continued with next commenter)
How about no.
Cannot wait! Only problem is: PS3 has a delayed launch. :/
That's what she said...
sorry, had to do it, :op
YAY. I cannot wait, there is a problem though. The ps3 has a late launch. =[
Delaystation.
Get used to it, or get rid of it.
Wow.
"The kit looks very solid, plays like a dream, and for $300 is almost worth it."
Your serious? $300 for ONE peripheral? Either you are in tunnel vision of this over-hyped game, or you have too much money to know what to do with.
Insane.
LUL i xbox 360 user and i get a good release date!!!
Sounds great! Love the No-Fail mode!!!
WOOOO!!!
Sorry, but I can't wait for Rock Band 2!!
I have Rock Band for the 360 and love it!
This will be a welcome addition to our living room!
Three comments in a row about the delayed launch? Well, this is why I'm getting the 360 version. :P
Major spelling error in gallery album name...
It would be great if they'd feature some real, legendary clubs. Play Budokan, CBGB's, The Black Cat, Fort Reno Park, etc. The Ion Drum kit looks amazing; if only the game would support the extra inputs by adding separate, unique cues in the game for the additional pads.
Yes! Cannot wait for this. Only problem, 360 owner so... uh... oh wait. Yay! I would also like to see a Canadian city in this one, just because. Toronto or Montreal? Quebec City? They all have good music scenes, even Calgary!
Can the microphone be used for Audio synchronization as well?
What symbol is behing the drums in that picture? Hmmmmm.... bass guitar?
Nope, bass guitar is to the left of the drum symbol, so it is... lead guitar...
I'm also interested about Rock Bans 2 as advertised in the gallery name...
In the words of Peter Griffin..
"freakin' sweet!"
"no freakin' way!!"
wayyy
I'll go with WiiMusic. Who needs physical devices if you can create great music by simply shake around like a monkey. Pfff.
Why don't I just go listen to my ipod and wave my hands in the air? Already am I doing more than half of what you can do with Wii Music.
500 songs?
Guess I'm not waiting for Guitar Hero: WT anymore!!!
Those Ion drums look freakin' sweet! But seriously, if this is going to be my first Rock Band game, I'm not spending over $450 for everything!!!
Oh, and those stock drums had better be quieter than my Xbox 360 (that's not a hard benchmark to reach, Harmonix!)
est. Price Breakdown:
Rock Band 2 Game: $60
Two Wireless Guitars/basses: $60+$60=$120
One Ion drum set: $300
Not being able to play a real instrument: Priceless
Dude, just install the game to your hard drive! No noise at all!
Uh.. since you're adding things up, don't forget that you have to PAY for those 500 songs.
And I think I'd rather play a drum kit with cymbals that are aware that they're cymbals (not just the blue and yellow toms duplicated and suspended in the air). GH:WT is going to own this game. For one round, anyway.
glad i have a 360... wonder if they'll sell the drum kit separately, i need some new cans.
Finally, some nice pics of the gear. HUGE QUESTION: You have a photo of the back of the RB2 kit (non-Ion) and it has three colored inputs, including orange. I'm assuming these are for the cymbals. Orange is not a color of one of the pads. Does this mean that you can actually add a fifth color to the RB2 kit, making it basically the same as the GH:WT kit? Wouldn't that mean, since Activision said the RB instruments are compatible with GH:WT, that if you bought an orange cymbal then you could play GH:WT in all of its five-color glory and not the "condensed" drum note charts? Any clarification on that very much appreciated.
Bah! Never mind. It looks like one of the pads on the new RB2 kit IS orange. Wasn't it yellow in the first kit? Any way, guess that means the answer to my question is no.
I think it's just the lighting in the photos.
That must be it because I looked at the websites for both RB and RB2 and both kits have yellow pads where the photo shows orange (I would've checked my own kit but it's packed for my move). Either way, doesn't like like you can add a fifth color to the kit.
orange is the color of the foot pedal
As far as I knew, Rock Band altered the song charts so that there was an extra column for the symbol.
don't quote me on that.
I played Rock Band for the first time last week, and found out I was godly. I was able to play most things on hard or medium, and could even do some of the easy-middle ones of expert. I thought this was funny, because they asked, "how are you so good?" And it was because I play the Ukulele... I thought it was funny.
Boooooooo. You can play easy songs on expert. Wow you're godly.
They should make an official solution for double kick pedals. Maybe use one of those auxiliary ports.
Yeah I would totally care more about this if I knew it would make it New Zealand (or at least Australia!). We're still waiting for Rock Band 1.
That sucks, Australia
Your rugby is very good
George Gregan was god
So are those drums and mic wireless?
Drums are wireless, mic is not.
Ok i can live with that. Thanks! Any chance however the Lips mic will work with RBII?
why make the drums wireless?
they dont move anyways...
Well depending how far away your 360 is from a chair or sofa it can be quite useful. The cable on the current Drums just makes it for me (luckily i'm borrowing my friend's that i'm borrowing since his 360 RRODed so i won't have to buy another drum set) so a wireless drum set is a welcome addition.
Wired drums make for great "The Who" moments...
Another HUGE question: if I don't want to spend $200 for a drum brain, can I just hook this up as a USB midi device to my PC or Mac?
If so, this is an INSTANT purchase, even inflated $100 over its true worth.
I'm curious about this myself. I'm assuming it hooks up to the consoles via USB, whether the cable is built in usb or requires an adapter. I've done a bit of perusing of drum modules and I can't recall seeing any mention having a hookup for USB, but of course I'm not too familiar with e-drums, so if anybody could clarify this I'd be most appreciative as well.
Also, if it can hook up directly to a PC, what kind of good quality software solutions exist that would let you take advantage of the Ion drums?
I would imagine that FL Studio would have that sort of functionality. Torrent it to find out first though. It's one expensive piece of software lol...
Is RB2 gonna work with GH4 instruments? I mean I really want Rockband for the songs but I already reordered GH4 and that Im looking foreword to GH4 features too I just dont want to buy another set of instruments.
Well, I believe RB1 works with GH3 instruments, and HMX is fairly dedicated to an open platform, so I'd imagine so. You just might not get much use out of the fifth drum color (orange) or it might map to duplicate another color. Also, I don't think the slide feature on the new GH guitar would be implemented in RB2. Other than that though, probably.
+1 on that.
I like Harmonix and all, but the GH instruments look alot better than the RB ones this time around. I just sold off all my RB stuff from the PS2 so I could buy a PS3. Hopefully I can buy the GH:WT kit and use it on Rock Band without having to keep two drum kits around.
I like it
To bad rockband 1 isnt even out here in Australia yet!
will we just skip 1 and go direct too 2?
I want to give Harmonix my money I REALLY do but they have not even announced a tentative release date which is a Joke.
unfortunately for me guitar hero wins but its only by default and not by my choosing
my friend ordered a set of ebay. he said they were worth the trouble.
Where's the hi-hat pedal? :( I was really hoping they'd add that in the second game.
I'd take a real kick drum pedal over a high hat any day.
"I'd take a real kick drum pedal over a high hat any day."
Agreed, but whoever said "less is more" is a filthy liar :) Both would be nice, though apparently not in the cards.
I've been keen to see what s/w updates they will come up with in RB2, but two things really bug me (particularly because I've enjoyed the drums)...
Foremost, why is the drum lag (on 360) so bad??? Am I the only one that finds it irritating to have to hit the drums ahead of the beat all the time? I configured the game to "account" for lag, but let's face it, all this does is give you 'grace time' to hit the pad. Once you go into solo mode, the lag shows it's ugly face - and even worse when you've configured the game with some lag correction.
Second, they allude here to how many of us would love a "free" play mode for just beating the drums for fun (by mentioning the new kit can be plugged into a sound module)... do the not include this in RB because it would reveal the lag problems I mentioned above?
Just wondering if I'm the only one affected/annoyed by this. Normal 360 controllers respond to button/triggers instantly, I'm curious why they can't get the same responsiveness out of the drum kit. Sure it's cheap hardware, but...
Calibrate your system.
Seriously..
Every other load screen reminds you to do this.
Read them sometime.
LOL Ordeith try *reading* a post before replying... *like I said* I did calibrate, and to no avail. The lag can be as bad as 200ms, and it's not the TV/audio system anyway, cuz the lag ain't there on the guitars.
So here's my question. If I add another cymbal to the RB2 drums, will it be fully compatible with GH4 in the 5 note mode, as opposed to the 4 note mode?
They stated that RB equipment works with GH, but not the other way around. The RB drumset only adds cymbals for a look and feel. They don't add more functionality, they just double as another color, to make you feel cooler while you cross your arms.
Hmm, in that case it seems like its better to buy at least the GH4 drums if planning on using it for both games.
And I assume you're wrong about the GH instruments working on RB, even if it hasn't been announced, just because Harmonix has always allowed the GH guitar to work in RB (at least on the 360 which is the one I'd get.)
Wow GH is totally gonna kill RB. Sure RB has more songs off the bat, but GH is gonna have a better kit, better guitar, and better gameplay. Sorry.
Better gameplay? Did you play Guitar Hero 3? I couldn't ever go back once I played Rock Band.
look at that device on the lower left . . is that a rock band branded smoke machine? and there is some kind of controller beside it ?
You bet your ass!1 http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/26/rock-band-stage-kit-smoke-machine-and-strobe-light-in-pictures/
In the pic of the song selection screen, it says there are 58 Rock Band 1 songs to choose from. How many were on the disk?
Also, what is that thing that's under the blue pad of the standard drum kit? Is that a sensor for the calibration? I haven't heard anything about there being one on the drums
Okay, this is interesting. You say the pressure sensitivity shows up in gameplay.
This wouldn't work with how RB 1 handles the drums. Your hits don't trigger sounds at all - the game just plays back the master drum track, and drops it out if you screw up (frequently it drops out a couple of beats *after* you screw up - so you screw up on a hi-hat, but the game plays the hi-hat sound correctly and then drops out a bass beat). Unless it just dynamically adjusts the volume on the master track (which I can't see sounding too good), does this mean they're now using a more Drummania-like system, where each drum hit in the song is handled separately and actually triggered (or not) by your hit on the pad? Details! Need details!
Thay should add the glasgow barrowlands in as a venue :(. I know its not the largest place ever but its one of the best venues imho
My band is on this!!!
Isn't it spelled w00t?
"No fail mode" is a great addition as the only people I've played with are my kids and my nephews, none over 8 years old. However, what I'd also like to see is a free play mode. You set the drum sounds and guitar sounds and play whatever you want. Aside from this being fun for the kids, it would be fun for me too. Anyway, it sounds great, but I hope they release a PS2 version (yeah, I'm probably the only one who cares, but I don't have a PS3 or 360 and even though I'll probably get a Wii, I'd rather have the PS2 version since I can use those instruments on the PS3 which I will get eventually, just not any time soon.)
Question about the drums:
Sure, part of the foot pedal looks metal... but the base is still plastic, and probably will still break from excessive force. Wondering if - say - an actual drummer were to use these, would he break these things too? Or is is supposedly stronger just because it has a little metal in it? Known a few friends who are actual drummers - use the first set - and the kick pedal always breaks on them.
Nobody dreams of playing a metronome? That's funny, I don't think anybody dreams of playing a 5 button plastic guitar either. I thought there was supposed to be a game using real guitars soon. Any word on that?
that picture with the 3 holes for the extra cymbals....Green, Blue and is that Orange or Yellow?!
if it's Orange, then It could mean....dual pedals :O
if it's Yellow, just an extra cymbal for hi-hat
so this is kinda like Joe H's question a while back...
HERE'S THE QUESTION BUT TO UNDERSTAND READ BELOW:
Is the Ion Deluxe drumset compatible with GH4?
AND: Are the RB2 instruments compatible with GH4?
lemme tell you my delima:
1)i have rock band, and 30+ dlc for it
2)i can play 99% of the songs on expert cept thrasher and the perfect drug
3)i love rock band and the gameplay setup with the cities and stuff as well as the new battle of the bands mode in the new 1
4)the only problem is the idiots didn't make this one much harder than the first(i'm sure their will be plenty of hard songs but their is only so much you can do with 4 pads)
5)meanwhile, GH4 has claimed making it more realistic by adding cymbals(and taking a pad away??) and i dont think their tour is gona be as good as rock band.
so i kinda wanted rock band for the game and guitar hero for the difficulty, but to get out of buying the full sets or not being able to play all the notes on GH4(using the rock band drums) i figured i would buy RB2 special pack(for the new instruments) sell my RB1, buy GH4 game, and sell my RB2 drums, finally i would buy the Ion Deluxe Drum set to play both
NOW QUESTION: Is the Ion Deluxe drumset compatible with GH4?
AND: Is the RB2 instruments compatible with GH4?
I am fired up
Rock band is fantastic, man
I can't get enough
http://www.engadget.com/photos/rock-band-2-hands-on-and-impressions/928011/
^ Sweet, looks like all the songs from Rock Band 1 are going to be playable on RB2. Probably costs 4,000 MS Points though.
:P
Based on the RB1 version I say let the 360 users get the first version. Hopefully by the PS3 version they will have any hardware reliability issues worked out ;).
orange port is for second kick pedal
Imagine my utter surprise(horror?) when, after setting up the new ion drums set, i find out that its not left hand compatible. There is only 1 red outlet, presumably for the pad, but not cymbal, meaning i cannot crash when playing. The only alternative is to see if a dual plug adapter can be found(pretty sure i can find 1). But a failure of shortsightedness on ions part for sure:(
that is a pretty sweet drumset yo