Metareview - Rock Band 2

The reviews for Rock Band 2 acknowledge that the game doesn't do anything radically new, but the improvements are enough to justify its existence. For those who don't have friends living close by, being able to play World Tour mode online will certainly be a vast improvement on the original's main method of solo gameplay. The game doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it sure does put some sweet rims on it.

• Giant Bomb (5/5): "... With its large library of licensed master recordings and vastly improved approach to multiplayer play, Rock Band 2 is a terrific value at both ends. It's both a must-own for fans of the genre and a great place for new players to get started."

• GamePro (5/5): "It's more Rock Band and that is not a bad thing at all. With a new setlist of songs and more features, it's a no-brainer for anyone who loved the first Rock Band."

• OXM (90/100): "The game's true enhancements come in areas that are arguably more important than playing dress-up. This time, there's no guitar career or drum career; there is only the Tour. The Tour is whatever you want it to be - a solo path through the venues of the world (on any or all instruments - switch between them at will), or a shot at stardom with up to three friends, whether they're in the room or across the country (thanks to the brilliant and long overdue Xbox Live support for co-op careers)."

• IGN (90/100): "Rock Band 2 improves in several areas over the original. The track list is better, the difficulty has been bumped up, it's more accessible, all previously released DLC works from the get-go, and Battle of the Bands is a brilliant online mode. But there's no getting around the fact that almost nothing was done to the main mode, World Tour. This is still the primary feature of Rock Band and yet it seems to have been neglected. It's hard to notice the newness when there's a big chunk of game that is just the same as it ever was."