Rock stars get the chicks: Rock Band '08

Let's face it, nobody can consistently pass themselves off as ultra cool as easily as a guitar player. When you stand on stage and stroke your axe you will get attention every time. Can't play a real guitar? No problem, Rock Band is a game for the Playstation 2 console that was made with you in mind!

What is Rock Band? It's a combination of Karaoke Revolution, Guitar Hero, and a drummers dream. Loaded with alternative, punk, and rock songs from the 1990s and earlier (with a few newer) this game is like Karaoke Revolution for guys. Songs by Metallica, Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, and Weezer are all included here!

What I got
In this Special Edition I got a few things:
Power 4 port USB hub for my PS2
Wireless Fender Stratocaster guitar shaped controller
Drum kit
Two drum sticks
guitar strap
Microphone
The game disc and instructions
A set of AA batteries for the guitar.

All in all it's a pack that will allow you to enjoy everything Rock Band has to offer either by yourself or with two friends. A very cool and complete package. The only thing I didn't get that I expected was a drum throne to go with the drum kit...I'm trying to play sitting in a kitchen chair!

It's worthy of note that the guitar that came with my game is labeled by the manufacturer as being compatible with PS2 or PS3 despite internet reports to the contrary.

The game itself
Some of the features from the PS3 version aren't present on the PS2 port so don't expect to customize the look of your rocker, earn cash, or earn fans because those features aren't here. You start with a set list of four songs and when you've performed them you get another set of four. This proceeds on for a total of 58 available songs.

When playing the game you'll either sing, play the guitar, or work the drums. Singers will be judged on the pitch and tone of their voice as well as timing of the lyrics. Guitarists and drummers will attempt to hit the right note at just the right time.

The difficulty is adjustable to a novice can play without being booed off stage but an experienced player can still be challenged.

The songs
All but one or two are performed by the original artists. Clearly, it would be a boring for me to list all 58 here but I will give you my top 10 when I'm "jamming"...they are a pretty good cross section of the game in my opinion:
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Sound Garden - Black Hole Sun
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Foo Fighters - Learning to Fly
Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California
Faith No More - Epic
Nirvana - In Bloom
Radiohead - Creep
Weezer - Say It Ain't So

Really want to see the full list of songs? Go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_in_Rock_Band

How it looks
I'm suprised because my PS2 version of Rock Band looks much like the PS3 version. Since all of the character actions are essentially prerecorded it's easy for Harmonix (the game's maker) to present a really good looking package. Typically the band has some similarities to the band that originally performed the song but they are never exactly like the original artists.

With that assessment out of the way, nobody is looking at the graphics. You are either reading the lyrics or you are looking at the colored bar "notes". These are graphics so simple Playstation 1 could've done a fine job with them and in my opinion that's just fine. Not everything has to be about lifelike animations!

The sound
I play this on a surround sound system and it is incredible! Each speaker seems to be fully utilized to make it sound like I'm in the middle of a full blown concert. I don't know which is better: performing during the game or listening to someone else do it! Most anyone would agree that the game is programmed to truly do justice to the songs and the artists who made them.

Technical problems
When I bought my set the guitar wouldn't connect to the system. I worked through the tech support section of the Rock Band website and was able to get a new guitar sent to me once I'd provided them a credit card number. The card wasn't charged but if I didn't return my old guitar I'd be charged $125...I did have 28 days to get the broken guitar back so that was no real burden.

The first replacement I was sent ended up being a Xbox 360 guitar which wasn't useful to me but the folks that support Rock Band mailed another out ASAP without getting the credit card number again. So, I've went nearly two weeks without a guitar at this point but I've become pretty good with the drums!

My guitar has finally arrived and works fine. Mailing the two others back was no big deal, just used the prepaid label I was supplied and sent them on their way...no problem at all!

OK for kids?
For the most part. There are a few instances of profanity left in the songs that may be found objectionable but I'd estimate there aren't more than five on the entire track list. The themes of some of the songs are dark and disturbing but if you already allow your kids to have the CDs that the songs are on originally you shouldn't have a problem with this...if you are very protective about the CDs they buy you should do a little more research before you buy.

Overall:
This game is unique in that it's a great break from Madden, NBA Live, and all those shooters. Guitar Hero fans will find the guitar section of this game easier but they'll enjoy the new challenges presented by the vocals and drums. Karaoke Revolution fans my not fully appreciate the set but they will understand that playing guitar or drums is much more fun that waiting in line for your turn on the microphone!