I could spend all day playing an adrenaline-fueled shooter over Xbox Live, and I love nothing more than running raid after raid in “World of Warcraft,” but when it comes to playing a game with a bunch of people, live and in person, nothing compares to “Rock Band.” Harmonix and MTV Games offered this little piece of melodic wonderment to the world last holiday season and, despite some unfortunate hardware malfunctions, met with thunderous applause from rock star wannabes everywhere. Now, a mere nine months later, a successor is ready to take the stage. The only question is, will “Rock Band 2″ be more like a Metal God or a Garage Band.



First, let's take a look at the core game. For those of you living under a rock that's ill-equipped with gaming devices, reading material and commercial television, “Rock Band” allows up to four players to take the reigns of musicians in an up-and-coming band with the sole purpose of hitting the big time. Whether you choose lead guitar, bass guitar, drums or vocals, you'll use your rhythm, coordination and talent to play along with notable songs in music's past and present. Thankfully, this perfect blend of accessibility and outright fun is returning for its latest incarnation.

Now that we've gotten that arduous task out of the way, we can move on to some new goodies that are offered so prominently in sequels. First, “Rock Band 2″ is throwing in some amazing online modes into the mix, allowing bandmates to link up from all over the globe. This is seen through local and global online competitions that include World Tour and Battle of the Bands, both of which give you, the gamer, an opportunity to compete against individuals and entire bands to see who truly is the God of Rock. If you worry about how you look more than how you play, the game's character creator has been given the once over to allow for more fashion, tattoos and bling. Finally, if you're an owner of the original “Rock Band” and you're dreading the constant switching of discs, fear not. “Rock Band 2″ not only backwards compatible for downloaded content, it also has a Disc Export Feature for exporting the tracks from the original into your new game.

Sure, MTV Games' franchise has solid and addictive gameplay, a hefty pile of online features, and enough songs to offer something for everyone. While each of these very positive comments should have you salivating and waving cash at a game store clerk, what really makes “Rock Band 2″ shine is the fact that anyone, from teenager to grandparent can pick up an instrument, strike a pose in the living room, and jam together in perfect, gaming harmony.

Summary

Rating out of 10

Gameplay: Whether you're playing alone or with a group, “Rock Band 2″ offers accessible fun for all ages and enough songs to satiate any taste.(9)

Graphics: While you'll spend most of the game looking at tiny dots on streaming frets, spectators will enjoy custom created characters and cool light shows that truly encapsulate the concert feel. (8.5)

Sound: It's what the game is all about, and it does it flawlessly. (9.5)

Entertainment Value: Replayability galore and plenty of online features make “Rock Band 2″ a solid purchase whether you need to buy instruments or not. (8.5)

Originality: Sequels are far from original and the music genre is chock full of contenders. But while originality may be lacking, the concept is delivered better than any game currently in the genre. (6.0)

Overall Score 8.5