Rock Band 2 Challenges: The Stats
Rock Band 2—developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games, and distributed by EA Distribution—is the successor to Rock Band, a music video game in which participants simulate the playing of rock music by following along with scrolling, on-screen notes while playing peripherals fashioned after musical instruments. By the end of 2008, the Rock Band 2 competition, which is available for PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, and the Wii, had sold an astounding 1.7 million copies. It had also spurred many a rock-‘n’-roll rivalry via Rock Band 2 tournaments between family members as well as fans worldwide. For BringIt members, however, it’s not just about bragging rights; your skill at simulated rock can make you real money when you compete in Rock Band 2 challenges to earn cold, hard cash!
In essence, online Rock Band 2 battles let us little guys live out our dreams of stadium stardom, swooning groupies, and death-defying stage dives without the embarrassment of paying our dues as part of our high school’s band. And with this, comes the ability to bang our heads (or tap our feet as is often the case) to an enormous selection of Rock Band 2 tunes that, in the understatement of the year, offers something for everyone. The Rock Band 2 challenge includes 84 songs on the video game disc (compared to the 58 that were part of its Rock Band predecessor); but the real breadth and depth comes from the massive library of downloadable content (DLC). As of April 7, 2009, any Rock Band or Rock Band 2 owner who’s got two bucks to burn can pseudo-shred, sing, or strum to their choice of over 400 songs, representing everyone from Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Megadeath, Stone Temple Pilots, Rush, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to The Police, Pearl Jam, and Pat Benatar…or even, the Dixie Chicks or Brooks & Dunn. Not that you’d actually want to.
Online Rock Band 2 Tournaments: Features & Upgrades
Rock Band was the first complete band video game, enabling the play of lead guitar, bass guitar, and drums, and including a microphone for vocals. Rock Band 2 continues this trend—which is now also a part of the Guitar Hero franchise—maintaining the basic gist of gameplay, but offering some significant enhancements:
- Improved drum and guitar controllers—address most of the issues of Rock Band, with an effects pickup switch for the Fender Stratocaster guitar and velocity-sensitive pads, a metal-reinforced kick pedal, and wireless capabilities for the drum controller
- Backwardly compatible peripherals—allow you to use both the Rock Band 2 instruments with the original Rock Band as well as the older controllers with the newer game
- Online World Tour mode—takes the Rock Band 2 online tournament to new heights by allowing rockers to sit in with bands around the world…as well as switch up instruments at will
- Battle of the Bands mode—is Harmonix’s way of bringing bands together to compete for points and achieve ranking within the community
- Enhanced difficulty and more specific song ranking—means Rock Band 2’s note tracks require more skill, but songs are also rated by individual instrument; so it’s easier to pick and choose based on your percussion talent as opposed to your singing voice (or vice versa)
- No-fail option—increases the family-fun component of Rock Band 2 challenges by allowing you to screw up any song without actually “failing”…i.e. no more ousting of poor Grammy just when the game gets good
- Larger song selection—of both included and downloadable content—means there are tunes for every musical taste; most exciting, however, is the compatibility of Rock Band 2 as a platform, enabling seamless access to all previous and future DLC, regardless of which Rock Band you possess
The Rock Band 2 Tournament on BringIt
When you join BringIt, you can take advantage of everything Rock Band 2 has to offer, with a little added incentive…cash. As a free member of BringIt, you can make money off your musical skill via two-person video game Rock Band 2 competitions or multiplayer Rock Band 2 tournaments…because the online Battle of the Bands challenge is great, but a wallet full of green is much, much better. Since BringIt holds all money safely and securely in an escrow account until a winner has been determined and verified, the Rock Band 2 tournament is really risk free. Sure, you may have to put up with some guy’s rather random song selection. But when you’re smiling all the way to the bank, does it really matter if you can’t get 30 Seconds to Mars out of your mind? Join BringIt now to challenge, play, and earn in an online Rock Band 2 battle!
