Rock Band 2 is a 2008 music video game developed by Harmonix and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. The game, a sequel to Rock Band, has been released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and PlayStation 2. Rock Band allows one to four players to simulate the playing of rock music by providing the players with peripherals modeled after musical instruments (a guitar peripheral for lead guitar and bass gameplay, a drum peripheral, and a microphone). The gameplay in Rock Band 2 is nearly identical to the original Rock Band, while also comparable to that in Guitar Hero.
The game disc features 84 songs, all of which are master recordings. In addition, the game supports existing downloadable content from Rock Band, as well as tracks which have been exported from other Rock Band game discs. Twenty additional tracks were released exclusively for Rock Band 2 as free downloadable content after the game was released. A redeemable code that allows the player access to these songs is included with new copies of the game, except for the Wii version, where no code is required.
With Rock Band 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii players could export 70 of 84 songs by purchasing an Export Key for US$9.99. The 9 songs from bands fronted by Harmonix staff members are not offered in the initial export package; however, these songs are offered at no cost in the "Rock Band Free 01" pack for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, released on January 4, 2011. The export for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions requires the code located on the back of the Rock Band 2 instruction manual; this is the same code used for the redemption of the aforementioned bonus content. The process for export differs slightly on both platforms: Xbox 360 users only need to redeem the manual code directly within Rock Band 3 while PlayStation 3 users must redeem the manual code on the Rock Band website and then use the code given from the website within Rock Band 3. EA support will accommodate users who may have lost or discarded their previous code. Wii users only need to have a Rock Band 2 save file present and pay the export fee to perform the export function; however, tracks are downloaded individually, allowing the user to delete unwanted songs. As of 2017, the ability to export Rock Band 2 to later Rock Band titles had expired; however, users who have previously exported Rock Band 2 are eligible to receive the songs in Rock Band 4.
Five songs were not exportable to Rock Band 3: "Let There Be Rock" by AC/DC, "Any Way You Want It" by Journey, "Battery" by Metallica, "Give It Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers and "Spoonman" by Soundgarden. "Give It Away" and "Spoonman" were included as part of the Rock Band Blitz soundtrack but with updated charts and difficulty levels, of which can be exported to Rock Band 3. The two songs were also later released as downloadable singles for Rock Band 3, and both are available with pro guitar and bass upgrades.
Track listing Each of the 84 songs is categorized on-disc by difficulty (0 dots being the easiest and 5 red dots being the most difficult) for each instrument, as well as the entire band. Players can also choose from one of four skill levels (Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert). Unlike previous installments in the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series, the nine bonus songs are integrated with the other 75 songs in the game's track listing. Each on-disc song in this game's setlist has received their "Supervision-Recommended" song content ratings instead of their "Family-Friendly" song content ratings.
Song title Artist Year Genre Exportable? Rewind DLC "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter" 2007 Indie Rock "Ace of Spades '08" Motörhead 2008 Metal "Alabama Getaway" 1980 Classic Rock "Alex Chilton" 1987 Rock "Alive" Pearl Jam 1991 Grunge "Almost Easy" Avenged Sevenfold 2007 Metal "American Woman" 1970 Classic Rock "Any Way You Want It" Journey 1980 Classic Rock "Aqualung" Jethro Tull 1971 Progressive "Bad Reputation" 1980 Punk "Battery" Metallica 1986 Metal "Bodhisattva" Steely Dan 1973 Classic Rock "Carry On Wayward Son" Kansas 1976 Progressive "Chop Suey" System of a Down 2001 Nu-Metal "Colony of Birchmen" Mastodon 2006 Metal "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)" 1994 Punk "Conventional Lover" Speck 2007 Pop-Rock "Cool for Cats" Squeeze 1979 New Wave "De-Luxe" Lush 1990 Alternative "Down with the Sickness" Disturbed 2000 Nu-Metal "Drain You" Nirvana 1991 Grunge "E-Pro" Beck 2005 Alternative "Everlong" Foo Fighters 1997 Alternative "Eye of the Tiger" Survivor 1982 Rock "Feel the Pain" Dinosaur Jr. 1994 Alternative "Float On" Modest Mouse 2004 Indie Rock "Get Clean" Anarchy Club 2008 Metal "Girl's Not Grey" AFI 2003 Alternative "Give It All" Rise Against 2004 Punk "Give It Away" Red Hot Chili Peppers 1991 Alternative "Go Your Own Way" Fleetwood Mac 1977 Classic Rock "Hello There" Cheap Trick 1977 Rock "Hungry Like the Wolf" Duran Duran 1982 Pop-Rock "I Was Wrong" Social Distortion 1996 Punk "Kids in America" 1995 Pop-Rock "Lazy Eye" Silversun Pickups 2006 Indie Rock "Let There Be Rock" AC/DC 1977 Rock "Livin' on a Prayer" Bon Jovi 1986 Rock "Lump" Presidents of the United States of America 1995 Pop-Rock "Man in the Box" Alice in Chains 1990 Grunge "Master Exploder" Tenacious D 2006 Rock "Mountain Song" Jane's Addiction 1988 Alternative "My Own Worst Enemy" Lit 1999 Pop-Rock "New Kid in School" 2007 Rock "Night Lies" Bang Camaro 2008 Rock "Nine in the Afternoon" Panic! at the Disco 2008 Pop-Rock "One Step Closer" Linkin Park 2000 Nu-Metal "One Way or Another" Blondie 1978 Pop-Rock "Our Truth" Lacuna Coil 2006 Metal "Painkiller" Judas Priest 1990 Metal "Panic Attack" Dream Theater 2005 Progressive "PDA" Interpol 2002 Indie Rock "Peace Sells" Megadeth 1986 Metal "Pinball Wizard" 1969 Classic Rock "Pretend We're Dead" L7 1992 Grunge "Psycho Killer" Talking Heads 1977 New Wave "Pump It Up" Elvis Costello 1978 Rock "Ramblin' Man" 1973 Southern Rock "Rebel Girl" Bikini Kill 1993 Punk "Rob the Prez-O-Dent" That Handsome Devil 2008 Rock "Rock'n Me" 1976 Classic Rock "Round and Round" Ratt 1984 Metal "Shackler's Revenge" Guns N' Roses 2008 Rock "Shooting Star" Bad Company 1975 Classic Rock "Shoulder to the Plow" Breaking Wheel 2008 Metal "So What'cha Want" Beastie Boys 1992 Rock "Souls of Black" Testament 1990 Metal "Spirit in the Sky" 1969 Classic Rock "Spoonman" Soundgarden 1994 Grunge "Supreme Girl" 2006 Pop-Rock "Tangled Up in Blue" Bob Dylan 1975 Classic Rock "Teen Age Riot" Sonic Youth 1988 Alternative "Testify" Rage Against the Machine 1999 Alternative "That's What You Get" Paramore 2007 Pop-Rock "The Middle" Jimmy Eat World 2001 Pop-Rock "The Trees (Vault Edition)" Rush 1978 Progressive "Today" Smashing PumpkinsThe Smashing Pumpkins 1993 Alternative "Uncontrollable Urge" Devo 1978 New Wave "Visions" Abnormality 2007 Metal "We Got the Beat" The Go-Go's 1981 Pop-Rock "Welcome to the Neighborhood" Libyans 2008 Punk "Where'd You Go?" 1991 Alternative "White Wedding (Part 1)" 1982 Rock "You Oughta Know" 1995 Pop-Rock
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