First Impressions: Rock Band 2 Drum Kit

Many Rock Band fans are considering the new Rock Band 2 drum kit, but are on the fence as to making the buy on the product. Some people want to feel it out first, see if it holds up better than the last one and is worth the buy more than just for the lowered decibel ratings.

As a huge fan of Rock Band and the original drum kit, there is a few key elements that make this a must have product if you’ve got USD $90.00 to throw around. Besides the future extendability with the snares, this kit shows off a lot of “lessons learned” by Harmonix.

Have you played the Rock Band drums on a hardwood floor? A subtle update to this kit adds little rubber feet, which we didn’t find on the original kit, allowing the kit to stay stationary after a long hard beating rather than skipping across the floor with each kick. Much more professional and well thought out update.

Have you busted your kick pedal? They’ve re-enforced the pedals with this release with a plate, screwed down to the pedal and much more polished and professional than the wooden ones people (like us) were buying on eBay.

Less “Thwack.” There is no getting around the fact that a drum kit for under $3,000 is going to be a bit audible when it comes to the beat down. The difference between this kit and the original is noticeable. You’ll get a bit more “bassy” thump and less smacking sounds, which should help you focus on hard Who drum solos.

Wireless! The age of wireless is upon us. Why the original had a long dangling wire without a break-away cable is beyond me. This feature alone is priority one for us and probably anyone else with a drum kit in the middle of the room with toddlers or little kids.

New Look. The look is fresh dope; No, seriously, it’s a bit more black and mimics a few of the color designs of a professional drum kit with less options and less cost.

Will the drum set meet all of your desires? It’s a toy, that is not going to change. This kit is, however, a worthwhile upgrade for those that broke their old one, want something a bit quieter for when the spouse is sleeping or, much like us, love fresh new tech gadgets.

All of our initial complaints from the original drum kit were solved without us vocalizing our desire; someone must have been paying attention to play testers and the forums around the world. If you’re considering the upgrade for any of these reasons it’s definitely something to take a closer look into.

0 thoughts on “First Impressions: Rock Band 2 Drum Kit”

  1. Can you tell me the price of this Rock |Band Kit II in Europe???
    I would like to know it as here in Brasil it is around US$ 350,00.

    Thanks

  2. Can you tell me the price of this Rock |Band Kit II in Europe???
    I would like to know it as here in Brasil it is around US$ 350,00.

    Thanks

  3. Thanks for the great review of Rock Band 2 Drum Kit. I ended up buying this a couple of years ago and I still play with it from time to time. I’m looking forward to reading a lot more of your site in the future.

  4. Thanks for the great review of Rock Band 2 Drum Kit. I ended up buying this a couple of years ago and I still play with it from time to time. I’m looking forward to reading a lot more of your site in the future.

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Exclusive Artist Deals In Rhythm Games Not Good?Exclusive Artist Deals In Rhythm Games Not Good?

Rhythm games are the new FPS for a lot of gamers, a broader audience of gamers, and the market is thriving and demanding new titles. Harmonix and Activision are at the front of the battle with Konami following a bit behind but still contending (we think) very soon.

Each company plans to up each other with cooler instruments, tighter controls and new in-game options and multi-player fancies. It’s a business and each competitor tries to gain a lead by whatever means needed to win… or do they?

Harmonix stops short when it comes to purchasing exclusive rights to music artists, for now at least. Harmonix’s Eric Brosious went on blogger record saying, “We prefer not to sign exclusive deals with artists because while it seems like the competitive “business” thing to do, in the long run, it’s really not good for anyone. We think we should be working to get more music out to more people.” (kotaku)

As Marky Mark once said, we need “Music for the people” not for in-game exclusives making us choose between Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles. We’ve seen what EA has done to the football franchise by taking control of the NFL roster, money talks and the best game doesn’t always win.

If Activision decides to buy up a ton of great exclusive content and you’re a rock band gamer, you’ll lose out in a ton of great content. For some gamers, that might mean losing out in some artists you’ve never heard before which also means the artist loses out in new fans. We’ve seen younger gamers fall in love with the sounds of Boston and The Police, bands famous way before the birth of many of the Rock Band fan base.

You can tell Harmonix is a development group with roots in music while Activision is a development group with their roots in business. While exclusive access brings you an advantage, in terms of broadening the culture of music, it does very little. Harmonix may be in the right but will that matter in the end when business deals hit the table?

p.s. sorry about the Marky Mark reference, but it had to be done. Bringing out a bit of my own childhood there…

The Beatle’s Change Wii Price Point, Rock Band StyleThe Beatle’s Change Wii Price Point, Rock Band Style

By now everyone is used to paying more for Rock Band than meets the eye. The game disc is usually packed in several bundles for guitars, drums and, of course, stand alone. With The Beatles: Rock Band, MTV Games plans to release one product SKU, a game only disc. That game only disc, on the Wii is going to cost the same as other consoles: $59.99.

beatlesYou remember when Wii games were $49.99 and everyone made titles that hit this price point or lower? MTV isn’t going to stick to this standard, regardless of “last gen graphics” because you’ll buy it anyway, right? Rock Band is one of those games that has hit huge strides in the market over the last few years as people buy big plastic instruments to rock their house.

Now we’re going to see if those same people willing to pay $10.00 more than normal in order to play The Beatles songs. The Wii has a large audience of gamers but they’re the style of gamer that wants a good value for their product, after all, the Wii is cheaper than every other console and the games probably should match its differences compared to games for the other consoles.

This is an interesting decision, as the market plunges into despair MTV gouges games for $10.00 more because “The Beatles” happens to be in the title. Are you going to pay more for the Beatles? Not us.

(Thanks, 1up)

Rock Band 2: Full Set ListRock Band 2: Full Set List

It’s now official, written in stone… or, on a the Rock Band forums at least, the full song list for their next title. The track listing looks excellent, a few old hits I’d love to play, a few songs I’d rather not see and a list of excellent memorable tracks that are must have for a sequel!

The full list of Rock Band 2 songs are:

1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s
2. AFI “Girl’s Gone Grey” 2000’s
3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990’s
4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990’s
5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970’s
6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000’s
7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970’s
8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990’s
9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000’s
10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990’s
11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980’s
12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970’s
13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970’s
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980’s
15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970’s
16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980’s
17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990’s
18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000’s
19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000’s
20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980’s
21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970’s
22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970’s
23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990’s
24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000’s
25. Interpol “PDA” 2000’s
26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980’s
27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970’s
28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000’s
29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980’s
30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970’s
31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990’s
32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970’s
33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990’s
34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000’s
35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000’s
36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990’s
37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990’s
38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000’s
39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980’s
40. Metallica “Battery” 1980’s
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990’s
42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000’s
43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980’s
44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990’s
45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960’s
46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000’s
47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000’s
48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990’s
49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990’s
50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990’s
51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980’s
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990’s
53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000’s
54. Rush “The Trees” 1970’s
55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000’s
56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990’s
57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990’s
58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980’s
59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990’s
60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970’s
61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970’s
62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970’s
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980’s
64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000’s
65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970’s
66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000’s
67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990’s
68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000’s
69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980’s
70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980’s
71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970’s
72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990’s
73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990’s
74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980’s
75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960’s

Bonus Artist Bonus Song Title Decade
76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000’s
77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000’s
78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000’s
79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000’s
80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000’s
81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000’s
82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000’s
83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000’s
84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000’s

Any you’re itching to try out? Don’t forget having backwards compatability with old DLC and such!

(more…)