Ever since Rock Band turned up on the scene laden down with a shiny bunch of new instruments, gaming has had its very own battle of the bands. We were looking forward to seeing if Harmonix could rip the rhythm action crown away from Guitar Hero when Rock Band was released on Wii last year but as it turned out there was no contest.
The set-list was decent but with no option to create your own character, no World Tour mode and no online mode, Rock Band Wii wasn't up to it and Guitar Hero: World Tour trounced it when it was released a few months later. This year we might get a more even contest as the problems from the first game have been fixed.
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Being able to create your own band is good as is watching them play along and we're delighted that you'll now be able to download new songs, but the most welcome addition for fans of these music games is that you'll now be able to play Rock Band with every music controller released for the Wii. This is brilliant and could tip the balance for many gamers as, after forking out £150 on all the Guitar Hero kit, who could afford to do the same for another set of instruments?
As for the regular set list, it's fair to say there is something for everyone with metal, indie, punk and prog represented. Personally I'm looking forward to playing Bob Dylan's Tangled Up In Blue and Psycho Killer by Talking Heads but with The Stone Roses and Oasis represented on the Guitar Hero World Tour soundtrack (two of my top ten bands of all time) I have to say that World Tour beats it for me. But that's just personal taste.
Still, I'd like to know what you think. Will you buy Rock Band 2 when it's released this month or will you stick with Guitar Hero and wait for the fifth instalment to come out later on in the year? Or are you one of those who will happily buy both?
