Second Story Gamer

Surprise!  Harmonix has officially announced that Rock Band 2 will be coming to the Xbox 360 this September and other consoles later this year.  Along with this announcement, they gave us some juicy details about Rock Band 2, most of which are good.

Like the fact that Rock Band 1 downloadable content with be compatible with Rock Band 2 and the fact that the downloadable content released after Rock Band 2 releases will still be compatible with Rock Band 1.  And on top of that, Harmonix has stated that the weekly tracks released to Rock Band will continue through Rock Band 2’s release (take notes Guitar Hero).

Along with DLC compatibility, Harmonix has also announced that Rock Band 1 instruments will work with Rock Band 2, so we don’t have to worry about more plastic toys around the house.  They are, however, still releasing new instruments for Rock Band 2, so those of you who need your yearly plastic fix can calm down.

You want some more great news?  Every song on Rock Band 2 will be the master recording.  Yes, that means the actual artist will be singing his/her own song.  I know, it’s totally amazing.  Speaking of setlists, Rock Band lead designer Dan Teasdale has said in a interview with IGN that they have “also secured what I can easily say is the best setlist I’ve ever seen in a music game”.  Is that just PR hype, or does he have evidence to back it up?  Hopefully we’ll see in the coming weeks, as more songs for Rock Band 2 get leaked or announced.

Teasdale also had this to say in response to Guitar Hero IV’s announcement that it had multiple instruments was Rock Band:

Yeah, the clip of the Activision executive making that statement is floating around on the internet. I think the follow-up question he got was priceless: “Isn’t that called Rock Band?” We released Rock Band back in November 2007, almost 10 months before GH:WT will even make its debut. I think looking at a calendar settles when the “amazing advancement” in music games actually took place.

B-b-b-burn!  But what’s up with the lack of PS3 love, Harmonix?  What did they ever do to you?  Well, according to a different representative:

“Microsoft has been a great partner throughout the launch of Rock Band in the last year and their continued support is instrumental in supporting the more advanced features and cross title compatibility we will have in Rock Band 2.

I wonder if there was money involved…

[via Kotaku]