Let there be rock

My review of Rock Band 2 is up now at thephoenix.com -- and while it's still a 360 exclusive, at that!

It's a very positive review, and yet I think my enthusiasm for the game still doesn't come through all the way. I've given two other games a higher rating this year (Crisis Core and Braid got a 9.5; this got a 9.0), and yet I'd be hard pressed to say this isn't actually my game of the year so far. I fell into the trap of thinking that because it's not so different from its predecessor, that must be a strike against it. Well, it isn't. This game rocks.

That was driven home for me when I invited my brother over to play. He'd been a big fan of the first two Guitar Hero games, but had never played Rock Band. Sure, I'd been enjoying the hell out of it, especially since I'd never owned the original. But to see the reaction of someone who'd never played the drums before at all reminded me how much freaking fun it is. There's still no other way to have such an experience, unless you're actually in a band. Playing Rock Band 2 ought to be mandatory.