Rock Band 2
About Rock Band 2
From the archive
This is the original PS2Home fact sheet for Rock Band 2, preserved from the early-2000s archive. Details reflect the PAL release as catalogued at the time.
Official fact sheet
The Rock Band 2 soundtrack will feature over 100 songs with over 80 songs on disc plus an additional 20 bonus tracks which will be made available for free download this fall. This builds upon the unparalleled depth and diversity of Rock Band?s original set list and its ever-expanding library of downloadable tracks. Comprised entirely of master recordings from some of rock?s most prolific and untouchable artists, including AC/DC, Guns N? Roses, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Pearl Jam and more, Rock Band 2 will deliver the most impressive and largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame ever.
- After 14 years since Guns N? Roses last official music release, Axl Rose selects Rock Band 2 to debut official new track ?Shackler’s Revenge? from the highly-anticipated album Chinese Democracy.
- Rock Band 2 is the first and only video game to feature the music of AC/DC. It includes their epic rock anthem, “Let There Be Rock.?
- For the first time ever, music from American music icon, Bob Dylan, is featured in a video game with ?Tangled Up In Blue.?
- Rock Band 2 will feature backwards compatibility with all Rock Band downloadable music content released to date.
- Owners of the original Rock Band will have the ability to export most of the Rock Band disc tracks and upgrade them into Rock Band 2 gameplay-the first time ever in videogame history!
- With ongoing weekly DLC releases including individual tracks, track packs and full albums, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs by year?s end!
Track Lise:
- 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 and’ 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 and’ 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
Rock Band 2 was Harmonix’s second full-band music game, following 2007’s Rock Band and arriving in Britain late in the PlayStation 2’s life. The PAL PS2 release appeared on Friday, 27 March 2009, several months after the Xbox 360 version and alongside the PlayStation 3 edition. It retained the central idea of playing in a virtual band, using guitar, bass, drums and vocals, but this was a more limited last-generation port rather than a complete match for the newer-console versions. Harmonix created the game, while Pi Studios handled the PS2 port.
What it was
Rock Band 2 was a rhythm game built around performance rather than conventional exploration or combat. Coloured notes travelled towards targets on separate instrument lanes, and players had to strike, strum or sing at the correct moment. Guitar and bass used a five-button plastic guitar, drums used four pads and a kick pedal, and vocals were judged by matching the pitch of the displayed vocal line. The game supported any combination of these parts, allowing one person to play alone or up to four people to form a local band.
The disc contained 84 songs, covering classic rock, metal, punk, alternative and pop-rock. The set list included established names such as AC/DC, Bob Dylan, The Who, Nirvana, Metallica, Foo Fighters and Billy Idol alongside less familiar artists. Most songs used their original master recordings, which helped the performances sound considerably closer to the real records than the cover-heavy approach common in earlier music games.
How it played
The main progression was Tour mode, which combined the single-player and band careers into one structure. Players worked through gigs and challenges, earning stars and unlocking further performances, while the flexible format allowed a solo guitarist, a complete four-piece or any smaller combination of players. Quickplay, practice tools, No Fail play and the new Drum Trainer gave the game more uses than simply running through the main set list.
The guitar charting remained approachable at low difficulty but became demanding on Expert, particularly on songs with fast chord changes or intricate solos. Rock Band 2’s revised guitar added a second set of five smaller fret buttons lower down the neck for tapping passages, plus an effects selector. The updated drum kit was designed to be quieter and more responsive, although original Rock Band instruments for the same PlayStation family were also supported.
The UK PS2 version
Electronic Arts distributed the game in Britain for MTV Games. The software had a recommended retail price of £29.99, notably below the £49.99 price attached to the PlayStation 3 release. A PS2 Instrument Edition containing the game, guitar, drums and microphone was listed at £109.99, while separate guitar and drum controllers were also available.
The PS2 edition was designed for offline local play. It did not support online multiplayer, online co-operative Tour play, Battle of the Bands or downloadable content. That distinction matters because many contemporary descriptions of Rock Band 2 refer to features present on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, not on PS2. The local game still offered four-player band play, but the PlayStation 2’s storage and network limitations meant that it could not function as the expanding music platform seen on newer hardware. Saves required a PlayStation 2 memory card, with MobyGames recording a minimum of 514 KB for the PAL version.
Reception
Rock Band 2 was well received as a sequel, although critics generally viewed it as a careful refinement rather than a radical reinvention. GameSpot awarded the main release 8.5 out of 10, praising the large song list, strong core play and improved band experience while criticising the relatively modest changes from the first game. Metacritic records an overall score of 92 from 69 critics, but its PS2 listing has only two critics and no settled numerical Metascore. Those high aggregate figures should therefore be understood primarily as judgements of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions rather than a definitive verdict on the PS2 port.
The PS2 version’s reception was inevitably shaped by its omissions. It delivered the same basic note-matching and local party appeal, but without the online tour, downloadable song library and broader presentation of the newer versions. For a household that already owned compatible instruments, it remained a substantial four-player music game; for anyone comparing platforms directly, it was clearly the compromise edition.
Legacy
Rock Band 2 is still regarded as one of the stronger entries from the late-2000s rhythm-game boom. Its broad song selection, generous co-operative design and Tour structure helped establish the series as more than a guitar game with extra controllers. The PS2 edition has a more modest reputation: it is useful as an offline party game and as a historical example of how late-generation software was adapted to older hardware, but it is not the fullest way to experience Rock Band 2.
For modern players, the main obstacles are practical rather than software-related. A working PAL disc is only part of the requirement; compatible guitar, drum and microphone hardware is needed for the intended experience, and the original online and downloadable features were never part of the PS2 release.
Screenshots (06 May-2009)
Artwork
Videos
Frequently asked questions
Does Rock Band 2 on PS2 have online play?
No. The PS2 release is offline only, with local play for up to four people. Online Tour, Battle of the Bands and downloadable content belonged to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.
What is different about the PS2 version compared with PS3 and Xbox 360?
The core instrument gameplay and 84-song disc set remain, but the PS2 edition omits online features, downloadable content and the newer consoles’ expanding music-library functions. It is best understood as a local multiplayer adaptation rather than the full platform version.
Can Rock Band 2 PS2 be played with a normal DualShock 2 controller?
A DualShock can handle menus, but the game is designed around compatible guitar, drum and microphone controllers. A disc-only copy is therefore of limited use unless you already have suitable PlayStation instruments.
Can the PS2 disc be played on a PS3, PS4 or PS5?
Only selected early European PS3 models support most PlayStation 2 discs, and Sony warned that compatibility could vary. PS4 and PS5 do not play PlayStation 2 software from the original disc, so an original PS2 is the safest option.
Is the PS2 version rare?
The game disc is not securely documented as a rare or high-value PS2 title. Complete instrument packages are naturally harder to find than software alone, so check that a listing includes working compatible hardware rather than relying on seller claims of rarity.
