Rock Band, everyone’s favorite karaoke on steroids, is back on Xbox 360 with its cleverly named sequel Rock Band 2 (RB2). Is it fun? Damn right it is. It’s got to be when it makes you genuinely act like a Panic At The Disco! song.

Not a lot has changed from last year’s outing, but there are a few additions: The handy new Drum Trainer mode teaches you the fundamentals of real drumming, the Battle of the Bands mode pits you and your friends against bands from all over the world, and the No Fail mode is great for drunken parties. Sadly, the World Tour mode is still a bore, but you’re going to have to play through it to unlock all the songs available on the game. But, on the plus side, the new wireless drum set is quieter than the previous one and the new guitar has a snazzy wood grain look with an improved strum bar.

The real star of the show is the impressive, 84- song-long, decade-spanning track list. It’s got everything from AC/DC’s “Let There Be Rock” and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer,” to the Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” and Paramore’s “That’s What You Get.” The hits don’t stop there — the game offers a weekly updated iTunes-like music store that will have over 500 songs (at $2 each) by this Christmas. All your old downloaded songs will work with RB2 and for only $5 you can export 55 out of the 58 songs off of your (or your friend’s) RB1 disc. Before you know it, your music library will be huge. I’m talking Fuccillo Hyundai certified here.

Pardon the obvious pun, but this game “rocks”. You PS3, PS2, and Wii owners are going to have to wait until mid-October to rock out. Use this time wisely by practicing your guitar scissor-kicks and recruiting groupies.

Release: 9/14/2008
Price: $60 (Disc Only) / $190 (Bundle Available October 19)