Rock Band 2 on the Wii has practically all the features of its XBox and PS3 versions. Character customization is there (albeit a little less than on the other systems), tour mode is there, and DLC is there. The best new thing by far: It now supports all the instruments from Guitar Hero – both 3 and World Tour. That was what sold me. I could now have both games without spending hundreds of dollars.

Gameplay is great. I never played the first Rock Band, but I had always heard that the career progression was superior to Guitar Hero. Now that I’ve played it, I mostly agree. The use of special events to add some interesting dynamics to the game keeps things interesting. My only gripe is that the random setlists the game makes for certain events often feature a combination of easy and hard songs that don’t seem to go together.

My recommendation to Wii owners aren’t sure what to buy between the two – I’d definitely get both. Just buy the Guitar Hero band kit and the Rock Band 2 stand alone disc.

When the series was first released I ignored it. I figured it was another mainstream game that would bore me, and would probably get worse and worse as the series continued. I didn’t even touch the game until way after Guitar Hero 3 was released. My introduction to the series was through a freeware PC clone called Frets on Fire. Frets on fire is a guitar rhythm game you play with your keyboard, and you can add custom tracks to. I loved it. I noticed as I looked around for new tracks that most of the forums I frequented were full of users who wanted the game to be more like the Guitar Hero genre they loved. This sparked my curiosity. I did a little research and found that there was a port of Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock for the PC. I had found a purpose for my economic stimulus check. Hurrah!

Just this week the new Guitar Hero World Tour was released. It’s a game I’ve been drooling over for months. While the reviews are mixed as to whether GHWT or Rock Band 2 is the better game, my choice is clear. Since I currently only own a Wii, I haven’t even thought about Rock Band 2, and I probably never will. I’m not into the whole idea of stripping out features, because you’re too lazy to make it work right. Sorry Harmonix, you had your chance with me, but you lost me at that. Not to mention I really enjoy the art direction of GH over the somewhat bland RB style.

While I have yet to play the game that should change tonight. My two player bundle pack (two guitars and the game) is set to arrive! I thoroughly look forward to enjoying it.