Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock for PlayStation 2 Reviews & Ratings by IGN

Call me crazy, but I'm starting to think this newfangled concept of "music games" is going to be successful. Rock Band has been around for a couple years now, and in that time over 40 million songs have been downloaded by users, and the online library is now over 500 tracks deep. That's a whole lot of music. In an attempt to expand that audience though, MTV Games is packaging track packs across PS2, Wii, 360, and PS3 which can be purchased instead of going on and nabbing the music one-by-one or in artists packs. You're getting the same songs you can find online, but you're also getting them at a cheaper price if you buy in bulk.



So does a package like this need a review? I mean, we don't review single songs when they come out, right? Why bother with these? Well my online-travelling gamer buddies, it's all about that value. Is it really worth it to drop $30 of cash on the Rock Band Classic Rock track pack? You get 20 songs, and that means you're essentially saving about $10 compared to one-by-one purchases – songs cost $2.00 a piece originally on the service – but you'll also get a few tracks that may not catch your fancy. Since these are also standalone packages as well – meaning you don't need to own any Rock Band games to play them – it's actually a pretty cheap way to see what the series is all about, though as you'll see these packages are farfrom a realistic Rock Band experience, and a dangerous piece of software for players that aren't "in the know" about games.



So is the Classic Rock pack really worth your cash?



From what I've experienced with the package it is, but that comes with a huge if statement in there as well. If you own the game on PS3 or Xbox 360, and if you dig the music included, and if you're just picking this game up to rip the tracks and compliment a bigger Rock Band experience then by all means fire away. This package has a nice set of songs, and I'll list them below so you can decide if it's really something you want to drop $30 on.



The Tracks:

• Peace of Mind – Boston
  
  
• Rock and Roll Band – Boston
  
  
• California Uber Alles – Dead Kennedys
  
  
• Holiday in Cambodia – Dead Kennedys
  
  
• All Right Now – Free
  
  
• Bad to the Bone – George Thorgood
  
  
• Funk #49 – The James Gang
  
  
• Hymn 43 – Jethro Tull
  
  
• Let Love Rule – Lenny Kravitz
  
  
• Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Pat Benatar
  
  
• Can't Stand Losing You – The Police
  
  
• Truth Hits Everybody – The Police
  
  
• Closer to the Heart – Rush
  
  
• Red Barchetta – Rush
  
  
• Kiss Them For Me – Siouxsie & The Banshees
  
  
• Take the Money and Run – Steve Miller Band
  
  
• The Joker – Steve Miller Band
  
  
• Love Spreads – The Stone Roses
  
  
• Baba O'Riley – The Who
  
  
• Behind Blue Eyes – The Who

On the flipside, major issues hold back the game as a stand-alone offering, and it's multiplied even worse on Wii and PS2 where the ability to download and import the songs into other versions of Rock Band isn't included. That's right PS2/Wii guys; if you wanted to buy this one and add the tracks onto the main versions you won't be able to. It's played on this disc, and only on this disc, and that's just part of the more frustrating elements that come with the "track pack" concept.



The biggest "watch out" aspect to keep in mind when deciding if you pick up Classic Rock is that you aren't getting the full-on Rock Band offering. Gone is World Tour, all band creation (minus a name for file saves), character select, venue select, and any other actual "band" experiences you expect from MTV's game. Instead you've got only quick play with all 20 songs unlocked right away, and then a career mode which is the same 20 songs broken up into four five-song stages. Each stage keeps track of your star count and score for each difficulty, but there's no progression outside of playing the songs and then moving to the next stage. This disc is quite literally the 20 songs, a quickplay option, and a way to save scores for those songs if you do in fact only own Classic Rock. It is not a full-on Rock Band experience.



As for the actual music, I personally would drop the cash for the set list, though there are a few songs I wasn't blown away by. Dead Kennedys isn't exactly my type of music, and there are two songs on there by them, though on the opposite side you've also got two awesome tracks from Boston, two from Rush, two from The Police, and two from The Who, all of which are great additions to any library. It really comes down to personal preference, so just keep in mind that 15 songs at $2.00 a piece (standard download) will equal the track pack cost. If you aren't in love with at least 16 of the songs, or if you're fine waiting on a few of those tracks to drop in price I'd pass on it. Every song here is already available online (save for a few in the Wii library) and most players are going to want to pick and choose the songs or packs they buy instead.



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