Rock Band Track Pack Volume 1

The Rock Band Track Pack is pretty much the only way PS2 and Wii owners are going to be able to get in on the fun of Rock Band's vast downloadable content library. The disc features 20 new tracks, both from bands that are already on the original Rock Band disc (The Ramones, The Police, Queens of the Stone Age) and a few new arrivals (30 Seconds to Mars, Blink-182, and Wolfmother). The game is exactly like the original: plug in your peripherals, match your notes with the ones on screen, and rock out either with a band of friends or on your own.<br><br>The only big flaw that I see with this game is that while it is a varied selection of songs, it seems like Harmonix sort of strayed toward conventional songs that aren't exactly of much difficulty on any instrument. There are no Tier 9 songs for any instrument, which will undoubtedly disappoint hardcores that did Expert Green Grass and High Tides on the guitar or Won't Get Fooled Again on drums with the original game.<br><br>Another flaw is that, despite the discounted price, I can't see anyone but a fan of the bands listed on the game really having much of a reason to shell out $30 for 20 songs when Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour promise over 85 songs for $50 later this year (assuming all you need is the disc). All the truncated tour modes can be completed on your familiar difficulty in about a day or two if you devote yourself to the task.<br><br>What Harmonix should really consider doing is making a "Create-Your-Own" track pack thing online, where you can choose twenty downloadable tracks you just gotta play and have them pressed to a disc and shipped to you for $30 plus whatever licensing and personalization fees they choose. With the vast library of material available, there are some (myself included) that will be disappointed with the selection, and this game is definitely not a "buy", but it is worth renting if your console is stuck out of the DLC loop.