Finding Your Groove in Rock Band 2 

Published October 7, 2008

The fundamental techniques required for tearing it up on guitar or drums remain largely the same from Rock Band™ to Rock Band 2, so if you're looking for basic instrument-specific tips, allow me to draw your attention to our Novice Guides for Guitar and Drums.

Have all four band members trigger Overdrive simultaneously for the Overdrive Overdose achievement.

With the basics taken care of in our Novice Guides, let's address a few burning questions and concerns, including how to maximize your fan base and cash flow, how to unlock all the songs, a few instrument-agnostic gameplay suggestions, and even a few tips for those sought after achievements.

Relaxed Fit
I've said it before and I'll say it again here. Whether you're playing drums, guitar, or even singing, tension is your worst enemy. When crazy chords, note sequences, and beats come screaming down the screen at a hundred miles an hour, the best thing you can do is stay relaxed. It's when you tense up that you lose all accuracy and put yourself in position to fail.

It may not be a complicated tip, but it's a crucial one. Try to stay relaxed and strum or tap those fast sequences just a shade slower than you think you should. Obviously, everyone is different but the average gamer tends to strum or drum faster than they should.

Instrument Switch
Not all songs are created equally when it comes to difficulty. For example, "Mountain Song" by Jane's Addiction is a beast on drums but a cinch on guitar. If you get stuck on a song in Tour mode, remember that unlike the original Rock Band, you can choose to play any instrument. Check and see if the troublesome song is comparatively easier on another instrument.

Drum Trainer should help with those pesky in-between foot pedals.

Unlocked
Are you having a few friends over and want to unlock every song without having to play endless amounts of Challenge and Tour mode? No problem. Head into the Extras menu, select Modify Game, and then choose Enter Unlock Code. Tap out the following sequence on your drums, guitar or controller to unlock every song: Red, Yellow, Blue, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Red, Yellow, Blue.

Enter the code correctly and you should see the following message: "Modifier Unlocked! Unlock every song in the game!" Then, you can scroll down the list and select Unlock All Songs.

Delete!
Chances are if you played endless hours of the original game, there are a couple of songs you could do without in Rock Band 2. If you transferred your original Rock Band songs to Rock Band 2 but want to delete a couple of those troublesome tracks, it's simple.

Head to the Xbox 360® Dashboard, choose the System menu, and select Memory. Then, select Games and scroll down to Rock Band, not Rock Band 2. Here you'll find all the original Rock Band songs you transferred off the disc to your hard drive as well as any songs you downloaded. Delete as you see fit.

Faster Cash and Fans
The standard completionist tactic is to tackle each set of challenges until they're finished completely before moving on. That's fine if you're in Tour mode for the long haul, but if you want to make a charge at the 1,000,000 fans and $100,000 for achievements you can speed things along by trying the following:

• Whenever you unlock a new, more challenging venue or city, head there immediately.
• When making your own setlists, choose the most challenging songs in which you can confidently score five stars.
• When hiring staff, avoid characters that boost just fans or just money. "Swami Ben" Goldstein is a good choice provided you don't often fail songs.

Now there's an eclectic mix.

Ninety Seconds?
The Bachman-Turner Award achievement requires you to maintain Overdrive for ninety seconds. While it's possible to do this on your own, finding the right song and then executing the timing perfectly is just rough.

Instead, join up with a buddy or three if you can and take turns using Overdrive, always making sure one band member triggers their Overdrive before the others' runs out. Start first with the drummer since they depend on fills to trigger their Overdrive and take turns from there.

Getting the Million
Stop now if you're trying to score the Million Point Club achievement by your lonesome. Unless you're god-like on Expert, just get a solid band together and play a lengthy song on Hard, Expert, or a mixture of the two. Provided you can synchronize your use of Overdrive and five-star the song with ease, you should have no problem with this achievement.

Going Gold
Earning gold stars on a song requires you to go well beyond earning five stars on Expert. Specifically, you must successfully play all the Energy note streaks and time their use for maximum impact.

If you find yourself struggling with this on your own, enlist the help of a buddy who can also play on Expert. Then, pick out a fairly benign song (such as "My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit) and have a go. There's a bit more wiggle room with two players, so relax and go for the gold!

Armed with the preceding tips and the techniques found in our Novice Guides, you should find your time with Rock Band 2 smoother, more efficient, and most importantly, more fun!

Article by Ryan Treit