All these small changes make Rock band 2 even more enjoyable than the first one
For instance, a single character can play all the instruments, and that's a HUGE improvement, having to make 3 versions of your character just play the different instruments was everything but funny. Another cool thing is that you can make your bandmates, that is, you don't have to use the pre-rendered characters anymore, you can have you own bandmates playing in-game even if no one is playing the instrument in real life, and that is something I really appreciate, as well as the fact that now, playing alone or with friends is equally fun, specially since the single-player mode used to be so monotonous.
The track list is just fine, a lot of cool songs, not to mention the 20 free downloadable songs, and the fact that you can export all the songs from the original rock band for $5 make an awesome selection.
I still use the instruments from the original Rock Band, so I can't say if the new instruments are btter or worse, but from what I heard, they should be a lot more reliable.
Overall, Rock band 2 is just like the first one, but with some "updates" that make the game even more awesome than it was a year ago, however, you might wanna think twice before spending $50 in a game that's so much like the first one, but if you're a hardcore fan of Harmonix like me, you should definitively buy it.