A refined version of Rock Band with more songs, tons of DLC, and superior hardware to boot!
Since musical tastes are a subjective matter, I'll go on record as saying that the soundtrack is good. Is it better than the first Rock Band or Guitar Hero? I can't say. But I can tell you that the set list for this game is very entertaining. The true beauty and value of Rock Band 2 is the staggering amount of DLC available. There are at least 5-10 songs added every single week. The types of music available range from Jimmy Buffet to Metallica. There's bound to be something you like...
Compared to the first Rock Band, the hardware included in Rock Band 2 is far superior in my mind. That's not to say that the original game had bad hardware, but instead, Rock Band 2's guitar and drum set are better products.
First off, the guitar. The most obvious difference is the look and feel of the fret buttons on top of the guitar. They're not as "clicky" as the previous version. They feel more comfortable and in my opinion, are more responsive. Next, the strum bar, which was notorious for breaking in the first Rock Band, has been significantly improved. I personally like the "mushy" feel compared to the "clicky" feel of the Guitar Hero controller. To me, it makes you "play" the guitar rather than click the strum bar up and down. Again, it's a matter of preference. What matters though, is that compared to the original Strat, version 2.0 is better.
Next up are the drums. They are a LOT better in my opinion. First thing I noticed was the rubberized pads. These pads feel better than the previous version. They don't make as much noise and they give you a responsive bounce when you hit them. For a video game peripheral, I'm pretty impressed with the build quality and the fact that they made this set wireless. The foot pedal is also reinforced with a metal plate and looks to be a bit more durable than the previous version.
For $5 you can export 55/58 songs from the first Rock Band into your music library. This is a great feature that allows you to expand your collection. All DLC purchased online is supported in Rock Band 2. Harmonix continues to put new music onto their store every week...theoretically, this game has an almost infinite life.
I bought my nephew Rock Band when it originally came out and I had a great time playing with my family. This is a fantastic game for parties and getting people to play together. It looks like they have also revamped the single player mode to make it more accessible to those who don't have enough live band members. Haven't tried online yet, but I'm not planning to until I get good. I've heard good things about it and I've seen online work well on the first Rock Band. No doubt in my mind that Rock Band 2 online play will be solid as well.
I really want "The Beatles: Rock Band" game when it comes out in a couple of months. I'm a huge Beatles fan and the thought of playing their music in a video game really appeals to me. I was thinking about getting the original Rock Band for the equipment, but I'm very happy that I decided to spend a couple extra bucks for this FAR SUPERIOR hardware. I want "The Beatles" bundle, but I can't justify spending $250 on a video game. Instead, I got Rock Band 2 on sale for $130, and for $5 I exported the majority of the tracks from the original game. I now have over 150 songs to play right off the bat! Couldn't be happier.
As far as I'm concerned, Rock Band 2 makes the original Rock Band completely obsolete. The fact that you can export most of the original tracks, add DLC, get 20 free tracks, and have FAR SUPERIOR hardware makes it my recommendation. You may save some money up front by buying the older hardware, but you don't want to re-buy a guitar or a drum set. It's a waste of space and it'll cost more in the end.
I think Rock Band is a better franchise than Guitar Hero because of the MASSIVE amount of DLC available and because Harmonix, the original developers of Guitar Hero, really know what they're doing with regards to the game play. If you enjoy enjoy music/rhythm games or are looking for a great game for parties, get Rock Band 2.