During our visit to EA3 last month, we were treated to a very special first look at Rock Band 2, including some hands-on time with the game. We could tell that Harmonix did not want to tamper with a successful formula. Helen McWilliams, lead writer on Rock Band 2, told us that they didn’t want to stray from what made the original Rock Band so successful and didn’t want to do anything crazy that could jeopardize what fans think of the game. That doesn’t mean that nothing new has gone into the game: the core foundations are the same, but there are some new modes that Harmonix thinks will set it apart from its competitors.

The first big news we learned about Rock Band 2 is the fact that any song you have already downloaded off Xbox Live or the PSN for Rock Band will be available straight off in Rock Band 2. We did ask Helen if the DLC from the first Rock Band would be available for everyone free in the sequel, to which she responded with an understandable “no.”

Rock Band 2 will bring with it 80 new tracks on disc (all masters, we should add), spanning from 40 years of rock from all different genres. Some of the artist and tracks that will be playable in Rock Band 2 include System of a Down with "Chop Suey," Foo Fighters with "Everlong," Red Hot Chili Peppers with "Give it Away," Motörhead with "Ace of Spades,” and The Who with "Pinball Wizard."