Rock Band 2 song list ranked by difficulty
by Kyle Orland 
{ Aug 26th 2008 at 11:30AM }
If you're anything like us, you've been gearing up for Rock Band 2 by poring through the track list and carefully studying YouTube performance clips of the songs to gain an edge in your own virtual rocking. But staring at grainy video is only so useful for determining which songs are really going to put blisters on your fingers (and uh, vocal chords). Luckily, IGN has come through with a set of comprehensive difficulty rankings, for all 84 RB2 songs, ranked by individual instrument and as a full band.
We're not entirely sure where IGN's rankings are coming from -- we can only assume they're based on the difficulty rankings provided by Harmonix (don't ask us how ties are broken). That said, based on our extensive knowledge of all things rock, it seems pretty accurate -- any group that can pass Judas Priest's Painkiller on Expert without turning on No Fail Mode should just start a real band already.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Haggard @ Aug 26th 2008 11:41AM
Painkiller is going to be a right pain. Still no idea how the drummer's going to do it with only one bass pedal.
James @ Aug 26th 2008 11:44AM
"...start a real band already."
Seriously? I know this was snark, but really - shouldn't Joystiq of all places know the foolishness of this statement?
tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 26th 2008 11:56AM
Great job reading the whole sentence. It says any group who can beat Painkiller on expert without no fail mode on might as well start a real band. If you've heard that song from Judas Priest, you'll know what they mean
Shagittarius @ Aug 26th 2008 11:58AM
I started playing real drums after beating rock band on expert...I don't see the problem with that statement.
Boffo the Sock @ Aug 26th 2008 12:13PM
Are you denying that playing Rock Band on expert could lead a group of four people to starting a real band?
With the actual music skills picked up from playing Rock Band on the highest difficulty of each instrument you could train a half-ass drummer, a guitar and bass player who know next to nothing about actually playing their instruments, and a singer who can hum or mumble incoherently when he doesn't know the words so long as the pitch is passable. It sounds to me like one could start a punk band.
CB @ Aug 26th 2008 2:07PM
"Start a Real Band Already Award" was the name of an xbox 360 achievement in GHII so don't get all bent up.
Shagittarius @ Aug 26th 2008 11:57AM
I doubt those are the official harmonix rankings, some of them seem to be up in the difficulty just because they are fast not difficult. For example 'Bad Reputation' and 'Ace of Spades'.
I'm trying to think of why those would be so difficult.
Shagittarius @ Aug 26th 2008 12:33PM
Yeah jsut saw the other list someone posted below it ranks 'Bad Reputation' much lower, but it also specifies 'Ace of Spades '08' did they up the difficulty on drums? hrmmm...
T @ Aug 26th 2008 1:38PM
There are SOME confirmed rankings available on Wikipedia (List of songs in Rock Band 2).
I think it was GameSpy posted the Guitar, Drum, and Vocal tiers.
Any Full Band and Bass tiers on that page should be taken with a grain of salt.
And before people start ripping on WP as being unreliable, check the sources under "References" to see the article the Tiers are pulled from.
tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 26th 2008 11:59AM
Can't wait to play battery. It's easily one of my favorite Metallica songs, and after hearing some of their new stuff I'm proud to be a fan again for the first time in 13 years.
Shagittarius @ Aug 26th 2008 12:01PM
I really like Lars new approach to drums on the new stuff I've heard but I still don't care much for it as a whole as of yet.
tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 26th 2008 12:18PM
Yeah the day that never comes wasn't a bad song, I liked it.
But they put another new song on their website recently and it's fucking brilliant. Everyone, even James' voice, sounds great in this one.
http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=601136
Rollins @ Aug 26th 2008 12:42PM
Damn, My Apocalypse is AWESOME.
Thank you Metallica.
Shagittarius @ Aug 26th 2008 12:51PM
That tune you posted certainley smacks of classic metallica. It didn't do too much to get me amped but I think thats beacuse it feels a little over produced and the guitars could have been a little more raw , not so compressed...still a massive step forward to regaining my interest.
Donald @ Aug 26th 2008 12:13PM
I'm looking forward to That's What You Get by Paramore. Has there been any word what song by them is going to be in GH:WT?
mmendoza27 @ Aug 26th 2008 12:58PM
From word on the streets, it's Misery Business. I really like the song, but I think this is more of a fun song (Thats what you get). I already d/led Crush Crush Crush. The more the better!
Donald @ Aug 26th 2008 4:59PM
Yeah, I love Paramore. If they made one of their albums as DLC I would buy it in an instant.
Beatz @ Aug 26th 2008 12:18PM
http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/rock-band-2-special-edition-/901371p1.html
gamespy's list gives you the tiers that each song are in and a good feel for how the game will look. My excitement level just burst, and so did my pants. I wonder how all the original RB and downloadable stuff will stick into this 7-tiered track list as opposed to the originals 9?
tooPrime @ Aug 26th 2008 12:20PM
I really can't see Peace Sells being that hard on Guitar... Anyway, I doubt any of these songs will be that hard, the only hard part will be dealing with Rock Band's anal timing window. Seriously the early songs are snooze fests, the middle tend to be harder to play but equally boring chord progressions, or a boring song with a hard solo, and then it skips the area of fun but challenging and go straight to retarded. I beat Sleepwaker and Thrasher pretty easily but it wasn't complicated or impossible patterns that made it hard, it was the fact the the fast strumming is sort of broken because the timing window doesn't overlap and anal hamerons.
Beatz @ Aug 26th 2008 12:27PM
Rock Band's timing window isn't anal, it's the same as Guitar Hero 2 and the original. It's pretty much perfect in my mind. Guitar hero 3's on the other hand is too damn loose. I don't even feel like I'm playing the song, just cranking out whatever notes are on screen.
Shagittarius @ Aug 26th 2008 12:35PM
"I don't even feel like I'm playing the song, just cranking out whatever notes are on screen."
Don't take this the wrong way but that's what your doing.
tooPrime @ Aug 26th 2008 1:15PM
Rock Band's is harder than Guitar Hero 2s. Not by much but it's been proven. The original had the most anal timing window of the all to the point where everyone strummed everything. As for do you feel like if you are playing it or not, I'll take complicate and fun patterns with a timing window that allows you to hit them, over an anal timing window that forces you to randomly miss easy and and boring patterns. Trust me, I can do both, I'm just saying Rock Band's make hard songs more annoying than fun.
Donald @ Aug 26th 2008 1:24PM
You say the word anal far too much.
Beatz @ Aug 26th 2008 1:49PM
I dunno. I've been playing Guitar Hero since the original first came out, and Rock Band just feels right. When I miss a note, I'm not thinking, 'fucking game messed me up'. It's always my fault. I've beaten GH3 and while I can say some of the songs are really fun (Cult of Personality), some songs I only sludged through to beat the career. I don't see how anyone could consider Raining Blood or Before I Forget fun.
And Shag, I'm referring to the fact that in GH3 it just doesn't feel like I'm playing the actual song. I know it's personal preference but I just prefer that the songs be realistically challenging instead of overcharting to make the songs that way.
TWiNKiE @ Aug 26th 2008 1:55PM
Raining Blood is my favorite song on GH3. And they aren't even overcharting the notes. RB just undercharts them.
Playing a basic power cord on real guitar takes 3 notes. That means in most occasions, 3 note chords should be the default.
Vcize @ Aug 26th 2008 2:34PM
Beatz, I'm the total opposite as you. When I play RB I don't feel like I'm playing the song.
In GH3, I'm loose, laid back, and just having a good time playing the song, I feel like I'm rocking out. Sure, it gives me some notes that are just "close enough", but that makes long/hard hammers all the more fun.
In RB, you have to sit there and concentrate so freaking much that you almost forget there's music going on in the background and it never really feels like the notes correspond well with the music that's coming out. I really feel like I'm playing a game of simon says, with some unrelated music going in the background.
I'm REALLY hoping that RB2 loosens up the timing window some. Anytime I pull RB back out for some new DLC I just end up getting annoyed again. I can play through most of the hard stuff, but it just annoys me all to hell when I miss an easy note or string of notes/hammers because the game decided that my first strum was three one millionths of a second off.
To each his own, I suppose.
tooPrime @ Aug 26th 2008 3:11PM
I can drop my Freudian-inspired vocabulary all I want. If you please you could replace every other time I say "anal" with "SUPER TIGHT" and infer other things from that.
Donald @ Aug 26th 2008 4:56PM
Say it all you want, but it brings the intelligence of your argument down.
james.bonkowski@sbcglobal.net @ Aug 26th 2008 5:58PM
Whoa whoa whoa... my argument had intelligence? Just kidding. Seriously however, what's wrong with the word anal? I admit I didn't bother to think of a synonym for it and overused it a little, but I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with the word. It's like not liking the word ego or something. That said the anal obviously has other connotations, however I think you could say it in polite conversation.
Donald @ Aug 26th 2008 6:37PM
Fair enough. I personally wouldn't use it but you made a good point.
Whoa, a peaceful resolution on the internet?
TWiNKiE @ Aug 26th 2008 1:52PM
I can't imagine Almost Easy being that far down the list.
Other than Dream Theatre and Judas Priest, this list phailz.
Spooka @ Aug 26th 2008 2:01PM
Replying to your reply:
Three notes, but two fingers. How now, brown cow?
James LaBrie @ Aug 26th 2008 4:17PM
It's called Dream Theater, dammit!!!
Alzheimers @ Aug 26th 2008 2:03PM
If Dream Theater's "Panic Attack" is that hard, I can't imagine what they'd rank something like "Pull Me Under"...Go Fly A Kite
Or "The Glass Prison" -- Go Shoot Yourself
ApolloIV @ Aug 26th 2008 4:33PM
That's why Glass Prison isn't in Rock Band, it would be way too hard for any full band. As DLC I would see it being fair because it would be the "Hahaha you downloaded it you're screwed now" as Blackened was when it first came out. Panic Attack, first bass solo that the game makes you tap. You heard it first.
Alex @ Aug 26th 2008 2:04PM
Blisters on your vocal chords?
Ow...
green11420 @ Aug 26th 2008 3:47PM
WAKE UP!
GRAB A BRUSH AND PUT A LITTLE MAKE UP!
HIDE THE SCARS TO FADE AWAY THE SHAKE UP! *hide the scars to fade away the*
WHY'D YOU LEAVE THE KEYS UP ON THE TABLE?!
HERE YOU GO CREATE ANOTHER FABLE!
YOU WANTED TO!!
That will be fun to sing. Also, I dread Painkiller and Panic Attack on drums.
BTW, Ryan from Gamespot was complaining that he didn't want to play Eye of the Tiger because it was too hard and he was failing on Easy, and it ends up being the easiest song in the game. HA! HA!