I said once before that our decision regarding Guitar Hero 4 and Rock Band 2 (get one?  the other?  neither?  both?) would basically all come down to track lists.  So, since the release dates for these games are fast approaching (October 19th for RB2, and October 27th for GH4), I figure it’s about time we got this sorted out. There are a lot of really good (and really bad) songs being offered up by each game, as well as lots of songs I’ve never heard of.  Here are the ones that really stick out for me.

Rock Band 2 Pros:

• Lump – Presidents of the United States of America.  Not quite as good as Peaches, but still pretty damn good.
• E-Pro – Beck.  It’s horribly unfair that someone as crazy as Beck gets to be so talented, but his music is excellent.
• Master Exploder – Tenacious D.  I am down with the D.
• Pinball Wizard – The Who.  I am crossing my fingers for a Tommy album download.  Here’s hoping.
• Psycho Killer – Talking Heads.  Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa.

Rock Band 2 Cons:

• Come Out and Play – The Offspring.  Hey, I have an idea.  Let’s start a band, and instead of a singer, we’ll have a guy with a really annoying voice kind of talk/yell over our music.  Oh, and let’s make every song the same.  Yuck.
• You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette.  Don’t get me wrong, I like Alanis, and I would be lying if I said my copy of Jagged Little Pill wasn’t well-worn, but I don’t think a game like this is the place for this song.

Guitar Hero 4 Pros:

• Dammit – Blink 182.  I have a weakness for Blink 182, and this song in particular has the ability to transport me back to my angst-filled high school days.  Total pro.
• Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd.  A sing-a-long favourite. Guitar should be pretty fun too.
• Hotel California – The Eagles. Who doesn’t love this song?  I cannot wait to play it over and over and over.  Woo!
• The One I Love – R.E.M. Chris’s favourite band, and definitely in my top 5.  Any pick of their’s would have been on the Pro list.
• Spiderwebs – No Doubt.  If I’d had one ND pick, it wouldn’t have been this one, but it’s still awesome.
• Santeria – Sublime.  Hey, you seen Sancho?  Because I got somethin’ for his punk ass.

Guitar Hero 4 Cons:

• Are you gonna go my way – Lenny Kravitz.  I don’t even think I’ve ever heard this song, but since Lenny is a giant douche, I can only assume it sucks.  Therefore, con.
• Give It Away – Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again now.  These guys have no business being famous.  None.

Lastly, there are a lot of bands who are obviously totally into selling their song rights to the video game industry, so there are quite a few songs that will appear in both games.

Shared Pros:

• Float On – Modest Mouse.  Modest Mouse songs have an annoying habit of getting stuck in my head for days and days, but they’re still a good band.  Saw them in concert once, and Isaac Brock had one of his roadies come out to play guitar for him so he could smoke while he was singing.  If that doesn’t scream coolness, I don’t know what does.
• The Middle – Jimmy Eat World.  This song is a little tired, since I’ve heard it so many times, but it’s still a good song from a great album.
• Eye of the Tiger – Survivor.  Obviously, this needs no explanation.

Shared Cons:

• Everlong – Foo Fighters.  Boo Foos.  I have never been able to quite put my finger on why, but this band just does nothing for me.  Sorry to all the FF fans out there.
• American Woman – The Guess Who.  This would be worse if it was the Lenny Kravitz version, due to his aforementioned douchery, but this song still stinks.  How a song that was made up on the spot to a random repetitive guitar riff got so popular it merited covers is beyond me.
• Today – Smashing Pumpkins.  This isn’t exactly a bad song, but I can’t imagine it being fun to play, or sing.  Or even listen to more than a few times.

Actually, before I started this article, I would have thought I would pick Rock Band 2 over Guitar Hero 4, but looking at these setlists, I have to admit that Guitar Hero is looking like the more appealing option, if I had to choose just one.  However, I am sure we will end up buying both.  Because, really, you can never have too many plastic drum sets.

I’d like to welcome you to completionist.com, your source for music industry related news and opinions.  Errr…wait a second, we’re talking about video games here.  While musical tastes will obviously vary greatly, Julie does make some valid points…other than the fact that she doesn’t know the awesome rock power of Lenny Kravitz’s Are You Gonna Go My Way from his seminal album of the same name.  Also, there would be no rock and/or roll in Canada without the Guess Who so slagging on American Woman ain’t cool, unless it is the Lenny Kravitz version, in which case, slag away.

For what it’s worth (two cents?), here are the songs from each game that I am most excited about, excluding most of Julie’s pros which would have carried over into my list: