Rock band 2 is well known for being the best music game out for the 360…(I’m sorry Guitar Hero fan boys, but we all know its true) Along with being the coolest music game to grace this planet since Parappa the Rapper for the PS1, they also have an impressive line up of hardware. The guitars are solid and the drums are to die for, Lovie. In an effort to compete with Guitar Hero’s World Tour, they had to add the one thing that was missing out of Rock Band’s percussion arsenal. The cymbals for the drum kit.

So, Harmonix contracted Madcatz to make the official Rock Band 2 cymbal expansion kit. The kit itself is now sold in a single, double or triple set, and starts around $18.00 for the single. The double kit sells for around $27, and the triple is around $10 more, and they are well worth it. After calling around, I found it hard to find
a triple kit at any of the Gamestops here in town, but they are readily available on Amazon.com. I was able to track down the double set pretty easily, and that’s what I’ll be reviewing for you.

The double cymbal expansion kit was very easy to setup and is truly a plug and play accessory. Once attached to your drum kits frame all you do is connect the plug for the cymbal to the color coded input in the back. Not only does this differentiate which cymbal will correspond with which color in the game, but the actual sound that the cymbals will make. Example, retards: Yellow Input = hi-hat cymbal, Blue Input = splash cymbal and the ever loving Green Input= crash cymbal.(Fuck Yeah for the green Cymbal)

This expansion flows absolutely perfect, like an unpregnant prom date. There is nothing like hitting an every single note perfectly, executing an awesome drum fill and then hitting that crash cymbal at the end. It definitely adds boner inducing realism, since it just feels wrong to hit a drum pad and it makes a crash sound. I am really into these and couldn’t recommend them more. All in all the product is solid and can take a beating like a $5 dollar crack whore.

Now there are cons that go along with the pros. The main con that one might find a little weird is that the cymbals are dual mapped. Meaning, if you hit the drum pad for the same color it will make the same sound as if you were to hit the cymbal. So basically, the green note is going to be either a drum sound or a crash sound depending on what song you are playing. This really isn’t all that noticeable, but it is there. Secondly, the extra charge for a dual mapped accessory might be a little much for some to swallow. For hardcore game drummers, this is a must have accessory, but to the casual gamer who rarely plays the drums…you won’t miss it if the cymbals aren’t there.

So here it is, for the money, it adds to the already great hardware and fun of the Rock Band 2 drum kits. I found myself having more fun, with these then I did without them, and to me that’s what playing video games is all about. I am just waiting for Billy Squier’s “Stroke Me, Stroke Me” to be released for DLC, then my heaven will be complete.

Contact: - h4nz0