Rock Band Country Track Pack Review

The Rock Band Country Track Pack is out and that means… well, you can now play country music in a Rock Band game. Aside from a confusion of music genres in the game’s title, does this track pack (which retails for $30) stand out as a worthy addition to the Rock Band universe? That would depend on whether you like country music or not.

These track packs are becoming quite frequent. Instead of releasing completely new games Electronic Arts, MTV Games and Harmonix have opted for what amount to expansion packs as far as the content goes, but can be played without owning either Rock Band or Rock Band 2. They offer the bare basics of the Rock Band experience: Single Player Quickplay and Multi-player without an option to play online. The lack of online play is a the most disappointing part of the package.

These track packs do what they are intended to do – provide some 20 extra songs for a relatively cheap price ($30). In other words, you are getting about a $10 discount from what you would have paid if you had downloaded these songs individually at normal Rock Band prices. The downside, of course, comes if you want to experience all that Rock Band has to offer.

No one says that you have to buy the retail version of Country Track Pack. You could buy these same songs as downloads and not have to worry about switching discs. Nonetheless the point of the retail track packs is to provide for those without access to the Internet or that do not previously own Rock Band. Aside from the pretty decent value of the song prices, it is also convenient for those that do not own any of the Rock Band games, since Country Track Pack is a standalone game that does not require the original Rock Band 1 or 2.

The song list is pretty solid, even though I do not care much for country music. I have to say that I was more impressed with these songs than I was with the disappointing Rock Band Classic Rock Track Pack. That said, there are a number of pretty big names missing from the roster. They have Shania Twain, Kenny Chesney, Kenny Rogers, the Dixie Chicks and Willie Nelson. But where is Johnny Cash? Tim McGraw? Toby Keith? Garth Brooks? Maybe they are testing the waters with the Country Pack for a potential full game based on country music.

Here is a full list of all 21 songs/bands on the disc:

* Alan Jackson – “Good Time”
* Brad Paisley – “Mud on the Tires”
* Brooks and Dunn – “Hillbilly Deluxe”
* Cross Canadian Ragweed – “Cry Lonely”
* Dierks Bentley – “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)”
* Dixie Chicks – “Sin Wagon”
* Drive-By Truckers – “3 Dimes Down”
* Jason Aldean – “She’s Country”
* Keith Urban – “I Told You So”
* Kenny Chesney – “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy”
* Kenny Rogers – “The Gambler”
* Lucinda Williams – “Can’t Let Go”
* Martina McBride – “This One’s For The Girls”
* Miranda Lambert – “Gunpowder and Lead”
* Montgomery Gentry – “Gone”
* Rascal Flatts – “Me and My Gang”
* Sara Evans – “Suds In The Bucket”
* Shania Twain – “Any Man of Mine”
* Steve Earle – “Satellite Radio”
* Trace Adkins – “Swing”
* Willie Nelson – “On the Road Again”