OK. thanks everyone - i got RB2, and hopefully will surprise grace when she comes back to SF on sunday. My neighbors however probably do not thank you so much...

I haven't played RB2 myself, but I don't think there's a definitive answer for this one. It's about which instruments you're more comfortable with and what set list you like better. To Rock Band's credit, the original game had a lot of downloadable content and I'm guessing that will continue.

I actually haven't played Wii Music, so I can't comment on it. But between RB2 and GHWT, I would definitely favor Rock Band - it looks better, the gameplay is more fun, and the song selection is much larger. Also, if Grace is into drums, then it's no contest.

The drums on GH are all right, but somehow the designers didn't think it was necessary to keep the pedal stationary. So you'll constantly be trying to chase down the pedal with your foot during a song. Not fun.

Neither one has a great song selection (and there's some overlap anyway), so it comes down to which has more DLC. I think Rock Band has like 500 songs now, as long as you're willing to spend $1-$2 on each.

The only area Guitar hero wins is in the guitar controller, which is much better than Rock Band's guitar. Not everyone agrees with me on this though, so it's personal taste.

But yeah, I don't think you'll be disappointed with Rock Band 2.

I actually got my dad wii music. It takes about an hour to get through the intro which is pretty boring. However, once you get past that, it actually gets pretty interesting. My dad likes more of the classics so neither GH or RB would work for him.

You can be a conductor or play those bells that you see during christmas time which is really fun. Those are the things that I tried.

1. both have fairly similar songs and a lot of downloadable content.

2. GH has a 6 pad drum system while RB has a 5 pad drum system. haven't played it, but i'd assume the 6 pad system is more challenging.

3. i like the RB guitar better because of the higher frets.

since i'm more of a guitar guy, i'd probably opt for RB2.

that being said, i don't think you can go wrong with either.

Nothing against Wii Music, but that's the type of game you'll try once and leave it. I would check the setlist for RB and GH and see which one you like better. Also check what can be downloaded. I know Rock Band is really good with their updates and downloadable content. But if you were to ask me, I'd go with RB 2 because the first one was awesome :)