Rising Star 2

Rising Star 2 is a game where you create a band and start aiming for the big time.

This game has had great creator support; it is up to version 2.98.377 which is dedication far beyond most game releases.

You start off with just yourself and you put in skill points where you believe they should be, you can go to the local music store and recruit band members, you will have to keep in mind their compatibility with you.

You have a house where you can write songs, practice, rest and go on vacations, vacations will cost you, so it is best to wait a while before doing that.

Practice is important because your play skill has to very close to 100 or it will affect how you go with your audience.

The music shops are very important for you and your band, you’ll need to buy instruments, amplifiers and other important items like guitar strings, you can get your instruments repaired and refurbished.

When you start doing gigs, you can get gigs by either being phoned by other bands who invite you to be on their bill or you go to venues and see if they have an opening spot for you.

When you pick your set list at the venue, make sure that you pick the kind of songs the audience likes, you can tell what they like by looking at the attitude column (green is good), picking wrong will ensure that their interest will not go anywhere.

At the end of the gig, you will get a rundown of results, who came to see your show, how much you earned, how many fans came to see you, how many sales of merchandise you have received etc.

You have a van that you use to travel to gigs and to other important events, your van can be damaged so drive carefully, it is a good idea to go to the music shop and pick up busking instruments to play in the park.

You will need to mow the park first so say you’ll do that on Monday, you can busk on Tuesday, you will be paid $250 for the mowing job, the important thing about busking is that it will help with your popularity.

There are ‘Battle of the Bands’ contests in the pubs and a good popularity brought on by busking will help you win the contests and get the all-important money, really build up your bank balance before getting a manager and roadies etc.

There’s plenty to do in this game, you can record singles, EPs or albums, you can buy outfits, hire a manager, do errands for venues and businesses, as you can see there is plenty to consider when recording songs.

I have had a wonderful time playing this game, it is a grind to get somewhere but that’s the fun part as you spread out and expand across the country and even further.

For me it is the best kind of strategy/business game there is.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Tiggy.