I wholeheartedly agree with Tusserte in his review. Whoever thought of the idea to make a guitar-playing videogame is a genius, as it attracts those of you who have no musical talent whatsoever. And for those of you who DO have talent, it's still a mighty fun game to play. There are all kinds of cool classics, like the ones Tusserte mentioned. Most of the covers sounded pretty good, with some extra solos added in here and there as well. The main point of the game is to advance in Career mode: you start out as a small-time band at a small Midwest high school and as you complete more and more songs, you play at more packed venues as you work your way to Stonehenge. One of my favorite aspects of the game is actually the most uneventful: the loading screen is filled with funny quotes by the designers of the game, making jokes about songs, bassists, and of course, drummers. I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of the quotes. Of course, the game does get old after a while, and once you beat it on the highest difficulty, there's not much more you can do by yourself. While you can play multiplayer with friends (either versus or co-op), you cannot play head-to-head online, although you can compare scores with others and try to beat them. If you have enough cash (it costs ninety dollars) and are dedicated enough to practice (yes, practice at a videogame), then you'll love this game.
Media > Games > Xbox 360 > Guitar Hero II > All Reviews
My Review - 6 May 2007
overall: 8
My Review - 14 April 2007
overall: 8
Although this game is fun, it loses the point of playing the guitar as a video game when you can just do it in real life.
To be fair, I actually play the bass, but it's still a lot different anyways. It's a great idea to do this, although it sure is an expensive one. I couldn't afford to get the second guitar controller after getting the game! I don't regret my decision, though, Guitar Hero is always really good.
Thankfully, there's no 'I Love Rock & Roll' this time! There are some more classics, like 'You Really Got Me', 'Free Bird', and 'Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart', and some others (thankfully, no 'Stairway to Heaven'!). Most are recognizable, just like last time.
In the Career mode, you make money for playing, and as you become famous, you go from playing in a cheap bar to playing in huge concert halls. The money you make here can then be used to buy new guitars and other unlockables.
There's a Quick Play mode too, where you can replay unlocked songs and try to beat old highscores. You can also practice parts of songs or play in Multiplayer (if you have the money for two guitars).
To try to make the experience more realistic, you can actually use hammer-ons, pull-offs, and a funny little whammy!
One of the only complaints I have about the game is that there weren't enough songs to play (although you can still buy a lot in the shop). Another complaint revolves around the covers of what were originally good songs. I found that 'Killing in the Name' by Rage Against the Machine was particularly dreadful when covered.
Overall, you'll get a lot of time out of this, and it's worth your money if you really don't feel like getting a regular old guitar. Now, this game is much better for the 360 than for the PS2 because the graphics are better, there are online leaderboards, the Xbox Live Marketplace allows you to buy more songs, and you can get Gamerscore Achievements! Definitely, get this for the 360 (if you get it at all!)
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