Guitar Hero II

We all know how much Tenacious Moses likes Guitar Hero 2 but the rest of the Gamepro staff wanted to chip in their two-cents about the game that has brought office productivity to a grinding halt! What say you, gentlemen and ladies of Gamepro?

Goldy

As a self-proclaimed lame-guy who likes video games, Rock & Roll runs through my veins. The same way that, as a San Francisco native, burritos and the Giants run through my veins. So, it's very difficult for me to say anything bad about Guitar Hero II. Like its prequel, the tracks are great and the game play is undeniably addictive. My eyes bleed every time I pick up the game. With that being said, I think my most favoritist part of the game is the Co-Op mode that's been added. Laying down licks with a buddy to Kansas's "Carrie On My Wayward Son" never felt so right. And taking a crack at Motley Crue's "Shout at the Devil" on Hard makes me feel as if Nikki Sixx commandeered my soul (sorry for the lack of umlauts). The new songs are just what the game needed to keep me engaged. And Co-Op is great for dorky lame-guy parties.

The only things that bother me are a) the transition between Medium and Hard seems super-steep and b) there's still no Journey. Lord, when will Red Octane let me rock with Journey? Please Lord, just give me the chance!!

Dr. Zombie

Being an old-timer, I'm glad to see the continued presence of classic 80's hits (maybe its because Red Octane is run by ex-GenX-ers?) and am ecstatic to be able to rock out to one of my all-time favorite groups, the Police. The ability to play different parts of a song in multiplayer mode is ingenious and turns a Guitar Hero session with your buddy into a jam session without having to be overly competitive. After all, the bass player gets (almost) as many chicks as the lead guitarist!

Rebel Princess

This is the true story of a Guitar Hero newbie, braving the trenches of our demo room for a taste of Rock Goddess heaven. I chose to dive right in and start with "You Really Got Me Going" by the Kinks. My abnormally small hands won and the sound of missing note after note reminded me of my first guitar lesson and the look on my instructor's face as he was trying not to hear the dissonant chords. After a few practice rounds, I took it down a notch and went for "Mother" by Danzig. Since, I was left alone after Ahoy_and_Avast set me up and ran, I went all out, jumping and swinging my guitar up and down to the music. Ah, it took me back to my black acid-washed jeans and Guns 'N Roses t-shirt. The result? I rocked! Victory was mine. I could hear those groupies already. It wasn't exactly like playing the guitar--more like a bass, actually--but it was incredibly addictive and had me at "G".

Mr. Marbles

Guitar Hero II sticks with the tried-and-true formula laid out in GH I, and why mess with a good thing? The mechanics of the game remain virtually unchanged, and while this sequel could be knocked for a lack of life-altering new features, Pro Face-Off mode alone is worth the full price (TenaciousMoses and I usually cap off the work day with a best-out-of-three, expert battle). While I personally don't LOVE the overabundance of hard rock and metal songs, every track on the game is more than fun to play along with, and the classic rock tunes are savage, as usual. Subtle hand slap for the lack on online play, but given that the Xbox 360 version is right around the corner, mild forgiveness is in order.

T3hPanda

They say you shouldn't fix what isn't broken, but it never hurts to upgrade things. Everything about Guitar Hero 2 is upgraded and better. The career mode features an encore and great camera movement that enhances the whole feel of the concert, gig, show or whatever type of venue you're playing at. I can't say enough about the multiplayer, though; with cooperative and competitive modes you'll never be bored with your friends. In the different play modes, there's less standing around as your friend shreds a solo and you are relegated to a stage ornament as you wait for your solo.

Also, the option to play on different difficulty levels eliminates the need for that fake smile when you allow your noob friend to play on medium, and you're stuck playing on medium with them. Now you can tear it up on expert while your friend rhythmically strums along on medium. The bonus track list isn't as solid as the one from GH1, but it's got some fun additions (Trogdor, anyone?). The entire game has taken the insanely fun formula of the first Guitar Hero and amped it up (pun intended), and will definitely refuel anybody's Guitar Hero addiction.

Ahoy_and_Avast

What's left to say? If you haven't played Guitar Hero yet, then you're missing out on one of the best gaming experiences ever. And if you have played Guitar Hero before, then you probably don't need me or anyone else to convince you to go buy the sequel. So get out there and get rocking!

Comments [0]

post a comment

Post a Comment