Review: Guitar Hero II (Xbox 360)
Overview: You know it, you love it. It's Guitar Hero. Now for the Xbox 360, this version features an all-new X-Plorer controller and 70 tracks (some of which aren't on the PS2 version). Also featuring downloadable content, this is the definitive version of Guitar Hero II. It's fun and difficult, the multiplayer is solid and the achievements come steadily. But how is the controller? Song selection? How does it look? Do you still get that weird optical illusion where everything is slowly moving upward after a song? The answer to most of these questions and the rest of the review after the jump.
Funness: Of course it's fun, it's Guitar Hero. For the uninitiated, Guitar Hero is a rhythm game where you strum your fake playskool guitar and press the fake colored frets to the notes in the game. The song selection tends to be more fun to play than the first Guitar Hero in my opinion, with a ton of familiar tracks, classic guitar licks, and even some of the original artists performing. Progressing through the game is completely logical and great. You start at whatever difficulty level you choose, and play a set of 4 songs and an encore. After you complete those songs to the audience's satisfaction, you unlock 4 more difficult songs, and so on and so on until the final (and brilliant) encore song.
There's tons of little moments that just make you feel like a rock god. From getting that perfect solo right with all the intricate hammer-ons and pull-offs, to activating star power at the exact moment in order to get the best score multiplier. The game itself is very well choreographed and after a while your fingers just know where to go on the frets. It is almost as if you are some sort of rocking robot.
The multiplayer is excellent as well. Unfortunately there is no online multiplayer over Live (wtf?) but the local play allows you to choose between rhythm and lead guitar (John or George) or bass (Paul). Rocking out with a friend is immensely satisfying, and it is nice to finally see a game on the 360 that has really great party potential. While some games are fun to play with a friend in the room (Gears of War, for example), this is the first game you can really show to a group of people and have them want to pick up the controller, and really be enthusiastic about watching you play.
The game lasts, too. After you perfect all the songs on Easy, move to Medium. After Medium? Move to Hard. It just doesn't get boring trying to hone your abilities. It's almost addicting. It definitely has that "just one more song..." factor. Kiss your evenings and weekends goodbye.
Shininess: Considering while playing a song you don't really pay attention to the graphics or what is going on in the background, Guitar Hero II didn't have to provide any graphical updates from the PS2 version in my opinion. But it did. The character models and menus look incredibly crisp and delicious on the 360. Animations for the characters tends to get a slight bit repetitive, but who cares? You are staring at that fretboard so intently you don't have time to notice that your drummer just exploded.
The other part of shininess, music, is the focus here. While the first Guitar Hero had a ton of really recent contemporary songs, Guitar Hero II has a ton of classic rock songs from Heart to Kansas. There was a period of my life in high school where I was obsessed with classic rock, so coming back to my musical roots (so to speak) is comforting and fun. A couple of the tracks have been performed by the actual artist, Primus and My Chemical Romance most notably, but the majority of the songs are by studio musicians. For songs like Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box the stink of cover band is slightly distracting, but you aren't really there to listen to the songs as if you just bought the cd or something. For the most part you should be paying attention to the guitar track. All in all, I have very few complaints about the song selection or variety. The ability to play Trogdor and a Freezepop track is enough to get me giddy for weeks.
Worthiness: At $90, Guitar Hero II is pretty darn expensive. Considering you have to purchase a brand new controller, and controllers by themselves are rare, getting the full experience with multiplayer and single player will run you and your good friend a pretty penny. Is it worth it? Hells yes. Guitar Hero is one of the most satisfying gaming experiences you will ever have, and a must for your gaming library. I just wish I could use my PS2 guitar controllers somehow, it's sad that my initial investment in the previous version is now wasted. Song packs are available for download now as well, but at 500 points (about $6.25) for three songs, it's just not worth it.
The unlockables and perfecting each song, getting all the achievements and playing with friends make this game absolutely worth it. If you own a 360 and don't have this game yet, what's wrong with you?
Score: 4/5 Buy it!
