I’m going to start out by mentioning that this will be a long read. For the past three days I’ve been fully engrossed in the newly released Guitar Hero II for the 360 and I’ll be using this post to cover my thoughts about the game along with a few news bits that were released over the past few days. So mainly a pseudo review along with some guitar worries, some news on Rock Band, and even a little strategy to wrap the whole thing up.
So get a snack because this will be a doozy. If you’re interested in just a particular section, click on any of the above links. Otherwise Continue Reading for the full article.
Let me start this off by saying that I’m coming at the 360 version of Guitar Hero II from playing the first Guitar Hero on the PS2. I never picked up the sequel due to the lag issues I was having with the original on my high-definition television. Although I eventually learned of the “configure lag” feature, I opted to wait it out and spend the $90 just for the added songs, leaderboards, achievements, and (most importantly) promised downloadable content of the 360 version. So while I may make some comparisons between the first and second Guitar Hero, I won’t be comparing the 360 version to its PS2 counterpart as I’ve never played it. With that out of the way, let me say that the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II is a title that should be in every gamer’s library.
Guitar Hero has been out for over a year and a half now, so I’m not going to bore you with play mechanics and such. If you’re really not familiar with the series, check out this link for some gameplay videos and see what it’s all about. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Done? Now while those notes are coming down the frets, you use a guitar peripheral play them in time with the music. The Xbox 360 features a brand new controller in the form of a Gibson Xplorer. Many musicians have played this, one of the most famous being James Hetfield of Metallica. Oddly enough there are no Metallica songs in the game, which is a little disappointing, but that only leads into the eventual downloadable content which I’ll talk about later.
The guitar itself is a little bulky when compared to it’s PS2 cousin. The neck seems to fit better in my left hand, and I like how it’s a bit heavier than the older model and feels more like a real instrument rather than a cheap plastic toy. The only problem I have (besides some whammy bar issues which we’ll discuss later) is how that piece on the bottom left (referencing the picture) juts out. This is irritating because I have a hard time finding a good place for my right arm so that it isn’t constantly hitting the thing. This is a minor annoyance though that I’m willing to compromise on as overall it’s a great controller.
The songs in Guitar Hero II seem to progress fairly nicely in their difficulty. I remember in the first Guitar Hero having trouble with a few songs in the middle of hard mode, and then sailing on to the last group of tracks without any difficulty. In GH2, when you start having trouble with songs, moving onto the next grouping is only going to make things harder, which actually makes a lot of sense. All of the tracks are fun to play, though to me there are more that I’ve simply never heard of. That’s nothing against the game though as I’m sure that the songs are popular in some demographic, so it’s probably just my lack of keeping up with bands like The Sword or The Living End. Be that as it may, don’t let anyone fool you. The expert mode in Guitar Hero is easy compared to GH2.
Now here is the reason I’m not calling this an official review: I’ve not played multiplayer. Unfortunately the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II doesn’t support online play via Xbox Live. Since many of my friends that have a 360 have already purchased GH2 on the PS2, they see no reason to spend the extra money on much of the same content. Not only does this mean I will probably never experience co-op or versus play, but I’ll also never be able to unlock the nine achievements specifically created for multiplayer. Perhaps in the end Red Octane will take note of this and try to release the same game on separate platforms at the same time instead of six months apart.
What I’m most looking forward to in the 360 version is the possibility of downloadable content. Though I’m unsure as to how extensive the content will be (i.e. new stages/characters/guitars in addition to songs), knowing that over time my Guitar Hero song list will expand is exciting. Hopefully this will extend the life of the game so that by this time next year I’m not spending another $60 just for the same gameplay but more songs.
So in the end, if you have a 360 and don’t yet have Guitar Hero II, I definitely recommend the purchase. If you already own the PS2 version however, then you’ll have to figure out if the addition of a different controller, downloadable content, and limited Xbox Live functionality is spending another $90.
When I first started playing Guitar Hero II, I immediately noticed something was odd with my controller. On longer notes, I would use the whammy bar but it wouldn’t start working until about a quarter of a second into the note. I thought maybe the issue was with me until the next day when I read numerous reports of other gamers having the same issue.
This article over on Joystiq sums up the issue nicely. For some reason, Guitar Hero II was released with two version of the controller (as seen on the right). One has the pedal port (that thing that looks like a phone jack) next to the power chord (Part No. 95055) while the other has it next to shoulder strap (Part No. 95065). It seems that the model that is experiencing the whammy bar issue is 95055. So while Red Octane investigates these problems further, try to pick up a copy that has “Part No. 95065” clearly displayed on the back next to the barcode.
We’ve been talking about the Rock Band game recently and per this article on Kotaku, Harmonix has stated that the 360 Guitar Hero controllers will be fully compatible with the game. This comes as a relief as that’s just one less peripheral gamers will have to purchase to enjoy everything that Rock Band claims to offer.
Finally, I was pointed at this guide written by Game Almighty on some strategies concerning Guitar Hero II. It’s pretty interesting, and if you’re new to the series you should check it out as it has a lot of good information, including some video clips.
Phew! All finished!
Having over 25 years of gaming experience, Zach knows a thing or two when it comes to one of his favorite entertainment activities. Additionally, he has also written many articles previewing and reviewing titles which can be found in various places around the net, including VGBlogger.com. 
Zach, that is a very comprehensive look at GHII for 360. I got to play the demo up at Best Buy, and here’s a couple of things I’ll throw in for you, since I have played the PS2 version.
First off, the graphics are actually improved. I could tell the HD and next-gen graphical gleam in the game, and even on the HD TV it was displayed, there was no lag to the game. I asked an attendant if they had to do a lag configure for it, and he said no, the game comes like that. Then again…Best Buy people aren’t the most reliable source for video game info (I used to work there, before you people start bashing me for bashing Best Buy).
Second, the songs on there are the same notes, as I was able to breeze through “Them Bones” and “Beast and the Harlot” (to much reluctance on the A7X song, at that) just fine. As for the jut on the left side (top) of the guitar, that’s just you, man. I’ve been playing real guitar for years, and even owned an Xplorer at one time, and the thing is that it isn’t meant to be played like that at all. You can’t rest your arms on a guitar if you are a rock star!!! You gotta rock out with your proverbial…well, you know what I’m gonna say there. Anyways, it’s just something you gotta get used to. Think like Hetfield, man.
I DID notice, while playing the demo, that whammy bar issue you were talking about. I’ll have to find out if it was the same model, but when it happened, I actually thought it was lag. Good to know it was not. However, I will say that I found the response time on the pick to be a little off. I know I was hitting those notes right on time (again, I’ve played guitar in real life for almost 12 years, I have damn good timing, and Guitar Hero since it came out as a franchise), and they weren’t going. It’s also a little stiffer, which is nice for durability sakes, but I’m not sure how well it would work for those clankers that play on Expert. God, I hate when people play on Expert…can’t even hear the song!!! LOL Also, note to RedOctane: PLEASE PUT THE START BUTTON BACK WHERE YOU HAD IT!!! Sometimes, I get messed up if I move the guitar for Star Power, so the start button is helpful and convenient for some of us clumsier people!!!!!!!!!!
I only got to play one of the new songs added “Life Wasted”, and it was pretty well done. Still, I have to agree with a lot of the original PS2 reviews in saying that the song list just isn’t as solid as the first game was. While I like The Sword and The Living End, I don’t think they were needed on this game. The encore songs are still WAY too long, and you’ll always get that smartass that is like “just one more song and then picks fucking “Free Bird”. Grrrr…. I also miss having the blues on there, as Stevie Ray’s “The Sky Is Crying” was BEGGING to be put on this one, or even some Fats Domino or some B.B. King. On top of that, it would’ve been nice to get a better Rush song than “YYZ”…maybe “Limelight” or something, I don’t know.
But those are a lot of minor things that’s across all versions really…I’m a rock encyclopedia, and would’ve loved to see some different song choices, but still…kudos for having Shadows Fall and All That Remains, even Every Time I Die (which if you haven’t played any of those three hidden songs, do it now, Zach…Shadows Fall is tres bon!!!).
As for Rock Band supporting the 360 controller, that’s nice to know. That actually gives me even MORE reason to pick up a 360 elite bundle when it comes out along with GHII. As far as the downloadable content, from what I’m to understand, there isn’t any main basis for how soon the content will be available, but I do remember hearing that some of the content won’t always be new songs. As long as they add good songs, though, I think it’ll be truly enjoyable (*cough* METALLICA’S ONE *cough*).
The song list is my main problem with GHII. It’s good and all, but compared to the original GH I just didn’t find GHII’s songs nearly as memorable or fun to play. And in comparison of time spent with each, I played GH for months and months, but with GHII I went through all the songs and played for about a week, and other than to test out the wireless guitar that came thereafter I haven’t touched it since. There just aren’t that many songs that grabbed me into replaying them over and over like the first game had.
And yep, that’s good to hear that the 360 GHII guitar will work with Rock Band, that’ll definitely help save some cash for those that buy both.
Man, this shit is starting to get ridiculous. According to RedOctane’s FAQ page (http://www.redoctane.us/support-center/index.php?x=&mod_id=2&id=96) a Guitar Hero 3 is coming out this fall for the 360, PS3, PS2 and Wii. GHII just came out on the 360 for crying out loud, and now the next game is coming only a few months later. Now I love the GH series and it’s cool to get confirmation of PS3 and Wii games in the series (as if they were doubted), but this is quickly becoming overkill for me. I’m so tired of what the industry has become now, I don’t need a new game (with only minor upgrades) in a series every fucking year (or within the same year for the 360 lol). Plus with Rock Band coming out in the same time period, there just isn’t going to be anything special about the series/genre anymore, at least not for me. I knew once Activision took over they were going to milk GH dry, but they’re doing it faster than I thought lol.
Well, the first downloadable content for GHII 360 supposedly came out today, and it sounds like a major rip off to me (as I feared). There are three song packs containing three songs each at 500 points apiece, and the songs are only retreads from the original GH. That’s crap man, 6 bucks for three songs that aren’t even brand new is way too much. $6 should be enough to get like all three song packs. The value per song should be cheaper than that of iTunes given the songs are for a game and aren’t even the real bands. Man, I’m really starting to hate what’s happening with the GH series…