Guitar Hero 2 (PS2) Review
Posted by Caleb Newby on 12.05.2006
The sequal to the smash hit is finally here... but is it better than ever? Check out the review that's arguably less painful than trying to pass Freebird on your 6th (or 7th, or 8th) try!
Very few are the gamers, I’d imagine, that are unfamiliar with Guitar Hero. Certainly the majority of those who frequent 411mania have at least a passing knowledge about “that guitar shaped controller game.” But in the event that there are still uninitiated, let’s take a look at the concept before moving on to review the sequel to the wildly successful Guitar Hero, the aptly named Guitar Hero 2.
The Guitar Hero franchise is essentially a rhythm based game that replaces the standard videogame controller with a plastic guitar controller. You select a song to play and jump right in as the lead guitarist of a cover band who knows how to do only one thing… and that is ROCK! To play, notes in the form of colored circles will slowly (or very, very quickly) move vertically down the screen on a track. Once the note reaches the bottom of the screen you hold down the appropriately corresponding fret button and then strum the guitar with your thumb. Do this again enough times and you’ll put together a song of epic proportions.
Now let’s drop these musical training wheels and dive in to the Guitar Hero experience!
Graphics:
Guitar Hero 2… it’s about the music man! Needless to say the graphics have been spiced up since the original outing. There is more going on stage during your rockfests even if you’re unable to fully take it in while playing. The light shows, pyro, and special effects are more in sync with the song you’re thrashing. It’s not really a huge aspect, but it really does add more than you’d think to the ambiance.
When going through career mode there is also a nice touch for each encore song. While the crowd hoots and hollers for you to play just one more, the venue you’re playing will have a little bit of special effects pizzazz to denote you are playing the so called “mini-boss” song. But while this graphics talk is all well and good, it’s not what is going to make anyone buy Guitar Hero 2.
Gameplay:
Ah yes, now we’re talking. Before we dive in on the difficulty I should share my skill level. On the original Guitar Hero I was one of those guys that beat everything on expert difficulty save the fearsome twosome of Cowboys from Hell and Bark at the Moon. So I’d say I’m good but definitely not one of the elite.
I started off confident I’d be able to jump in on expert again and jam my way to the end game. I was horribly mistaken. Maybe it was the guitar rust that had set in after a couple months off of the original, but it seemed that the hard difficulty had risen in challenge since the previous outing and expert felt down right cruel. But that’s what medium and easy are for, to get you ready for the big leagues. And don’t forget about practice mode, the all new feature where you can work on sections of songs that give you problems at regular or reduced speeds.
Sound:
Check out this partial list of bands that are featured in Guitar Hero 2: Motley Crue, Kiss, Nirvana, Kansas, The Police, Van Halen, Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains, Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Rage Against the Machine, Aerosmith, Stone Temple Pilots, Megadeath, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. So sure, almost all of the songs are covers but that doesn’t take much away, if anything.
The beauty here is how many different songs, bands, and genres are represented. Going from the some old time Rock This Town to the wild Psychobilly Freakout and classic 80s rock Cherry Pie you’d be hard pressed to walk away without finding a song or two that get you all giddy inside as you declare it “your song” to your friends. For me those would be Kansas’ Carry on Wayward Son and Foo Fighters’ Monkey Wrench. When I get in the groove with those songs, it’s a near euphoric experience.
The main criticism of the game would also come under this section. Invariably people will say something to the effect, “I can’t believe they left out ________!!!” Now to be fair Harmonix included a ton of content and can’t be dogged too much for any bands left out. Most notably mentioned though are Metallica and ACDC. If the inclusion of either will make or break your decision you might have to wait until the 3rd installment.
Lasting Appeal:
Guitar Hero 2 really raised the bar with performance based unlockables. Want to get all the guitars in the game? Get 5 stars on each song on expert, champ. Separate from the performance based unlockables are items you can buy with cash you earn from playing gigs. Guitars, skins, new characters, alternative outfits, original songs, and behind the scenes videos all require a little virtual green to unlock and gives you reason to keep on going through the arm cramps and blistered fingers.
Multiplayer is better than ever with the returning dual mode and the all new cooperative mode where one person takes the lead guitar and the other bass or rhythm dependant on the song. And with the new ability to take separate difficulty levels on the same song gone are the days of making your buddy play expert so it is a challenge for you. He can toil away on medium as you’re going strong at expert. This and co-op add a new dimension and lifespan to an already deep and lengthy game.
Fun Factor:
Rocking out on Guitar to some great songs in music history? Yeah, it’s fun. When you hit that long solo that seemed impossible as it approached you’ll be doing cartwheels inside. Same when you barely skate by a song you were sure you’d fail after riding in the red for most of it.
How fun is Guitar Hero? With the original my sister who is not a gamer at all played it and was immediately hooked. She’s now always asking to come over with her friends to play. My mother tried it and liked it. Again, not a gamer. Heck, even my buddy who farms and can barely work a computer mouse likes it.
The 411:
Guitar Hero 2 is a must for any PS2 owner. This isn’t anything new to those who had the first as you probably had GH2 reserved the day it went gold. Outside of the price tag ($80 for the game and guitar controller) there is no reason not to get it. In a time when gamers are shifting towards the next generation systems and less focus will be placed on the previous consoles, Guitar Hero 2 gives you a reason to keep the PS2 dusted off and in the center of the living room.
Graphics
7.8
Gets the job done. Just as good as before but with a little extra.
Gameplay
9.5
Co-op mode, improved hammer-ons and pull-offs, and individual difficulty settings in multiplayer mode add a lot.
Sound
9.3
Fantastic variety of bands and styles. Limited only by personal preference.
Lasting Appeal
9.6
Expert mode truely lives up to the name and the amount of unlockables should keep you busy for a long time.
Fun Factor
10.0
Everyone you know will be clamoring for their turn to rock down the house... over, and over, and over again.
