What made the original such a monster success was the hitlist of tunes avialable to play. With more oomph behind them, thanks to the runaway success of the first game, publisher Red Octane was able to secure another stellar song list that would be welcome in any bar bands set list. As in the original, the majority of the songs were reproduced in the studio to take advantage of the guitar-nature of the game, so don’t expect to hear the originals. Don’t think that you’re getting something along the lines of guitar-karaoke either (insert shudder here) as the reproductions are completely faithful to the originals, even right down to the compression, fuzz, overdrive and other effects to give such guitar greats as Eddie Van Halen and Buckethead their signature sounds. Who would have ever imagined I’d be mentioning avante garde prog rocker Buckethead in a game review? The mind boggles. You might be disappointed if you’ve always wanted to strut around in your schoolboy outfit as AC/DC’s Angus Young in your living room with your brand new Cherry Red Gibson SG which is included in GH2, but sadly, there are just some bands that are still out of reach. It’s funny. But even though certain bands didn’t come along for the ride, the hardest working band in the history of rock and roll has signed on this time. Like Mick Jagger needs more cash. What are they doing with their money anyway that they have to keep defrosting Charlie Watts cryogenically frozen carcas to go on tour every 6 months? Leave him be! As a personal choice, I’m not crazy, crazy about the songs as there is more metal than I’d like, but I know there is a certain target audience to satiate. I’d like to see more styles represented in future versions of the series. The sky is the limit.

Fans will find their favorite characters returning along with some new ones. There are 8 completely distinct personalities to choose from right from the start, with 3 to be unlocked later. They even come with new outfits. Visually the game looks pumped up and brighter – and there is a prog scan mode to make it look even hotter if your setup can handle it. The venues and audiences have all been enhanced, with real life endorsed instruments on stage and cool synced lighting to go right along with the stage show. The venues this time reflect different cities that your band will visit on tour, lending itself a cool vibe, especially for those gaming shut-ins who rarely, if ever, leave the house. Hey you can’t stay inside forever. Eventually the Doritos supply must be replenished, right?

To list every improvement would take pages and we all know I’m too lazy for that. That’s what the preview was for, conveniently located at the end of this review. GH2’s expanded “career” mode (a musician with a career that doesn’t involve french fries?) pumps up the audience and venues, allows for encores and generally just takes the original format and runs it through a sonic-enhancer for maximum play value and enjoyment. If the single player mode isn’t enough to keep you shreddin’ licks for weeks on end, then you must call over a friend and take in some co-op and competitive two-player gaming. The competitive mode is where it’s at and it’s best played with two guitars. Two metalheads can go at it, lick for lick to see who is the last guitar god standing. Or you can play nice and have one guy play the lead while the lesser player 2 plays rhythm or wait for it…bass! Is there anything more pathetic than an air bass guitar player? He gets less respect than the air tamborine player. I’m just having fun. I invited my bass player over to play the game with me, and true story, I had to show him how to play his parts in GH2. If that ain’t art imitating life, I don’t know what is. My drummer wanted to play with us as well, but I told him that the music would have a hard time slowing down and speeding up along with him. He uses 5B sticks; he wanted me to mention that. For some reason drummers want to share this kind of information with other drummers. Talking about stick size is the way these idiots think they can tell how good other drummers are without hearing them play. It’s equivalent to dogs sniffing each other’s ass. It’s mental and I wish they’d stop it. Trust me, tell a drummer you’re a drummer and it won’t be long before you’ll be asked “So what size sticks do you use?” When that happens, just stick your arse in his face and tell him to get it over with already. $10 bucks says he sniffs.

Certain functional improvements make the game easier which is the case with how pulloffs are handled. Unlike the real guitar, in GH2 you don’t have to have your finger already placed on the lower “fret”, so that it sounds when it’s pulled off. I regret their decision to do this as I felt it made non-guitar players experience slightly what it was like to be a “real” guitar player for a moment. I love the inclusion of the three “note” chords, over the previous games 2. This makes up for altering the pulloff and yeah, the game is MUCH harder because of it.

Almost every aspect of the game has been tweaked to perfection which leaves me in a predicament: I gave the last game a 5 out of 5 and GH2 is vastly superior in virtually everyway. So can I pull a Spinal Tap and crank up my review score to give GH2 an impossible, uncanny 6 out of 5? Would what Nigel Tufnel do? I’m going to leave it at the highest rating I can give it. GH2 is a hero among games. It’s a winning formula that gets everything correct, right down to being able to pick from a selection of fake guitars. How cool is that?

By Cole Smith
CCC Staff Writer

Rating out of 5 Rating Description 4.8 Graphics Guitar Hero 2 looks better than its predecessor. It’s flashier, funkier and more animated than the orignal and that’s say quite a lot. 5.0 Control If you’re playing on a controller, you’re crazy. The SG is the ONLY way to go – it’s perfect. The only thing to blame when you screw up, is your lack of talent. 5.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting A little too much metal for my tastes, but once again, the reproductions are excellent. Tons of included and bonus tracks to play, and some real obscure tunes that quite possibly only real guitar players would know. 5.0 Play Value Enough difficulty to challenge the most shreddin’ GH1 player. Co-op and Competitive modes are the icing on the cake. 5.0 Overall Rating - The Best Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

By the powerchords invested in us, we pronounce Guitar Hero 2 to be the rockingest sequel EVER! by Vaughn Smith

The first Guitar Hero made any other music game look instantly obsolete and geeky. Sorry but banging on bongos, shaking maracas, hitting taiko drums, dancing, singing bad karaoke...I mean, come on. You have to admit, Red Octane and Harmonix really knocked one out of the park with the original. Now the second game has been announced and its 55 secret songs are as closely guarded as the colonel's 11 herbs and spices (hint: 10 of the herbs and spices are salt!).

We do know that the 7 songs that will be playable at E3 are:

• KISS - "Strutter"
• Drist - "Arterial Black"
• The Butthole Surfers - "Who Was in My Room Last Night"
• The Reverend Horton Heat - "Psychobilly Freakout"
• Black Sabbath - "War Pigs"
• The Kinks (the Van Halen version) - "You Really Got Me"
• RUSH - "YYZ"
  

Promised in the sequel is multiplayer co-op mode, where players can choose to play either the lead, rhythm or bass. You gotta love that. I wonder what kind of low self-esteem you have to possess to pick up a guitar controller as a "player 2" and play the bass! I'm kidding.

When the second installment hits stores later this Fall (November) you can bet the wicked will once again, not be resting. Rock out!

Press:

Get ready for a rock encore! RedOctane® announced today that Johnny Napalm and friends will begin touring the US again this Fall in the new videogame “Guitar Hero II™”. Picking up where Guitar Hero™ left off, Guitar Hero II arrives with a new track list, new venues and additional play modes – including the ability to transform the original Gibson SG Guitar Hero Controller into a rhythm, lead or bass guitar.

“Guitar Hero has proved phenomenally successful! Guitar Hero veterans will be able to plug in their Gibson SG Guitar Hero Controllers and rock GH II straight out of the box,” said Kelly Sumner, CEO of RedOctane. “We will really push the envelope with Guitar Hero II. Despite the fact there are many months until release, we’re already implementing exciting features and innovations. This fall we’re going to rock everyone’s world all over again.”

The top-secret sequel song list remains firmly in the rock domain, pulling from a mix of classic rock, ‘hair’ metal, heavy metal, modern rock, and alternative titles. More than 55 songs will be featured in the next installment.

Veteran music videogame developer Harmonix® Music Systems has been busy in-studio, enriching this rockstar experience with more features and multiplayer modes. In addition to the traditional head-to-head competition, Multiplayer Co-op Mode allows players to collaborate in order to beat songs, with each guitarist playing a separate guitar track. Available guitar tracks include lead, rhythm or bass tracks, depending upon the song. The Guitar Hero SG Controller used in the first installment will also be compatible with the new game.

Guitar Hero II is the follow-up to 2005’s award-winning release, “Guitar Hero,” which rocked the game industry and garnered a stack of awards including: “Best Offline Multiplayer Game 2005” and “Music Game of the Year 2005” from IGN.com, and “Best Soundtrack 2005” at the Spike TV Videogames Awards. Recently, it picked up five awards at the D.I.C.E. Summit's Interactive Achievement Awards including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming and Family Game of the Year.

By Vaughn Smith
CCC Site Director