As much as I tend to forget about it when I think of my favorite video game franchises, one series I've put WAY too many hours into is "Guitar Hero" (and, by extension, "Rock Band"). I enjoyed rhythm games in my youth on Nintendo consoles (notably "Donkey Konga" and "Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix"), but "Guitar Hero" was a series that hooked me in ways that few others did, and it, along with "Rock Band," were titles that I was massively obsessed with for several years, to the point where I missed out on several big video games because I wanted to play "Guitar Hero." I've owned several games in the franchise across different platforms, and while the franchise hit its highs and lows, I definitely enjoyed my time with it. One of the entries I enjoyed the most was "Guitar Hero II," the first game in the franchise I ever played, and one that still holds up today.
"Guitar Hero II" succeeds thanks to its addicting gameplay, much like the rest of this franchise. It's difficult at first, but once you pick it up and start passing songs, it's easy to get obsessed. The setlist itself has many memorable additions (especially on the Xbox 360 version, which adds 10 new songs and also features downloadable content), and there's plenty of solid challenge to the songs, too. Even the most challenging songs like "Jordan" and "Free Bird" are extremely fun to play, and grabbing a friend and playing multiplayer is an absolute blast. Add on some nice additions like a better hammer-on and pull-off system, as well as a new practice mode, and you've got a recipe for success.
The only thing that holds back "Guitar Hero II" for me is some of the wonky elements in the game's engine. Occasionally, hammer-ons and pull-offs can feel awkward (even if much better than the first game), but what's worse is the game's strum limit (at least in the NTSC version). For those that don't know, the strum limit in a "Guitar Hero" game basically limits how many strums can register, so no matter how fast you strum in real life, the game will nullify any strums past the limit. In the PAL version of the game, the limit is 20 notes per second, but only 16 notes per second in the NTSC version. This wouldn't be a problem if not for the fact that it renders the song "Trogdor" impossible to full-combo on the NTSC version, and I can't help but wonder how such a glaring oversight was made by the dev team.
Overall, though, "Guitar Hero II" is a great game that improves on what the original did, and it's a game that earns a wholehearted recommendation. Even if "Guitar Hero" has lost popularity today, "Guitar Hero II" is a game worth returning to if you're interested in the series.
Final rating: 9 out of 10 "Awesome"