A competent sequel. however, I can't help but wonder where Red Octane/Harmonix went wrong.
User Rating: 7.8 | Guitar Hero II PS2
Guitar Hero was revolutionary for rhythm games when it was released back in November of 2005. Using a unique controller and awesome premise, it easily captured the hearts of millions of rockers everywhere. And here is the sequel. One would expect only the most rocking, awesome sequel. However, this one falls somewhat short, due to a somewhat mediocre songlist, and odd difficulty settings. The songlist for GH II is chock full of brand new songs for you to riff out to. Only problem is, some of these songs seem out of place, and there aren't as many true rock songs as on the first game. The songs start off spectacularly, with sweet hits like Shout at the Devil and Strutter there to greet you on your journey. But then, a lot of rather more obscure and lesser known songs come after a great beginning. Now, I'm always open to new songs, but the ones here just seem out of place. I've never heard of the Butthole Surfers in my life. So how can I properly enjoy their song? It seems weird, and somewhat disappointing. Another problem is the difficulty. On easy and medium, songs seem to be fairly simple, and most vets of the first game will find a very breezy challenge here. But ramp it up to hard, and you're likely to feel overwhelmed at first. There seems to be a VERY big difference between the first 2 difficulties, and the last 2. This is very odd, and can be troublesome at first. However, the goods outweigh the bads. There is a wide variety of songs, all being new, and all being perfectly mapped out for the game. The animations of the singer, bassist, drummer, and your "hero" are all much better, and the characters seem way more alive. They'll even respond to each other. There are also encores. Surprise songs at the end of groups of songs. This is a nice touch, and adds the element of surprise into the game. The graphics are also a lot smoother overall, and the sound quality is still amazing. The new controller is also a nice touch, though I didn't get it. Overall, if you liked GH 1, then definitely get this. but if you've never played it before, it may leave you wondering why the series is so special. but that is a big maybe, nonetheless.
