Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero II launched a national gaming addiction. The game allows players to live out their Rock Star dreams by performing with a house band to classic rock songs (note: not classic rock...just good old fashion ROCK MUSIC!) as they increase their popularity and grow in venues played. The sequal to 2005's highly award winning Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II also took down several awards including: "Game Critics Award for Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game" by E3; "Best Music Game," "Best Licensed Soundtrack," "Best Playstation 2 Offline Multiplayer Game" by IGN, and "Best Soundtrack" by Spike TV.
How the Game Works:
Guitar Hero II plays similar to its predecessor Guitar Hero. Players use a guitar-shaped controller to play notes in synch with songs that scroll down the screen by using buttons on the fretboard of the guitar and strumming the scroll bar. As in the original Guitar Hero, gamers can also use a controller to play the game, but gamers playing this way should avoid doing this in front of others for fear of ridicule by fellow gamers.
Guitar Hero II does have notable improvements in gameplay. First, "hammer-ons" and "pull-offs" have better sensitivity for improved play. New power chords have been introduced including three-note chords. Also, three-note chords yield triple points when executed correctly. Another improvemement in gameplay includes increased statistics, and an in-game high-score list. This feature is extended for the Xbox 360, which boasts a worldwide leader board for players using the Xbox Live service.
Game Play Modes:
Rockers still enjoy Career mode in Guitar Hero II. In Career mode, rockers ponder up a band name and figure out which character they would like to live vicariously through. Gamers can select from eight standard characters, and can purchase additional guitarists through the in-game store. Special note: don't get too attached to Clive Winston or Pandora, as these characters fail to advance in future version of Guitar Hero.
In Career mode players take the helm of the lead guitar for their bands, and travel through eight venues increasing in size as their popularity grows. Sure, you may start out rocking the with your friends at Nilbog High School, but you might end up as a Rock God performing a soldout show at Stonehenge a la Spinaltap! Also, as your career progresses, so does the list of songs you can perform. Each venue presents a specific set of songs, and a certain number must be completed before unlocking the next venue and next set of songs. Additional songs are unlocked as you progress as encores.
As players advance through songs and venues, they earn cash through points that can be used to purchase songs, gear, and other items from the in-game store.
Guitar Hero II also has three different multiplayer modes. (1) Cooperative: players rock together as one plays lead guitar while the other handles either bass or rhythm guitar, depending on the song. There is one score, rock meter, star power meter, and streak multiplier in this game mode. As such, this game mode is the only multiplayer mode in which you can fail. (2) Face-Off: back from the first version of the game, face off features guitar dueling between foes. Guitar Hero II introduces the ability for each player to select their own skill/difficulty level. (3) Pro Face-Off: Mono y mono. No dueling in this mode. Pro Face-Off pits two axe-slingers against each other, both playing the full lead guitar track on the same skill/difficulty level. This feature is available differently for different versions. Playstation 2 users can unlock this mode after completing career mode on any leve. Xbox 360 users, however, must complete career mode at the Medium skill level or higher.
Soundtrack:
Guitar Hero II features an extensive, award winning soundtrack of rock staples. Songs available for play differ in the Playstation 2 and Xbox 360 versions, including additional songs available for download for Xbox 360 users. For a complete listing of songs, please visit our Soundtrack section.