Guitar Hero II

"Party like a Rock Star. Seriously, do it."

Guitar Hero II has been such a sweeping hit for a few simple reasons. First of all, it utilizes that one fantasy nearly every guy alive has had at one time or another, which is being an absolute legend on the guitar. Secondly, the short learning curve and “practice makes perfect” mentality boosts the addiction meter to levels not seen since cocaine and baking soda were first combined. Lastly, the multiplayer gives it an infinite amount of replay, because no one ever gets tired of nailing a historic solo and then smashing the guitar over the losing friend's head in victory. Well, except for that friend.

This game capitalizes on the groundbreaking success of the Dance Dance Revolution series and it's straightforward gameplay style. Symbols of various colors slide toward the player as if on a conveyor belt, each one assigned a specific button on the guitar controller. As a symbol gets to a certain row along the bottom of the screen, the button for the symbol must be held down while the strum bar is, well, strummed. Very basic idea, and it starts out that way on the easy difficulty setting. As you progress up towards expert, however, you'll realize just how complex and frustrating this concept can get!

The career mode of any game tends to be the primary focus, and with GH2 perfectionists will spend quite a lot of time here. You can complete it on any of the four difficulty levels, but money to buy new guitars, songs, etc. can only be won on the medium, hard, and expert difficulties. The basic premise is that you start as the lead guitarist of a garage band performing covers of great rock songs to a few loyal fans at your house. As you complete the songs from each set list you gradually move into bigger and more active venues, complete with light shows and heavy machinery. Eventually, as your popularity grows, you are finally awarded that title of “Guitar Hero” and there's nothing left to do but chip away at those perfect scores.

That's really where a lot of the replay comes in. Once you've completed a song, your next goal is to get a 5 star rating on it. Then the only thing left to do is play the song perfectly, from beginning to end, without a single missed note or errant strum. As fatigue sets in, this can become hard on even the easiest setting. Even if perfect is unattainable, just trying to beat the high score for a given song is entertaining and involves a certain amount of strategy. Nailing certain note combinations will steadily fill up a “Star Meter,” and when past the halfway mark you can “Rock Out” and double your point multiplier. Deciding when to deploy this power is crucial in the quest for an even higher score.

Outside of Career mode there's Quick Play, which is exactly what it sounds like, and the improved Multiplayer and Training modes. The major addition to the multiplayer option the Pro Face-Off mode, which is unlocked after finishing a career on any difficulty. What makes it so much more entertaining than the regular Face-Off is that both players are hitting the same notes at the same time on the same difficulty. This eliminates any arguing about who had the harder notes, who had the most, etc. It's a level playing field and a tournament waiting to happen. The win is awarded based on total points, not percentage of notes hit, so the timely use of Star Power can easily sway the victory needle over to your side of the screen.

Training mode is now infinitely more useful to players. Now it's possible to practice every song as much as you want and not have to worry about getting booted by a crowd. Not only that, but you can isolate a certain part of a song that is giving you fits, like an intense solo or a complicated chorus, and slow them down to speeds that are much more manageable, allowing you to work your way up to full speed once you feel you're ready.

The songs are what can make or break a game like this, and for the most part the variety is enough to meet everyone's needs. Classics like Carry on my Wayward Son, Free Bird, and Sweet Child O‘ Mine. Heavier stuff like YYZ, Madhouse, and War Pigs. Every song besides the bonuses are covers of the original, and the vast majority of them are very well done and sound almost identical to the original.

Quite simply, this game has all the characteristics of a classic arcade game that can be played at any age, any time, and any where. The music will either take you back to your childhood or, for the younger crowd, introduce you to some songs you may one day play for your kids. After a while the addiction starts to fade and maybe you'll pick up the guitar just a few times a week, but you'll never hear a riff again without imagining a set of colored dots flying directly at you.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/02/07