![\"guitarhero2\"](\"https:\/\/maggipicayune.net\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/guitarhero2.jpg\" "\\"guitarhero2\\"")
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Right there with the\u00a0Grand Theft Auto<\/em> and\u00a0Dance Dance Revolution<\/em> series, the\u00a0Guitar Hero<\/em> franchise is one of the titles that makes the PS2 (and eventually PS3) the best of the three gaming consoles around. Definitely something that creates a tipping point to get more people interested into buying a PS2 because they bring something new and innovative to video games since sports, first-person shooters, role-playing and action titles are pretty standard now.<\/p>\n My nephew Hunter has the first\u00a0Guitar Hero<\/em> which he received as a birthday present. But I already thought the game was awesome when I first saw it being demonstrated at Fry\u2019s, I just could embarrass myself less in the privacy of my brother-in-law\u2019s house instead. For Christmas though, my wife bought me the sequel that appeared in November and it\u2019s equally impressive.<\/p>\n I have never really played the first game completely so this review will not make any comparisons because I\u2019m ignorant of any differences at this time. Maybe Hunter will let me borrow it.<\/p>\n With\u00a0GH II<\/em> you can choose to play in either Career Mode, Quick Play, or Multiplayer. There is a Training segment but it didn\u2019t help me very much with playing the super-fast notes. I only have one controller so I can\u2019t say anything about Multiplayer neither. Quick Play is decent but the song choices are limited and it\u2019s really for practice in my opinion. Career Mode is where the game shines and when it\u2019s the most fun. First you make up a band name, then you pick a character to be your lead guitarist and then proceed to play gigs. The initial gig is a battle of the bands in a Midwestern high school and as you successfully play three out of four songs in the venue\u2019s set, you progress to larger venues in bigger cities. The touring part is hilarious. You see a crudely drawn vehicle (van, bus, plane, etc.) going from location A to B and the sound effect is a person imitating the engine. Playing in Easy mode was a good start to get accustomed to the patterns with just three of the frets yet you won\u2019t reap any of the benefits of Career Mode such as buying more guitars, outfits, additional characters or songs. I can\u2019t play an actual guitar so Medium is the hardest I could handle with my fat fingers (four of the five frets). Despite my lack of actual talent, Medium does bring out the game\u2019s more enjoyable aspects:<\/p>\n My only complaint is the song choices. Sure it\u2019s a game that\u2019s focused on being a guitar hero which tends to be a term synonymous with Metal, Hard Rock and Classic Rock, thus\u00a0GH II<\/em> has Motley Crue, Warrant, Anthrax, Rush, Thin Lizzy, Heart, Cheap Trick and the Rolling Stones amongst its song choices. However, there are tracks from the Alternative, Rockabilly and Surf Rock genre too: Matthew Sweet, Pretenders, Dick Dale and the Rev. Horton Heat. They\u2019re fun to \u201cplay\u201d also but it just makes the game\u2019s music feel too random. Maybe in the next version for the PS3 the publisher can set up career tracks based upon musical genres. With the PS3\u2019s new media format being capable of storing much more than the PS2\u2019s 4GB, maybe they can expand the game to include my suggestion or have it store a few hundred songs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Right there with the\u00a0Grand Theft Auto and\u00a0Dance Dance Revolution series, the\u00a0Guitar Hero franchise is one of the titles that makes the PS2 (and eventually PS3) the best of the three gaming consoles around. Definitely something that creates a tipping point … Continue reading \n