Guitar Hero II

There are some of us who can really rock. Some of us think we can. Now, after RedOctane's newest release, it really doesn't matter how good you are with a real guitar. Guitar Hero II is out, and there's some fun waiting for rockers who are willing to foot the bill. Guitar Hero II has many of the features that its older version has, but many upgrades and completely new specs to look at. There are 64 new songs to play, including the famous Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as songs like Strutter by KISS. One of the must-have returning specs is the guitar controller, which as obviously a hit back when the original Guitar Hero was released.

The game is great for people who are willing to go the extra mile to get new songs, but for others maybe not so much. I went to a local Best Buy to pick up the game, and bought the guitar and game for a hefty fee of $110. I heard about a day after that I could have gotten the same stuff at GameStop/EBGames for $80, which kind of made me mad. I didn't really care though, I was too busy sitting in my room rocking out to Sweet Child O' Mine and The Psychobilly Freakout. The game itself is very addictive, containing four difficulty modes and several outfits, characters, guitars, and special videos to buy with the money you earn from each song. There are eight sets of songs in all, with five songs in each set. Each one of these sets are played in a different setting. You start out in a high school playing in Battle of the Bands, and can go as far as playing for thousands of people at Stonehenge. All of the unlocked stages are available for play after being unlocked.

After the game has been beaten, a new mode will be unlocked. The Pro Face-Off mode is different than the other modes. Pro Face-off gives both players the exact same notes to play on the exact same difficulty, while regular face off allows players to select different difficulties and has the points weighted. Face-off mode also places a small meter in the middle of the screen, which moves from left to right depending on who the crowd likes the best. This is one of the most popular parts of the game, but it also requires two controllers. A guitar controller seems like the best option, but if you want to play the game with your regular controller, that's perfectly possible.

So that's the review for Guitar Hero II. If you've never played any of the Guitar Hero games, then you may want to try the original Guitar Hero and see how you like the feel of the game. If you don't usually go for this type of game, you may find yourself suprised. Guitar Hero II is engaging, interactive, and allows any user to rock out like none other!