2008 Woodie Awards
Reviews of recent video games to come out on next gen consoles
Billy O'Keefe / MCT
Issue date: 12/4/06 Section: Entertainment
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GUITAR HERO
For: Playstation 2 (coming to Xbox 360)
From: Harmonix/Red Octane/Activision
ESRB Rating: Teen
Attention, Red Octane shoppers: Should you already own Guitar Hero and the awesome guitar controller that came with it, it's possible to buy the sequel without being forced to buy a second controller.
That said, don't do it. Mow a few more lawns and be a little nicer to people if you have to, but if you liked Hero at all, you'll want to do whatever you need to do to round up the extra $30, make a friend and pick up Guitar Hero II with another guitar controller packed in.
Multiplayer in the original Hero was an expensive proposition: The unbundled guitar controller cost almost as much as another PS2 game, and the modes, while fun, were limited in scope. GH2 makes multiplayer far more inviting and worthwhile by making it the centerpiece of its new feature set. The number of riff-off modes has increased, but you and a friend also can jam together for the greater good of rock in the new co-op mode. This, combined with handicapped difficulty settings and the ability to choose your favorite discipline (lead, rhythm or bass), makes it easier than ever to delude yourself into thinking you're on stage in a band instead of in your parents' basement playing video games. (Should your friends be a bit guitar-shy, a new and very welcome practice mode allows newbies to learn the basics in a pressure-free setting.)
Beyond the aforementioned additions, GH2 plays like a bigger, badder version of its predecessor, with more songs (Kiss, Rage Against the Machine, Guns N' Roses, Skynyrd, Buckethead and more than 60 others), venues, characters and eye candy. The guitar controller, a not-quite-life-sized beast that includes five chord buttons, a strum bar and a killer whammy bar, hasn't changed in terms of functionality. But it comes in a cool shade of blood red to compliment the black model from last year's game. You can't very well rock the (parents') house with matching shredders, now can you?
For: Playstation 2 (coming to Xbox 360)
From: Harmonix/Red Octane/Activision
ESRB Rating: Teen
Attention, Red Octane shoppers: Should you already own Guitar Hero and the awesome guitar controller that came with it, it's possible to buy the sequel without being forced to buy a second controller.
That said, don't do it. Mow a few more lawns and be a little nicer to people if you have to, but if you liked Hero at all, you'll want to do whatever you need to do to round up the extra $30, make a friend and pick up Guitar Hero II with another guitar controller packed in.
Multiplayer in the original Hero was an expensive proposition: The unbundled guitar controller cost almost as much as another PS2 game, and the modes, while fun, were limited in scope. GH2 makes multiplayer far more inviting and worthwhile by making it the centerpiece of its new feature set. The number of riff-off modes has increased, but you and a friend also can jam together for the greater good of rock in the new co-op mode. This, combined with handicapped difficulty settings and the ability to choose your favorite discipline (lead, rhythm or bass), makes it easier than ever to delude yourself into thinking you're on stage in a band instead of in your parents' basement playing video games. (Should your friends be a bit guitar-shy, a new and very welcome practice mode allows newbies to learn the basics in a pressure-free setting.)
Beyond the aforementioned additions, GH2 plays like a bigger, badder version of its predecessor, with more songs (Kiss, Rage Against the Machine, Guns N' Roses, Skynyrd, Buckethead and more than 60 others), venues, characters and eye candy. The guitar controller, a not-quite-life-sized beast that includes five chord buttons, a strum bar and a killer whammy bar, hasn't changed in terms of functionality. But it comes in a cool shade of blood red to compliment the black model from last year's game. You can't very well rock the (parents') house with matching shredders, now can you?
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