The release of the much anticipated Guitar Hero 2 is growing nearer…. are you ready for it? November 7th people, less than a week away! I had the chance to play GH2 at my local gaming store, and I got a sneek peek of the changes that await players once the game is released. Let me tell you boys and girls; it’s gonna be gooooooodddd…..
I only caught a glimpse of free play and multiplayer, as the career mode was not an option on the demo version. For those of you who have not played the original Guitar Hero yet, you’re a loser. That’s right, a loser. And everyone is making fun of you, you just don’t know it yet…….so to save your sorry reputation, you’d better learn how the game works so when the new version comes out, you’ll have what it takes to turn that frown upside down…..
You have a guitar with 5 buttons of different colors on the fret board, a strum “button”, a whammy bar, and start/select buttons. The game shoots little colored dots at you which represent the color or colors of buttons you need to push down and then strum to hit correctly. Think Final Fantasy combos or anything else where you need to push the correct button at the correct time.
So you hold the “notes”, then strum when they rush towards you and light up. If the dot has a long line after it, you need to not only strum, but vibrate your whammy bar until the line stops. The more “notes” you hit correctly, the more points you get.
After you hit enough notes correctly, you have permission to rock out. That’s right, ROCK OUT! So you raise your guitar neck, jump in the air, and land while still playing correctly…. now you’re really a rock star. All of the notes then turn blue, and you get more points for playing correctly during this time.
This may all sound quite complicated if you’re not used to the rock star playing style, but once you have the game, it will be much easier. Easier done than said, promise.
Besides one note, sometimes you have two. And in the new version (upsetting many people who evidently can’t close their hands….) three notes. That’s right, three notes at a time! Hitting all three at once isn’t really that hard, but this game is graded from easy to moderate to hard to expert, so you’re more likely to run into these three-note chords in the harder levels. Also, like I said earlier, there are 5 notes. Well most people only have 4 fingers, and they need the thumb to hold up the guitar neck. So, sometimes you need to shift up a note. I know, hard for some to grasp, but really it’s just moving your hand up the neck. RELAX!! It just takes practice. “What I have to practice!!!!????!” Yes… you do need to practice to get good at this game. But it’s FUN practice! And if you really wanted to, you could just continue practicing the same song over and over until you were perfect at it, then make your friends play only that song with you (keep in mind you can’t win career mode this way though…). Be forewarned though, this method however can lead to you leaving with your head being the consistency of a smooshed watermelon…..
Also, GH2 is a little different from its predecessor in the way that many of the tracks are more cooperative than before. Instead of just sharing the lead guitar part, some sections are rhythm guitar or bass guitar, mixed in with leads. Players can play a variety of roles in the band instead of waiting for the other person to get done solo-ing. Beware though, if you or your partner miss any notes, there is a big blank hole in the song. Make sure you practice so the crowd doesn’t think your band totally sucks!
So why is this game so frickin’ awesome? The answer is that it has a great multiplayer. Although the career mode is fun too, multiplayer is really what this game is all about. Players can either play cooperatively with another person (like being in the band dude!!!) or play against them, in “face-off” mode. Either is fun and gives the person with the higher points huge bragging rights.
In the demo of GH2, there were only a few songs available to play, but the release version promises a lot of new songs, and someday maybe even downloadable content once more musicians sign on. The songs range from Primus to Motley Crue to Rush and everything inbetween. There literally is something for everyone in this game.
The initial price of GH2 is a little daunting ($49.99 for just the game!) because you must buy both the game and controller, but the old controllers will work perfectly with the new game, so picking up a few used controllers could save players a pile of dough. There is also a wireless controller available, so you don’t have to worry about rocking out and disconnecting the cord. But really, even the new price is worth it.
Guitar Hero 2 promises to deliver successfully to a huge fanbase. You do not have to have any instrument experience what-so-ever to play Guitar Hero, although because I have a 14 year history with the piano it was easier for me to pick up the game initially. It just takes a little time and practice, but the results are worth the effort. Also, there are rumors that Guitar Hero 2 will be available for Xbox 360 (although there is no release date yet) so even the X-box junkies won’t be excluded from the rockstar action. And don’t be a doofus, this game will definitely sell out, so if I’ve got you all riled up to play some GH2, go pre-order it at your local gaming store. Now there is no excuse, if you think you’ve got what it takes to be a rockstar, prove it!
Title:Guitar Hero 2
Developer:Red Octane
Players:1, 2-player multiplater
Release Date:November 7th, 2006
Rating:T (Mild Lyrics)