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Guitar Hero II

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Also on:PS2
GF Rating
8.1

3261 ratings

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GF Rating
10

Perfect

Just Great.

posted by ccasanova (BATON ROUGE, LA) Sep 11, 2008

Member since Aug 2008

3 out of 4 gamers (75%) found this review helpful

This was the first game I ever played on an Xbox 360. It belonged to my roommate, and when he moved out I bought a 360 Elite that week just to play this. Guitar Hero is the first of its kind and is the most fun interactive game on Xbox 360. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. There is DLC like Foo Fighters Pack and My Chemical Romance which are both awesome. The achievements aren't too difficult, although some really call for a VERY high skill level, but many are quite easy. The tutorial is great and really gets you started, and play through is fantastic. You'll play your favorite songs over and over again and will never get bored.

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GF Rating
10

Perfect

An Awesome Game That You Should Already Own

posted by ViceZorb (BEAUMONT, TX) Oct 29, 2007

Member since Mar 2007

11 out of 16 gamers (69%) found this review helpful

This is simply a feel good game that lets you rock out to songs that you've always wished you had the skill [without ever practicing] to rock out to. This game has way more and better songs than its follow-up guitar hero 3, which changed development teams. The main difference between the two versions is than in this one [GH2] - Its about realizing you rock, and in the next [GH3] - Its about how much you don't suck. Quite a theme change and sadly GH3 jus doesn't 'beat' its predecessor.

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GF Rating
9

Excellent

Great Game!

posted by Sleezebag (DELAWARE, OH) Dec 7, 2007

Member since Oct 2005

4 out of 8 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

I reviewed this on the PS2 already. Ill go through the basics though. Not as mnay good songs as with GH1 or GH3 (yeah i played this one after GH3). But it has several great songs and a few good ones. the GH controller i used was the one for GH3, so it worked okay with GHII, but im guessing that the one made for GH2 works a little better. The graphics are improved and there are a few more songs on this version. other than that, its the same as the PS2 version.

9/10

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GF Rating
9

Excellent

Amazing Game

posted by kdkiernan (TOPSFIELD, MA) Oct 28, 2007

Member since Oct 2007

4 out of 8 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

Rocker wannabes and air guitar virtuosos, this is your game.

It's hard to imagine that anyone that might be reading this hasn't already heard of or seen the PS2 game in action. Basically this is a rock guitar "simulator" for lack of a better explanation. While not nearly as complex as picking up and playing a real guitar, it is going to require some nimble fingers and a sense of rhythm. This game is not for the faint of heart of the chronically uncoordinated - you will be sorely disappointed if you find that you can't really progress through the game. I wouldn't recommend this game for most younger children (under 10), as they probably lack the manual dexterity to play with any degree of success. Since you only unlock songs by first completing a very small set of songs, you may feel cheated if you are not coordinated enough to soldier through the first 4-5 songs.

In this game, you use the special guitar-shaped controller (you can use a regular controller, but I can only imagine that it would be oodles harder than it already is if you did) to play along with a song. On the screen you see a scrolling guitar neck that displays "notes" that must be played at the correct time by holding down the correct fret button and strumming on the guitar's strum bar. As the difficulty increases, the number of notes in use increases from three to five and the combinations and chords become more difficult to hit as the tempo increases. There are special notes that appear occasionally which give you "star power" that allows you to perform special tricks that fire up the crowd and increase your score. As you complete enough of a bracket of five songs, the next bracket opens up and unlocks a new venue for your band. At the end of each song, you get a review and rating along with details of how many notes you hit and a breakdown of the sections of the song, so that you can go to practice mode and work on the sections of the song you did poorly on.

The game includes a Career mode where

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GF Rating
5

Fair

OKAY

posted by uonroidz (JACK, AL) Mar 30, 2008

Member since Feb 2008

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

This would be a better game if i had played it before gh3 or rock band but after those two it just seems weird. Overall just go play gh3 or rock band.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Does Not Work With Rock Band Guitar!!!

posted by ApileOFree (SANTA ROSA, CA) Feb 1, 2008

Member since Dec 2006

1 out of 7 gamers (14%) found this review helpful

First of all I love all the guitar hero's on ps2 (sans the overpriced expansion pack rock the 80's), and Rock Band is good if you have a lot of friends over.

I rated this game poorly on xbox 360 for the fallowing reason, the Rock Band Guitar(Fender) does not work with guitar hero 2, (or 3 so I hear but I have not actually tried it nor will I) How lame is that? I know the game was made prior to Rock bands release but this is simple fix either in programing the new controller to accept Guitar hero software or by releasing a patch to guitar hero that recognizes the new controller.

Its a stupid sissy fight between the two game studios (sorry if Rock Band cut in on your turf dude). But why do we have to to suffer? Look they both have the same Simon says green, red, yellow, blue, orange keys and the controller recognizes the those colors logging into and setting up the game (press green key to go forward)but once the song starts no matter which button you push only the orange key is activated(I also tried switching keys into lefty mode).

What will be next? Will we have to buy a new controller for every version of CoD, or Halo?

My rating for Guitar Hero2 for Xbox 360 is a 1

Lame, Lame, Lame.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

guitar loser

posted by griffin090 (SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH) Mar 13, 2008

Member since Dec 2006

1 out of 8 gamers (12%) found this review helpful

the guitar interfears with the saving function for my games,the game is long and boring, and after story mode i wanted a very cool song, but after all that work the store was closed i didnt get the song and i learned that this game is trying to make kids not play REAL GUITARS!! i wish i could cuss in a review because thats how i feel! AND THE CODES DONT EVEN WORK FOR THE LOVE OF EINSTEIN!! STUIPID PIECE OF...........

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Guitar Hero 2

posted by JamesLLH (BROOKINGS, OR) Jun 29, 2011

Member since Jun 2011

This game worked at first, I went to work, came back and it wouldn't work after that.

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GF Rating
10

Perfect

Wrong Controller

posted by Carly101 (CHATSWORTH, GA) Jun 28, 2010

Member since Feb 2010

I'm sure this would have been a great game if I was able to play it. For future reference anyone wanting to play this game needs to make sure that they have a guitar hero controller, unlike me who has a rock band one. There should have a warning label or notice on the game page to explain this to future renters so that they wouldn't have had to go through the aggravation that I have had to.

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GF Rating
4

Weak

Flawed beyond forgiveness

posted by KingMan (LITTLETON, CO) Jan 23, 2010

Member since Aug 2009

Well I am a giant fan of the Guitar Hero franchise and am proud to say that I have beaten Guitar Hero 3, World Tour and Metallica on expert. But literally 10 seconds after I started playing this game, I knew I wouldn't enjoy it. One of the main reasons I rented it was for the Avenged Sevenfold Song "The Beast and the Harlot", but I honestly don't think it is worth dragging through the entire boring setlist to get to it. Which brings me to it's next problem. I can't count how many times I was playing a completely routine section of just the same note over and over, and it would make me miss a note. It's physics are drastically sub par. poor design constantly undermines the player, the main example being that you can hardly tell hammerons from regular notes and they all constantly run together. I have played 5 songs and am forced to send it back.
If you are new to the guitar hero franchise, I urge you to start on world tour or 3. And if you have experience with GH, then don't waste your time with this game because it will only aggravate you.

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GF Rating
10

Perfect

real awesome!

posted by fordsrule (NEWARK, OH) Sep 22, 2009

Member since Jun 2008

this game has awesome graphics and everthing it has awesome songs like cherry pie and has bands like van helen

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

No update... Really?

posted by rokko208 (BLOOMINGTON, IN) Sep 3, 2009

Member since Jan 2009

Why has activision not thrown in an update to allow use of the rockband controllers? They are just lame I guess. Take some advice activision. Until you make a bigger better guitar like rockband has, your just gonna keep sucking. Guitar hero 5 sucks as well. Give all your rights to harmonix and quit trying.

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GF Rating
6

Above Average

Fun game but flawed

posted by FiskBlack (JEFFERSONVILLE, OH) Mar 22, 2009

Member since Mar 2009

Compared to the newer versions this game sucks, but I was pleased to return and play this classic in the series. It seems that it has the same hammer-on and pull-off problem Rock band and Rock Band 2 have. (Meening that it is strict but not imposable like Guitar Hero 1) I recommend this if you haven't played any other GH game of Rock Band yet. if you have then just Download the tracks that were remade for Guitar Hero 3,4 and the Rock Band music store. Also I am not sure if it was just me or not but I found no online play...which sucked! Monkey Wrench!

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GF Rating
7

Good

Been there done that

posted by rooster197 (PULLMAN, WA) Mar 4, 2009

Member since Nov 2008

Tried it and can't see much of an imporvement over the first. Still like Rock Band best.

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GF Rating
7

Good

Alight Game

posted by stormnks (Topeka, KS) Jan 13, 2009

Member since Dec 2008

The graphics are not very good, and game play didn't roll by very smoothly. But the songs on it are pretty good.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Hey! It's DDR, except you dont need to get up!!!!!

posted by JoAnWalnut (PUEBLO, CO) Oct 4, 2008

Member since Jul 2008

I am honestly saddened to see that this formula of "lets pump out the same game repetitively and create minor tweaks to the content" is so widely accepted with little or no question. Now forget that I'm an honest musician who plays guitar, bass, and drums along with a multitude of other instruments. This game is in the same vein as DDR, and its pathetic that people feel like "Rock Stars" for being able to play games like this flawlessly. A person will go out and buy this guy. Fine. Then they buy all the extra peripherals for it, hundreds of dollars in equipment often times. But the point where somebody brags (honestly BRAGS TO ME) about how good they are at this game? Its NOTHING like playing an instrument. You hit five buttons repetitively, strum a little toggle switch and (most impressive of all) tilt the neck up at a slight angle to get "star power". I've played the game on expert, and in a fairly simple song mostly comprised of power chords, the screen breaks out into a blazing solo through the entirety of the song. Wow, that's really.. well, freaking lame man. I hate to have to dumb it down this much, but apparently I'm required to every time I speak to anybody of this game to touch base on any level. The only appeal of these games is they can be played by any, including toddlers with incredible ease. The draw back is you invest intense amounts of time and money into something that could be mastered by an elderly woman with cerebral palsy within a day or so. Why not go to your local music store and get a real guitar, or for that matter ANY instrument? Because most people are too lethargic to invest the energy into any skill worth while other than those they already know and understand these days. I love games, especially games requiring actual skill and reflex. This isn't one, so I must iterate. SHAME ON YOU IF YOU ENDORSE THIS MONOTONOUS DRIVEL. And trust my word when I say if this continues, original gaming is dead. Now go sell this and buy a guitar you drone

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GF Rating
5

Fair

Mediocore

posted by TeamMinion (MADISON, AL) Aug 14, 2008

Member since Apr 2008

Terrible song list. I was very disappointed with the song list which is the basis for the game. I think two is easier then three but still...i would rather have it harder and a better long list then easier and a worse one. I think only die hards will find this game remotely entertaining. As a music buff i think their are much better songs they could have chosen.

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GF Rating
5

Fair

It is what it is

posted by RedRumTS1 (SAN DIEGO, CA) Jul 8, 2008

Member since Nov 2007

Its a game that you play a guitar in.... I bought in to the hype of the game and got it... I made a mistake. I'm not in to these games so I guess I just wanted to feel cool for a bit. The music is fun and some songs bring back some great memories.
Play this game if you always wanted to feel cool by saying you can play a guitar. Don't play this game if you are like me and want to fell cool but realize you don't have the skills to be cool. :-(

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GF Rating
4

Weak

MY GHII REVIEW

posted by airik1 (LAS VEGAS, NV) Jun 12, 2008

Member since Jun 2008

I played this after GH3 and didnt like it at all, all the songs are cover bands unlike GH3 were all the songs are from the actual band. It has much easier acheivements though for all you gamerscore junkies, i got 460 points in 2 days, but i didnt feel like beating it on other difficulties so returned it after a 3 day rental. i will move on and only rent GH3 and beyond.

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GF Rating
8

Very Good

Pretty good

posted by SergeantPope (CHARLESTON, IL) May 18, 2008

Top Reviewer

Member since Apr 2007

Guitar Hero II is a good game. It has many great songs. It is not too hard if you put it on easy or normal. The graphics are generaly ok. This game is overall good and its a decent contendor to put on your gameq and you should try it out.

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GF Rating
8

Very Good

Brings back memories

posted by catinabox (SOSO, MS) Apr 24, 2008

Member since Jan 2006

This is a very good game. Can remeber playing it on PS2 version a while back and having tournments with freinds. The song selection for this game is vast and it never gets old! If you are a fan of the Guitar Hero series then most likly you have already played this. But to those that haven't you should pick this up and give it a try. I was a little surprised to find out that the graphics arnt as good as GH3 but thats a small minus. The only real problem I seen with this game was that there was not any online battleing like with GH3. But other than that I don't have anything else bad to say about this game at all. Pick it up and try it.

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GF Rating
8

Very Good

Guitar Hero 2

posted by jsosko6661 (CLEVELAND, OH) Apr 24, 2008

Member since Jan 2008

I think that this game was a very good game. the songs are great, and its just a very fun game. the only thing i didn't like about the game was that finding the hammer on notes were a little bit confusing. But other than that, i have no complaints.

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GF Rating
10

Perfect

I love you Harmonix.

posted by omgidontno (Himrod, NY) Apr 15, 2008

Member since Sep 2007

Our friends at Harmonix have done it. The game is great for people who cannot play GH3(Not made by Harmonix but by Activision (Whats next, Tony Hawk Guitar Hero edition?) because it is easier than GH3 or its main competitor Rock Band (also a Harmonix game). Great for learners or people who love the music/rhythm game style. The song list is great and has songs from bands as big as Black Sabbath to smaller ones such as Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives (a personal favorite). Anyone who loves the game type, be sure to check this out.

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GF Rating
3

Bad

For Hard Rock Fans Only

posted by tgeeked (ROUND ROCK, TX) Apr 14, 2008

Member since Jun 2006

After playing Guitar Hero 3, Guitar Hero 2 was a let-down. While I was not in love with all of the songs in GH3, I enjoyed most of them. In GH2, I enjoyed only a handful.

In GH3, the song name, artist, and year produced were all shown at the beginning of each song. There is no such feature in GH2. If you don't know the song or the band, too bad. You'll find yourself strumming along with some strangers.

Yes, GH2 has more songs, but only for the Really Hard Rock fans. I found myself going through the motions to get to the next (hopefully better) group of songs. Most felt (to me) rather depressing.

And that is my biggest issue with this kind of game. Based upon the song-list, you'll either love it or hate it. There is no in between. I fell into the later.

If you're on the fence about whether to play/rent/buy this game, then check out the song list. Remember, in Guitar Hero, you are signing up to listen to the same songs over and over. If you can't stand the song in the first place, then you're not going to like it any better when played for the 100th time.

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GF Rating
7

Good

it's no Guitar Hero 3

posted by netsurf12 (HERNDON, VA) Mar 14, 2008

Member since Mar 2008

I rented this game because I was all about guitar Hero 3. This game is no where near as good. I think it's actually harder. All in all it was a decent play. The songs are ok, and the sound is also only ok.

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