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Underground > Games & Gameplay >

Guitar Hero II: I AM ROCK GOD

  
 
MattShepherd: I WEDDED KALI!
11:10 / 19.11.06
At a friend's on Friday night, and he mentions in passing that he has and loves Guitar Hero II. And I laugh at him, the poor bastard, playing a sad game like "Guitar Hero II", and then he puts it on and I cock a superior eyebrow, smug in my complacent sureness that it will be dumb.

Twenty minutes later I am banging my head like a high-school stoner, pumping buttons to Shout At The Devil, roaring "YEAAAHHHHH" at the screen.

This passionate adoption of Guitar Hero II might have something to do with vast amounts of beer and jalapeno poppers being consumed as well -- I spent yesterday too hung over to post, with my head in the toilet for an uncomfortable percentage of the day -- but I am now a Guitar Hero II acolyte.

My sole regret is that there's no advancement in the co-op mode. As fun as GHII is to play solo, it's way more fun to have the guitar/bass or guitar/rhythm duality so you can ROCK IN TANDEM.

I am so happy that the PS3 has been launched, because I will be able to dial up a PS2 REAL CHEAP in a couple of months, get myself a plastic gee-tar, and ROCK LIKE TUNGSTEN AFLAME in the comfort of my own living room.

Tell me I am not alone in this. Tell me I am merely part of a global community of ROCK.

ROCK WITH ME BARBELITH.
 
 
Crux Is This City's Protector.
14:14 / 19.11.06
Minor spoilers follow.

I was a true devotee of the first one. I played it, nonstop, at truly astounding levels of proficiency (alright, I never did beat 'Cowboys From Hell' on expert), until my PS2 and all its games were stolen in the spring. They left the controller, though!, apparently not recognizing what it was.

I've since got a new one, and, eager to fill the GH-shaped hole in my life, I snatched up a copy of GHII ASAP. I dunno; I'm a little disappointed.

The only thing worth discussing in re: GHII is the song selection. Everything else is more or less the same, save a couple new co-op features, and practice mode, which is welcome but not game-changing. I don't think the songs are as good as in GHI.

They are not as good in two ways: one, there are simply more of them. With something like 64 songs in total, there are not going to be as many iconic, classic songs as the previous. But the law of averages is cold comfort when you're slogging through Foo Fighters and Suicidal Tendencies, and hearkening back to 'More Than A Feeling'.

The second not-good way is more pernicious, and it hinges on The Boston Effect: as cheesy as 'More Than A Feeling' is, it was *incredibly* fun to play. The riff was tasty and distinctive. I'm a metalhead, so I of all people should think it's totally sweet that Lamb of God is in the new one, but far too many of the riffs and solos in the new game are not nearly as distinctive or interesting as the Creams or Stevie Ray Vaughns of yore. 'Bad Reputation' fucking rocks, but for every 'Bad Reputation' you've got a 'The Beast and The Harlot' (by "metal" also-runners Avenged Sevenfold): songs that look cool on paper but end up boring as fuck, chock-full of perhaps challenging but totally unfun deedly-deedly parts, the same triplets and scale runs over and over again. Case in point is the final song of the game, which I will leave unmentioned for gameplay's sake: suffice to say that the notion of it makes a lot of sense, but when you're actually pinned down to play it, it goes on for fucking ever and you realize that not only is this kind of a lousy song, but more importantly the riffing and solos are uninteresting and repetitive.

So, I dunno. It feels funny to accuse a video game series of 'selling out', but it feels like a lot of the song choices were made for reasons aside from their gameplay value (cf. the Aerosmith song, 'Last Child', which wikipedia tells me is a classic single, but I'm not sure I believe it). That said, there are 'Bad Reputation' and 'Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight'. Is it a lousy game? Definitely not, and if you really liked the first one and the setlist sounds good to you, fuckin' go for it. But I don't think it's as good as its predecessor.
 
 
The Strobe
14:27 / 20.11.06
I'm really looking forward to II, having gunned the hell out of one, and actually finished Cowboys From Hell on Expert once.

I gave myself RSI with it.

The song selection on II is a bit patchy; I've seen people do Beast and the Harlot, which sounds like a song DESIGNED for a GH game - it's awfully silly. But there's also gems like the insanely tough Misirlou, and the over-long Sweet Child of Mine in there. Also, I really, really like Message in a Bottle.

So I can't wait for it; I also want to play two-player, because it looks fab.

So: bar the slightly not-as-fun song selection (though it has gems), the only real downside is that they cut the swearing in Killing in the Name which, whilst not as noticeable as you might think, really annoys me. It's the principle.
 
 
Crux Is This City's Protector.
14:57 / 20.11.06
Fie on that. "Killing In The Name" is a downside unto itself.
 
 
MattShepherd: I WEDDED KALI!
08:24 / 22.11.06
I think not having played Guitar Hero is a distinct asset when playing Guitar Hero II, then.
 
 
Whisky Priestess
10:21 / 23.11.06
Forgive my curiosity, but is this a game that teaches you to play actual guitar, or pretend guitar?
 
 
MattShepherd: I WEDDED KALI!
10:31 / 23.11.06
Totally pretend. Button-mashing guitar.

But -- my musical friends tell me -- it has redeeming qualities in that you pick up a lot of rhythm sense if you're a non-musician that plays it. The drummer actually had a much easier time getting the hang of it than the guitarist.
 
 
Phex: Dorset Doom
13:03 / 23.11.06
they cut the swearing in Killing in the Name which, whilst not as noticeable as you might think, really annoys me. It's the principle.

Without the swearing Killing in the Name is three minutes of sloganeering and bad syntax ('some of those that work forces/are the same that burn crosses', nice use of English there comrade), as opposed to three minutes of sloganeering and bad syntax where you get to say fuck like a million times! And at the end you get to say 'MOTHERFUCKER! Urgh!'
So what's the full track listing, for those of us considering buying it?
 
 
Spatula Clarke
17:26 / 23.11.06
Whisky> the Wikipedia entry for the first game might be some help here. It's a game that teaches you to play a real pretend guitar, or a pretend real guitar, but not pretend guitar and not real guitar.

Without the controller it'd be nothing. With the controller, it's something very good indeed.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
16:48 / 27.12.06
But the law of averages is cold comfort when you're slogging through Foo Fighters

See, I think Monkey Wrench works brilliantly in the game. But then that's the thing - how much you enjoy playing through it depends on how much you like the songs. And while it's true that a decent music game can cover up a multitude of musical sins - you'd never believe that shaking maraccas to a ska-pop cover of Take On Me would be any fun until you actually play Samba de Amigo for yourself - there's always going to be some kind of barrier of personal taste that gets in the way at times.

Which isn't to say that I don't agree about the song selection on the whole - it's hit and miss, definitely. But then, I thought the same was true in the first game. Where GH2 falls down in comparison is in the length of the tracks on offer - they're simply far too long. You can't play it as a party game any longer, not if you've only got the one guitar and you're all taking it in turns to play a song each, because spectators have to sit around for much too long before they get the chance to play. And it's not just the obvious tracks - War Pigs, Free Bird - that are the main offenders here. *Everything* goes on for too long. In fact, I'm sure that they've even added some extra verse/chorus repetitions into certain tracks to pad them out.

There are some changes to the single-player gameplay, mainly in terms of how the song structure is handled this time around. The most important is that solos don't present the game-ending difficulty ramp that they did in the original. The downside of that is that medium difficulty is an absolute breeze if you're a veteran of the first game - I five starred every track bar two on my first attempt, and I'm not anything like as good at it as I'd like to be.

But it's still a great game. Playing through on Hard is more enjoyable than the equivalent in the first game, because of the change in emphasis when it comes to the solos. The peripheral is just as spot-on as it was before - the reason this game is so infectious is because using the packaged guitar controller, while not being all that close to playing a real guitar, perfectly recreates the sensation of playing air guitar. As such, it's impossible not to find yourself throwing rock god shapes.

It shares a certain feel with the best music games. Like Space Channel 5 Part 2 and Cool Cool Toon, not only do you have to move with the beat in order to play it properly, your body ends up doing it automatically anyway. Like Gitaroo Man, you feel like you're playing a real, new form of musical instrument.
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
18:46 / 05.01.07
I'm so happy this is coming out on the 360.

Especially as I've been told one of the unlockable songs is TROGDOR!!!
 
 
The Strobe
20:45 / 06.01.07
So Guitar Hero is definitely, definitely my game of the year for last year. And I've been looking forward to II for quite a while. Anyhow, I got it for Christmas, and have been gunning it a bit recently - finished it on Medium (natch) this morning.

The hump between Medium and Hard is surprising - I planned to go straight in on Hard (being a veteran of the first game) but soon found that Medium was important to learn the songs if not the notes.

I like it a lot. I think it's easily the better game of the two, though perhaps not as charming. Visually, it's far better; lots of lovely touches, and the venues are a lot more fun. Musically... it's patchy. Lots I love in it, but the final four (before the final encore) are my least favourite in the game; Beast and the Harlot and Hangar 18 are OK, I guess, but the other two are hideous.

I love the "encores", though. In a nutshell: in I, you simply had to complete four or five songs dependent on difficulty to move onto the next level. This time around, it's three or four... but when you hit that goal, the crowd bay for an encore, and you get the chance to give them one. The encore songs are a surprise, though, which makes them more fun... nothing beats wondering "what's the encore?" as the animation plays, only to discover it's Sweet Child of Mine.

Technically, it's more fun too. They've loosened up hammer-ons and pull-offs to make them way more fair; the solos now look harder, but the game system is a tad more forgiving, so it balances out. And the songs are even more satisfying - some really fiddly passages, three-note-chords, the lots - and it's really satisfying to pull them off. The two player co-op mode is fab, too - the bass parts (which can be played in practice mode as well) are often as good, if not better, than the lead parts; the memorable bass parts such as those from Sweet Child and Killing in the Name work out really well.

And then there's the final encore, the final song of the game, which redeems the whole thing. It's a moment you've waited for through two whole games, and Harmonix deliver it to your lap.

Love it. Now to return to Hard, which really is, this time around. Favourites that I wasn't expecting include Jessica and especially Rock This Town, which is fab on hard. Obviously, Message in a Bottle and Sweet Child are awesome.
 
 
iamus
22:28 / 06.01.07
you'd never believe that shaking maraccas to a ska-pop cover of Take On Me would be any fun


I don't understand that statement at all.
 
 
Internaut
17:02 / 10.01.07
I got this game recently and it is ROCKING! no matter how lame that statement is, it is fucking rocking! you feel like a hero playing those tasty riffs, even although playing on the controller bears almost no similarity to playing a real guitar. so far im up to hard mode, and the first thing i did when i got enough money was buy TROGDOR.

if you own a PS2, get guitar hero. if you dont own a PS2, buy one, then get guitar hero. stat.
 
 
CameronStewart
19:52 / 01.04.07
I was at a friend's party last night and he had Guitar Hero I and II set up in the basement for all to play.

This morning, I woke up early, went to the mall, bought a brand new PS2, both GH games, and two guitar controllers.

Do you see?
 
 
The Strobe
21:31 / 01.04.07
Yes. That is the correct answer, Cameron. Enjoy!
 
 
guitargirl
07:18 / 05.04.07
Hello all am new here..

GH 1&2 is the best game I have ever played!! I first came across GH1 in October and was hooked, then got GH2 in Nov and though bloody hell this is hard! But so far Ive locked GH1 on both hard & expert, and GH2 on hard and a few on expert. But I have to have hyperspeed activated, I dont see how its supposed to be a cheat, for me it just makes it faster and more exciting. God I love it!
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
17:00 / 19.06.07
Just bought 2 for the 360. Never played any dancing/movement games before, and I'm starting to wonder how I could have been so stupid. This is ACE!!!
 
 
Axolotl
12:40 / 30.10.07
My flatmate's downloaded a copy of Guitar Hero III and I have to say the song selection is really good, with the songs being really fun to play (there's a track list on Wikipedia fyi). I particularly like "Slow Ride" and "Rock and Roll All Nite". I don't think the battle sequences really add anything to the game, but they don't really harm it either.

Basically it's more of the same, and that's no bad thing.
 
 
Bear
13:35 / 30.10.07
That's the thing they can't really go wrong with it can they? The format is fine andas long as they just add some fun songs people will keep buying it. I brought my guitar into the office for the break room and it's a big hit. I'll have to go and find the third, really wan to try the final song.

What's the difficulty like on the 3rd? I thought that Rock 80's stepped up the challenge a little bit.

Oh and how about Rock Band, makes me wish I had a Ps3 or 360 and a lot of cash. Few beers, few friends and all the kit and that would be ace.

Welcome 2 the Jungle
 
 
Axolotl
14:13 / 30.10.07
They've actually stepped the difficulty down a bit. I think they've adjusted the tolerances so you don't have to be quite so on the beat.

For example Getting 100% on GH1 & 2 was a rare achievement and gave you a fair amount of bragging rights, but my first run through the songs (admittedly on easy) gave me half a dozen perfect scores.

Hammer-ons and pull-offs have also been made easier, so much so that on some songs I kept on making errors as I was doing them by accident.

Rock Band does look fricking excellent
 
 
Spatula Clarke
15:23 / 30.10.07
Bear: That's the thing they can't really go wrong with it can they?

They can, and I think they have. Badly. I've just tried the demo and, imo, it's awful. There's a really simple reason for that, and it's tied to this:

Axolotl: They've actually stepped the difficulty down a bit. I think they've adjusted the tolerances so you don't have to be quite so on the beat.

That's not what's happened. What's happened is Activision have secured the rights to use the original recordings. Or Neversoft - the series' new development team - have decided that taking the route of using the original recordings was a better idea than using covers specifically recorded for the game.

It's a stupid, stupid decision. Well, maybe it isn't, but the implementation is absolutely terrible. Because now, you have no sensation whatsoever that what you're doing with the controller is having any effect on the music. You're not playing the tracks any longer, you're just allowing the entirely pre-recorded song to continue playing.

The single most essential thing in any bemani game that's meant to be fooling you into thinking that you're playing the music is that the player feels a soild sense of connection between hir button presses and the audio response, and that simply doesn't exist in this game any longer. It's a complete mess.

It's also why it feels easier than previously. Because half the time, you can't even tell which part you're meant to be playing, because the feedback is non-existant. That's the other thing that re-recording the songs previously allowed Harmonix to do - it meant that they could give all of the guitar parts prominence in the mix, so that the player is constantly aware of the effect of their playing. These original recordings weren't made with a videogame in mind, so you often find that the part you're playing suddenly shifts from being in the front of the mix to so far in the back that you can barely even hear it.

Wait for Rock Band. This is pathetic. Why Activision decided to hand the franchise to Neversoft, I've no idea. Maybe they work for pennies. It certainly feels like it.
 
 
Axolotl
16:01 / 30.10.07
Hmmm. I too think the use of the original masters is a step back, but I don't think it's as bad as you make out.
 
 
CameronStewart
05:11 / 19.11.07
You guys are nuts. I love the use of the original recordings and I don't think it affects the feel of the gameplay at all, in fact I find it even more immersive - the essential appeal of the game is that it, in its own limited way, makes you feel for a brief moment that you're a rock star. Why would I want to fantasize that I'm playing in a Guns N' Roses covers band? It's so much more satisfying to pretend that you're playing with the real Guns N' Roses. I'm sure that getting the original recordings was always the intent but in the early days of the game, before its monster success, they likely didn't have the money to pay for all the licenses, but now they can afford to do the game as it should have been all along. I don't hear the mixing problems that Randy mentions above (perhaps the demo you downloaded was an unfinished build?), for me the game sounds and feels great, just as GH2 did.
 
  
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