{tag [PS2]} {tag [Review]}

Both Activision, with its recent acquisition of Red Octane, and MTV, with its purchase of Harmonix, have certainly made wise investments. The product of this quartet is one hell of a fun game, Guitar Hero II.

Video - 85%
Video this time around is much like its predecessor with some noticeable, albeit minor improvements. The graphics are not improved much in the resolution category, although widescreen and progressive scan are now available in the options menu and do makes the picture look a bit crisper on HDTVs. The whole look and feel of the graphics have started to define themselves a bit more, from the details in the venues to the new character design. The fog effects and musically timed pyrotechnics were also a nice addition.

I don't know what I was expecting from a current-gen console game, but I guess I was hoping for a bit more. But, this is not a game about visuals...

Audio - 90%
This is, of course where this game should excel, and it does, mostly. The audio tracks are again faithfully recreated, but the vocals this time out are sometimes distracting. Listening to a cover vocalist try to reproduce Nirvana's Heart-Shaped Box is painful at best; the lyrics are perfectly annunciated. That may not sound like a complaint, but as any Nirvana fan knows, it's just plain wrong. I was also disappointed at the few new songs available. But, in the game's defense, the selection that was available, was quite cool. Tracks like Cheap Trick's Surrender, Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend, Black Sabbath's War Pigs, Kansas' Carry on Wayward Son, and Rage Against the Machine's Killing in the Name Of offer a wide variety that is bound to have something that will appeal to any "wanna-be" rock star. (Incidentally, Black Sabbath is one of only two bands featured in Guitar Hero 2 that was also featured in the original game, the other is Megadeth.) In all, there are 64 songs: 40 in 8 sets of 5 (4 in each section and an "encore" song) and 24 extra songs to "purchase" with money earned via career mode.

Controls/Interface - 100%
Controls are spot on, just as they were in the original Guitar Hero, but they even managed to improve them a bit. There are some nice additional features, including the an option to calibrate lag on your HD display. This is an important feature, especially if you are using a DLP display, as these displays can take a bit longer to display the video signal.

Pull-offs have changed a bit in GH2. In the original Guitar Hero, if the pull-off was yellow-red, you would hold both for the yellow and let go of yellow to play the red, only strumming for the first note. In GH2, to play the same pull-off, you press yellow with a strum, then hit the red, no need to hold both buttons to start with. It makes them easier to play.

 Gameplay - 95%
The important part of any game, and this game does it well. Its just plain fun pretending to be a musician, especially if you are like me and have absolutely no musical talent whatsoever. Career mode is well executed; additional songs, clothing, instruments, and venues can be opened as you advance. The game also adds new multiplayer modes that offer a different experience.

Face-off
This is the old multiplayer mode, where each player alternates pieces of the lead guitar track.

Pro Face-off
Similar to face-off, except both players play the entire lead guitar track.

Cooperative
The new mode added to Guitar Hero II that allows each player to pick a track: lead, bass, or rhythm. The options available are dependent on the song, as each song will only have lead and either rhythm or bass available. Playing bass and rhythm can really be a lot of fun, and truly add a new dimension to the game.

Summary - 95%
If you do the math and average the section scores above, you'll notice the total score is a bit higher. I weighted the scores a bit, since this game is not about graphics. In fact, if you have to concentrate as much as I do, you barely see anything on screen beyond the scrolling color dots. Gameplay and audio is what this game is all about, and its got those to spare: its just plain fun.

Fans of the first one will not be disappointed, and I can't wait until I can download additional songs, especially once the Xbox 360 version is released next year. For their next offering, the developer should release Garage Band, where a drum set can be added to the mix!