__ Guitar Hero II is the stunning sequel to the absolutely killer game: Guitar Hero. Any well-rounded gamer will be able to look back a few years from now and reminisce about the original "Guitar Hero" and how much the series has changed. We can already start to do that with all the differences between GH and GH2. More modes, more characters, more venues, more songs... And beyond that, they've taken time to improve so many aspects that were downfalls of the first game. The new multiplayer mode comes with many options depending on how you and your band mate want to face off. The career mode now integrates your cash between each difficulty level so you won't be able to unlock everything until you finally become a rock expert. Even small things like the Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs have been improved. Where previously you'd have to be holding down frets in order to use this feature, in GH2 you can do it just by hitting the frets at the right time. You don't have to be holding down anything. You could do them with one finger if you wanted! But I digress. I also have to mention that while I think Harmonix and RedOctane have improved their original idea (which was for those who didn't know, a quick game that was fairly rushed) they may have been a little TOO ambitious.
_________ The 40 main songs are almost all great. I would listen to nearly every one (and do) in my spare time. A little heavy on the heavy metal side but I can dig it. My main beef however is that while I never exactly felt like I wanted one of the songs to finally be over, I was a little taken aback by the length of some of them. Many go well beyond the 3 or 4 minute norm of GH1 and it's not just Freebird; nearly a quarter go beyond 5 minutes. Length isn't the only factor that has me down. Some of the new tunes will have you baffled as they will be PHYSICALLY impossible for some at first. I would point to Psychobilly Freakout and Misirlou as examples. Parts of these tracks are so fast that most won't be able to keep a steady rhythm at all. The physical barrier is painful. As far as the bonus songs go, I'm sorry to say that I'm very dissapointed. While I did enjoy the new Freezepop song and am entirely thrilled that homestarrunner.com's Trogdor was added (albeit last minute), I'm torn up with how many tracks had me saying afterward, "I got five stars, so at least I'll never have to play that again." And beyond the good and the bad, there's the ugly. A few are alright songs but are MUCH too difficult. Bonus Songs, in my humble opinion, should be a fun addition that are hard enough to enjoy again and again after the game is beaten. But some, namely Jordan and Six, have me saying, "Whyyy?!" This may just be a personal vendetta since I was planning to get a 5 star ranking on every song but unlike the first game, where with the exception of a solo or two I enjoyed all of every song, some of the solos are so commanding and long that they make the song nearly unpassable and entirely unenjoyable. All in all, that's a big let down for those planning on '5 star'ing everything.
_________ Don't get me wrong, although I've spent a good paragraph trashing one of my favorite games of all time my only real regret will come when I have to put the game down a year from now without ever having finished my collection of 5 stars and begin Guitar Hero 3. I am impressed with the great modes, characters, venues and songs, but I'm just put off by the inhuman difficulty. Then again, better that it's too hard than too easy. For those who casually enjoyed the first Guitar Hero game, this is a must-own but to those who were Guitar Gods, you may have to expect a fall from grace.

T H E _ F I N A L _ C A L L
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Current Mood: A Little Vexed
Current Music: Guitar Hero II

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T O P _. 5 !
These are my current favorite 5 games
[ 1. Guitar Hero II | Last Week: -- ]
[ 2. Mortal Kombat Armageddon | Last Week: -- ]
[ 3. Shadow of the Colossus | Last Week: -- ]
[ 4. Beyond Good and Evil | Last Week: -- ]
[ 5. Guitar Hero | Last Week: -- ]