Gaming Signal: REVIEW: Guitar Hero (PS2)

REVIEW: Guitar Hero (PS2)

My Rating
BRIEF SYNOPSIS:You take on the role of lead guitarist in a rock band and shred your way to face-melting stardom.
PROS: Very easy to learn with useful tutorials; overall very good song selection; guitar playing feels (and sounds) realistic
CONS; Only a limited number of items to unlock and unlocked items cannot be used at other game levels ; the Grim Reaper cannot use any other guitar (though the scythe guitar he comes with is very cool); multi-player mode not as much fun as single-player
BOTTOM LINE: Guitar-hero is a game for anyone who's ever air-guitared to great classic or heavy-metal rock.

I knew I would like this game before I ever plugged in the controller. What's not to like? I loved most of the songs, I liked the Dance-Dance Revolution style of gameplay and I'd get to be a rock star without all the hassle of world tours and heavy drug use. Er... yeah.

Anyway, the guitar controller that comes with the game has five buttons of various colors on the neck and a strum bar on the body, along with a whammy (sp?) bar. All of the buttons but one are easy to hit, and that 5th button isn't used until Hard mode.

Playing is pretty simple - the screen shows a fret with fret locations dropping from the top of the screen. You just hold the right button and hit the strum bar at the right time, ala DDR. In Easy mode there are no chords, but in medium mode you'll need to hold two frets at once. Playing feels realistic. I've not played guitar since high school (i.e. a long, long time ago) but I get the feeling that I'm really playing the songs - especially when playing the higher levels.

You start out in your friend's basement, but as you work your way through sets, you move up until finally you've gained global fame and you're playing The Garden. Finish The Garden level (and the game) and your character 'ascends'.

Overall I really enjoy the song selection. There's a good variety (Joan Jett, Cream, David Bowie, Queen, Franz Ferdinand, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Edgar Winter Group, etc.) There are 30 songs total, but you can purchase additional songs with money you earn from playing. You can also purchase new guitars and skins and even unlock new characters, including the Grim Reaper (though Don't Fear the Reaper isn't one of the songs - at least not through Medium mode.)

I'm working through Hard mode now. Hard mode adds the dreaded 5th button. The 5th button forces you (well me, at least) to move your hand slightly and if you can't find your way back to the first four buttons without looking you'll be in a World of Hurt (TM), as you cannot take your eyes off the screen.

We have two controllers and have played some multi-player, but my son and I are not very evenly matched, so that mode doesn't hold as much appeal for us. In multi-player, both players play the same song at the same time, though not always the same notes.

Overall my son and I thoroughly enjoy the game, and have played it more than any other game since we got it for Christmas.