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Guitar Hero 2 Impressions Roundup

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the are-you-ready-to-rock dept.

The folks at Red Octane (now owned by Activision), are in the process of making a sequel to the hit PS2 title Guitar Hero. From the IGN hands-on: "Today we checked out 'John the Fisherman' on bass and 'War Pigs' on guitar. Being that you have Les Claypool on bass for 'John the Fisherman', it's not going to be the easiest bass line in the game by a long shot. But on the other hand, there isn't any sort of bass solo in the song so once you get down the main two or three licks, then you've got the song nailed. But it's seriously awesome - Claypool's playing in that song is heavy and pounding so playing his part is rad."

12 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Re:how realistic is the play? by Golias · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Guitar Hero : Actual guitar playiing :: DDR : Performance dance.

    It's not the same thing at all, really.

    That doesn't mean it can't be fun for the person doing it, whether they know how to do the "real" task or not.

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  2. earworm by dlc3007 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Am I the only one who ends up with Juke Box Hero going stuck in my head everytime I see the title for this game?

  3. Re:how realistic is the play? by Eideewt · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm in kind of the same position. I don't see the fun in pretending to play songs when I could just sit down and play them for real (especially when they're songs I already know, like John the Fisherman). Obviously I'm not the target audience for this game, but I'm wondering if there are some musicians here who do enjoy playing it.

  4. Re:Rad? by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 4, Funny

    Been a while since you've done any trigonometry, huh?

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  5. Re:how realistic is the play? by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 2, Funny

    I like playing GTA even though it's nothing like stealing a real car.

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  6. Guitar Hero III by EyelessFade · · Score: 4, Funny

    Who cares about number two? I'm gonna get myself Guitar Hero III

  7. piling on opinions by carbonautomoton · · Score: 2, Interesting

    i also am a guitar player who enjoys the game. the thing that makes guitar hero great is that it allows you to "feel" like you're playing the song without requiring the same level of concentration that playing an actual guitar does.

  8. Why not buy a real guitar or bass? by c0d3h4x0r · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I don't get the fascination with this type of game.

    You can fork out several hundred dollars to get a PS2, the game, the controller(s), etc... and still not really be learning to play a real instrument. ...or you can walk down to your local guitar center and buy a real start instrument and really learn how to play it.

    Hrmm.

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    Moderator hint: a comment is neither "Flamebait" nor "Troll" if it is true.
    1. Re:Why not buy a real guitar or bass? by slipster216 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't get this whole John Madden thing; I mean, why spend hundreds on a console when you could be down at the park playing for the price of a football? I don't get the whole GTA thing, I mean, why not go down to wallmart and buy a real gun to shoot real people with?

    2. Re:Why not buy a real guitar or bass? by DumbWhiteGuy777 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      As a musician, I'll try to answer your question, even though I DO think it's a bit flamebait.

      First, the learning curve. Anyone who plays an instrument will tell you it's pretty hard at the beginning. Especially chords. I still can't do a proper barre chord. Those things are hard. This is all compared to Guitar Hero, which allows me to pick up the controller and bust out a wide selection of songs after just a few tries(on easy mode, obviously).

      Second, the price difference isn't as much as you think. If you want a GOOD guitar, it will cost you at least 300-500 dollars. If you try to give a beginner a cheap guitar, they will probably become frustrated and quit. This is not including an amp(a cheap 15W amp is like 75 dollars I think), strings, and a stand.

      Third, multiplayer. This goes with #1, but my girlfriend can play this. Any video game that can get your girlfriend to play with you is worth it's weight in gold.

      Fourth, calluses. They hurt when you begin and not everyone wants to deal with them.

      Probably more, but that's all I can come up with off the top of my head. You should try playing the game, though. It's fun. You'll probably like it.

    3. Re:Why not buy a real guitar or bass? by BenjyD · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Do you understand the concept of a 'game'? Playing Guitar Hero is this thing called 'fun'. Spending weeks learning to play Polly-wolly-doodle on a guitar isn't.

  9. Re:How does this work? Really playing guitar? by AdamTrace · · Score: 2, Informative

    You get a plastic guitar controller thing with buttons on it.

    5 buttons up on the neck of the guitar, and a little flipper switch down where you strum.

    On screen, in very DDR like fashion, when the right colored dot hits the line, you push down the appropriate fret button, and hit the strummer.

    You're not actually playing the guitar. Playing GH won't teach you how to play the guitar (though I believe that it would give you a leg up on someone who'd never played). One of the great things about the game is that it's immediately accesible to gamers and non-gamers alike... After playing a song or two, everyone just seems to "get it".

    Hope that helps.