Developer: Harmonix Music Systems
Publisher: Red Octane
Genre: Miscellaneous
Rating: Pending
Expected Release: 04/15/07
Guitar Hero II Gallery

The ever popular Guitar Hero 2 is making its way to the Xbox 360 platform. The Xbox version of Guitar Hero promises all of the songs that are included in the Playstation version plus 10 extra songs that will be unlockable in career mode: Alice Cooper – “Billion Dollar Babies”, My Chemical Romance – “Dead!”, Deep Purple – “Hush”, Pearl Jam - “Life Wasted”, Rick Derringer – “Rock ‘n’ Roll Hoochie Koo”, Toadies – “Possum Kingdom”, Rancid – “Salvation”, Ounce of Self – “Drink Up”, Noble Rot – “Kicked the Curb” and Iron Maiden – “The Trooper”. The original 64 songs in addition to these 10 new songs make up a total of 74 songs in the game. Additionally, Red Octane is rumored to have said that additional songs will be available for download almost as soon as the game is released. With these great additions to the Xbox 360 version, Guitar Hero 2 will be a sure-fire hit.

Possibly the biggest part of Guitar Hero 2’s success is the guitar model controller. The guitar model that will be used with the game is modeled after the Gibson Explorer guitar, as apposed to the previous version that was modeled after the Gibson “SG”. Though the guitar definitely has a different look, it is said to have the same feel but will perform a little bit differently than the other Guitar Hero controllers featured on Playstion. The guitar also includes a d-pad that sits directly underneath an Xbox Guide button, and above a start button, and a back button on the bottom left. The guide button and d-pad may appear a bit unsightly to some, though it also seems to give the guitar a more technological look. A headset jack is located on the butt end of the guitar slightly below the strap hook, which maybe a nuisance due to the distance from the butt to your head. A “whammy bar” is located at the bottom left side of the guitars face, in a normal electric guitar fashion. An Xbox controller wire runs from the bottom right side of the guitar and into your Xbox 360. The wired guitar controller may be a small downfall to the game, though it is possible that some sort of adapter may be available to convert the controller to wireless and/or a wireless model may be available.

The four modes of game play on Guitar Hero 2 from Playstation are: career mode, quick play, various multiplayer games, and training. Exact game play options for the Xbox version may vary as current information is vague. Game play visuals appear to be the same scheme as in the Playstation version. In career mode you will create your band’s name and choose a character to play with; in career you may only play lead guitar. As you progress in the game you will play at 8 different maps (venues) in total. Once a player passes the required songs your fans will yell for an encore, and you must complete the encore stage to progress to the next songs to play. In career mode you will earn money in the game that can be spent on different looking in game guitars, different guitar paint, different characters, different clothes, more songs, and behind the scenes videos.


In the cooperative mode 2 players will play in the band though this time one will play the lead guitar, and the other may play bass or secondary guitar. In this mode there is a score, rock meter, and star power meter. Face-Off mode is another multiplayer set in the game. In Face-Off mode, as it sounds, 2 players will face off and see who can hit the notes the most accurately in the game 1v1 similar to Dance Dance Revolution. Practice mode happens to be exactly what it sounds like as well. In practice mode players may practice with different instruments, speeds, and songs, helping perfect your Guitar Hero skills so that you won’t be beaten by that “in tune” friend ever again. Multiplayer will surely be extremely fun and addictive as one cannot resist competition of that sort. There may be one visible downfall in multiplayer - finding room for 2 players to stand with their model guitars without interfering with one another's screen view.

Though some information about the game is still not released, what we do know is that extra songs will be available, and content download should make the game a bit more interesting. A large deterrent in the purchase of this game may be the price at $79.82 for the existing Game with Controller bundle on Playstation 2, which could be even more expensive on the Xbox 360 next generation console. High hopes have been set for Guitar Hero fans that have not yet experienced the thrill of the game on their Xbox 360, but have been waiting for the chance to own the title. Hopefully the games developer Red Octane produces a worthwhile product capable of keeping gamers up all hours of the night playing for the new high score.