Guitar Hero II Announced 99
Gamespot reports on the official announcement of an encore to the extremely popular Guitar Hero title from Harmonix. From the article: "RedOctane today confirmed the band was indeed getting back together, as it announced that Guitar Hero II would arrive on the PlayStation 2 this November. While the song list hasn't been announced yet, the publisher confirmed that there would be more than 55 tracks in dire need of shredding. There's also a multiplayer co-op mode that will let players collaborate, each playing lead, rhythm, or bass guitar portions." IGN is running an interview with the gents behind the game, giving us heads up on their plans for the sequel. Rock on!
Re:Dude (Score:1)
Re:Dude (Score:2)
playing guitar will put you in jail?
I guess I didn't get it.
Re:Dude (Score:2)
Guitar Hero:guitar::GTA:shooting a cop
If you want to learn the guitar, you get a guitar. If you want to shoot a cop, you get a gun.
If instead you want to have fun, you get Guitar Hero or GTA!
Re:Dude (Score:1)
Don't misunderstand me. Mastering Guitar Hero probably isn't as personally fulfilling as mastering a real guitar. To be able to creating something--music, sculpture, code, or anything else--
Re:Dude (Score:1)
Re:Dude (Score:1)
Why do some elitist musicians hate on Guitar Hero? (Score:4, Insightful)
However, I still have lots of fun playing Guitar Hero. Why? Because Guitar Hero isn't about playing guitar. It simulates performing for a crowd. I, sadly, do not have the time right now to join a rock band and put in the time I'd really want to in order to sound good to perform at large venues. Guitar Hero simulates performing on stage to an extent. Plucking on my guitar in my living room doesn't simulate playing in front of a crowd.
It's kind of funny that several elitist musicians bash on the game because it's a "cheap plastic toy", and that people should, instead, buy real instruments. However, I have known two people personally (which is not by any stretch a large number) who got Guitar Hero, enjoyed it so much, that they then went out and bought their first guitar and started to learn how to play one legitemately.
I would think ANY musician would agree that something that gets more people into playing music is a GOOD thing, and that they should embrace something like Guitar Hero not as a replacement for guitar playing, but rather an entry point for new guitar players.
(And in fact, one of my friends who enjoys Guitar Hero the most is also an amazing classical guitar player. If he can get over the fact that he's playing a plastic toy, I think anyone can.)
Re:Dude (Score:1)
Re:Dude (Score:2)
Re:Dude (Score:3, Insightful)
No. You would waste your money, develop a bad ear, and most likely pick up some bad habits that cater to the instruments poor quality. As an added bonus, you still probably won't be able to play "Crossroads" or "Texas Flood" or any of the other licensed tracks due to frustration with the quality of the instrument and time it takes to develop the methods required for songs like those.
It always puzzles
Guitar Hero 2 announced (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Guitar Hero 2 announced (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Flashback to this morning.. (Score:1)
Couple of points... (Score:3, Informative)
*I play guitar, and sure it's much more "skill-building" to play a real guitar, and this experience really is nothing like playing for real, but it's still a heck of a fun time.
*The only thing I would reccomend for the second incarnation is to get as many "actual" performers to do the songs, or at least the vocals, as possible. It's the only drawback to the original, and would REALLY make the 2nd game so much cooler.
Not entirely fair to say. (Score:3, Interesting)
This may be true of you, but some of us were enjoying other rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution, Pop'n'Music, Samba de Amigo, etc, for years before this came out. I can appreciate that you like guitar more, but don't ignore the rest of the genre
DDR is hardly like ballroom, but it's a heck of a lot of fun.
Re:Not entirely fair to say. (Score:2, Informative)
Err...what?! (Score:2)
So? What does it have to do with anything?
The guy is saying that guitar hero is the most fun he's had in years. He said nothing about Guitar Hero being the first rhythm game in existence...
Re:Not entirely fair to say. (Score:1)
I'm arguing nothing. (Score:2)
"I can appreciate that you like guitar more, but don't ignore the rest of the genre
If you're going to gush about it, it doesn't hurt to mention other games (and especially since Guitar Heroes is just a clone of one of the Bemani games, Guitar Freaks).
His post implied that Guitar Heroes was out of the blue, when it's just a clone of Konami's work. I interjected this extra bit of info
I swear, no one on this site knows how to read for content, and is too caught up in "out-doing" ev
Re:I'm arguing nothing. (Score:2)
Re:Couple of points... (Score:1)
I actually enjoyed the fact that many of the songs were covers, I thought that it made it feel more like you were part of your own cover band, rather than playing one song each for 30 different bands. Either way though I haven't been this excited for a new game in a
The Things I Want... (Score:5, Interesting)
Secondly it would be nice to have a higher quality guitar. That thing looked and felt totally cheap, it was like a kid's toy. I would have felt like I was rocking a lot harder if the guitar was bigger and had taken itself a little more seriously.
Van Halen - How you can have a game called Guitar Hero and not have a Van Halen track is beyond my scope.
Still a cool game though.
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:1)
Funny story though - I sold the thing a year and a half later in the classified ads for $130.
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:2)
I own Guitar Hero, bought a copy for a friend, and bought a second guitar controller for my wife, and we played it constantly for the first month, and still go back and play it at least once a week. I'd consider that money well spent.
I also own an accoustic guitar and two electrics, so I do play the real thing. And yes, the toy game version is still fun.
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:2)
Why is that obvious? Maybe the guitar had served its purpose as a cheap beginner's instrument and he/she decided to move up to a better one.
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:3, Informative)
As for Van Halen, it was probably a combination of licensing fees and musician apathy. From the interview it looks like this time around the former will be less of a problem and the latter is definitely no longer a factor.
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:2)
Seriously, were those goofballs just pulling their favorite bands out of thier asses without regard to whether there was actually any good guitar involved?!
Hell, I loved Tool (at least for the first two albums), but they ain't exactly thrashing.
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:3, Insightful)
I mean, we've got two controllers tops, right? What if six people want to play against each other?
Yeah, people can mill about and yell out "I have winsies" and stuff, but IMHO it would be nice if the game could say "okay, the next match will be Kevin against Milicent", and keep track of scores and so forth, and end up telling you who won.
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:2)
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:2)
I want to be able to plug in this [redoctane.com] alongside of this [redoctane.com], using both in the same game.
And it'd be real nice if you could also use this [redoctane.com], and set it up as a bank of effects pedals, with one of 'em kicking off "rock out" mode.
It might just be better for all concerned if they leave this [logitech.com] peripheral out for now, though.
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:1)
Tangentially, buy Beatmania.
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:2)
I can see it now already: a hip-hop themed sequel, where you get to use the guncon to shoot the rapper!
Re:The Things I Want... (Score:1)
I agree, but there's one issue with that...
That is, that at the end of the day, this is still just a game, and you don't necessarily want the controller being bulkier than it has to be, for storage reasons and so on.
At the very least I think the original Guitar Hero
Games, games game. Doesn't anyone have a job? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Games, games game. Doesn't anyone have a job? (Score:1)
i wish.
Re:Games, games game. Doesn't anyone have a job? (Score:1)
Re:Games, games game. Doesn't anyone have a job? (Score:2)
It's about time! (Score:2)
Re:It's about time! (Score:2)
Does she have a sister?
Re:It's about time! (Score:2)
Re:It's about time! (Score:2)
Hopefully they'll have stuff from the 90's (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Hopefully they'll have stuff from the 90's (Score:2)
Re:Hopefully they'll have stuff from the 90's (Score:4, Insightful)
That's because the game is called Guitar Hero... not Grunge Frontman Hero. Through the 70's and 80's the guitarists were the cult sensations. As far as I can tell, beginning with Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder (yes, I know they both play guitar), the emphasis turned more toward the vocalist.
RedOctane, concentrate on Guitar Hero AND ITG2!!! (Score:1)
No game for keyboards? (Score:3, Interesting)
You know, hook up a MIDI keyboard and go to town. That would be an awesome teaching tool because you learn on the real thing. Much more fun than learning to play the traditional way because it's really boring when you are just starting playing any instrument (which generally lasts many months if not years).
A high tech Guitar Hero would be nice too. I mean something that uses a real (electric) guitar and determines how you are playing by sound and/or the pickups.
Re:No game for keyboards? (Score:2)
Keyboardmania [wikipedia.org] on Wikipedia.
Re:No game for keyboards? (Score:1)
Never heard of this one before... sounds cool. ^_^
Re:No game for keyboards? (Score:1)
Don't forget about Beatmania, the latest release was recent, a U.S release too. ^_^
Re:No game for keyboards? (Score:1)
Keyboard Mania for PC (Score:3, Informative)
It only shipped with one Keyboard Model though. The Yamaha EZ250i USB keyboard.
It emulates the MIDI ports, so not quite as good as a real MIDI keyboard, but at least you can play the game.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Keyboards/
Re:Keyboard Mania for PC (Score:2)
I'm new here.
Re:No game for keyboards? (Score:2)
Something like that could be done much more cheaply these days. "Mavis Beacon Teaches Synthpop," anyone?
Re:No game for keyboards? (Score:1)
Guitar Hero is a good thing... (Score:1)
I love the wide range of skill levels that the game presents. Anyone can pick up the game and make it through the easy levels (perhaps after a couple tries). But the Expert levels are insanely difficult.
Also, I truly believe that Guitar Hero is a Good Thing for music i
Guitar/Karaoke Hero? (Score:3, Interesting)
Are we eventually going to get to a point where we can have all our friends over to play Guitar Hero type songs as a full band? One guy has the guitar, another has the bass, another on drums and a singer! That would be great party fun.
Why not just go play a real guitar? (Score:5, Insightful)
And yet, I still love Guitar Hero. Why?
It's the same reason I enjoyed Gran Turismo, despite the fact that I own a real car. I can do things in Guitar Hero that I can't do in real life. I can sit down and instantly start playing a song just like the original guitarist. I can crank up the difficulty if I want more of a challenge and to get more of a "I'm really playing a guitar" feel, or I can dial it back and jam with my wife who can't even play an E chord on a real guitar.
I can do it in front of an audience that roars its approval on a massive shredding solo, without the grueling practice, coordination, and drama of a real band.
And just like Gran Turismo encouraged me to drive my car a little faster than I should, Guitar Hero has encouraged me to sit down and learn to play some of the songs on my real guitars. But like all good video games, it's there when I want a quick, easy, enjoyable experience.
Re:Why not just go play a real guitar? (Score:2)
Re:Why not just go play a real guitar? (Score:2)
What's so great about Guitar Hero? (Score:2)
Melissa
Re:What's so great about Guitar Hero? (Score:4, Insightful)
It was actually released in the US and contained a large list of songs people in the US recognized. Two things Konami never did.
I love all my Bemani games, don't get me wrong (I've spent thousands of dollars importing IIDX, Pop'n, and Drummania) but Red Octane and Harmonix did what Konami wouldn't do. Konami is very dead set on their Japanese roots, and most people won't play guitar games with songs they don't recognize here in the US.
So, the difference is...Guitar Hero is marketed towards Americans. Guitar Freaks is marketed towards Japanese. That's not to say Americans wouldn't enjoy Guitar Freaks, but that's not their target audience. Especially since I don't believe Guitar Freaks ever got any release outside of Japan.
Re:What's so great about Guitar Hero? (Score:1)
Re:What's so great about Guitar Hero? (Score:2)
Different control scheme, Hammer-ons, pull offs, more fret buttons, wammy bar, star power/rock out mode(the motion sensing game play element), Rock music that isn't Jrock(not that I have anything against Jrock), and awards from many many people (http://www.guitarherogame.com/rockalades.asp [guitarherogame.com])
Re:What's so great about Guitar Hero? (Score:1)
I need a left-handed guitar! (Score:3)
I took guitar lessons a few years ago, and discovered that I could only play left-handed. It was much easier to buy a real lefty guitar than fake it any other way. I hope it's possible for RO to build a lefty controller; I'd gladly buy one.
Begging (Score:2)
Re:Begging (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Begging (Score:2)
Re:Begging (Score:1)
Finally, another chance to look nerdy! (Score:1)
I wonder.... (Score:2)
Just wondering if it's nearly as successful as everyone thinks it is.
XBox port? (Score:1)
I'm not planning on buying a PS2 just to get this game though. I hope they plan on porting this game over so they can milk the other half for some scrilla.
Re:XBox port? (Score:1)
I suppose the DDR pads are an exception to this rule. Still I have a hard time believing that nobody at M$ has taken note of how popular Guitar Hero and wants to get a taste. Maybe the chances are better of seeing a Guitar Hero clone for the XBox.
Re:XBox port? (Score:1)
Obligatory Light Bulb Joke (Score:2)
They have games to do that now.