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Guitar Hero II Announced 99

Posted by Zonk from the throw-up-the-horns dept.
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!
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Guitar Hero II Announced More

Guitar Hero II Announced

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  • Guitar Hero 2 announced (Score:5, Funny)

    by DesireCampbell ( 923687 ) <desire.c@gmail.com> on Monday April 17, 2006 @02:39PM (#15143713) Homepage
    Yeah, but where's my accordion hero?

  • Couple of points... (Score:3, Informative)

    by DorkusMasterus ( 931246 ) <dorkmaster1NO@SPAMgmail.com> on Monday April 17, 2006 @02:40PM (#15143726) Homepage
    *Guitar Hero (the first one) is quite possibly the best and most fun game I've played in quite some time (meaning at least a decade). The truth is, I haven't seen anyone pick it up, give it a good try, and then want to put it down. It's one of those addicting games that makes you try harder and harder with each song.

    *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.
    • "Guitar Hero (the first one) is quite possibly the best and most fun game I've played in quite some time (meaning at least a decade)."

      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.
      • Don't forget the game that Guitar Hero wouldn't even be around without - Beatmania (I, III, IIDX, etc) - that game is killer addicting (and a source for a large number of the songs in DDR too. ^_^)
      • What you just said is equivalent to something like "You may like shrimp, but I don't."

        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...
      • Just because he doesn't mention whatever games you see as the pinnacle of the rhythm genre means neither that he hasn't played them or liked them. Your argument is invalid.
        • I was interjecting...
          "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
          • That's just it. He didn't imply Guitar Hero was out of the blue. I've played lots and lots of rhythm game before Guitar Hero (which is not my favorite) and I would have phrased it the same as him. I wouldn't have implied anything.... I suggest you play Osu!Tatakae!Ouendan for Nintendo DS. It's almost as good as Guitar Hero.
    • *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.

      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)

    by th1ckasabr1ck ( 752151 ) on Monday April 17, 2006 @02:41PM (#15143732)
    I would be really awesome to be able to buy a "classic rock pack" or a "grunge rock pack" and get a bunch of songs that I'll probably like. The song list for Guitar Hero was the best I've seen in a music game, but still it would be nice to be able to focus the type of music I'm listening and playing on my personal preferences.

    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:3, Informative)

      by Have Blue ( 616 )
      There are already people who have extracted the electronics from the Guitar Hero controller and installed them in a real guitar body.

      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.
    • You're not the only one who thought Van Halen was missing. Or AC/DC, or several others. You can't blame RedOctane for not trying - these bands were asked, they just declined [guitarherogame.com]. Hopefully there'll be more of these bands showing up for GH2.
      • Argh, that thread makes me want to claw my eyes out.

        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)

      by DdJ ( 10790 )
      The main think I want is a tournament ladder, for parties.

      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.
      • dude, it would be nice if any game still did that. i remember that in the 16 bit era, every other fighting game came with some kind of tournament mode. the only recent fighting game i've played that came with one (that I can think of off-hand) is dragonball z budokai 3 (which I recently dug out of the bargain bin, so its still fresh in my memory.) I have no idea why this isn't a demanded-feature: i'd organize parties based around the latest fighting game if that were the case!
    • I forgot to mention the other thing I want.

      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.
    • 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.

      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
  • Today's Slashdot articles have been at least 60% "Games". Am I the only one left with a daytime job?
  • Guitar hero is about the only game my fiance plays (yes, she plays video games). What's so great about it is that, especially for two player, we're fairly evenly matched from the onset. Hopefully they make a non-failing quick play option.
  • My only complaint with Guitar Hero is that the song list is devoted half to the 80's, a little from the 70's and still a little less from 2000-present with one song from the 90's (by Helmet). If they're going to keep the same band (who did phenomenal work), they shouldn't do the same stuff. Why do we need more hair band metal when a good portion of the original IS hair band metal?
    • by my count, out of the 30 licensed songs in the game, six were from the 80s..

    • Re:Hopefully they'll have stuff from the 90's (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Keebler71 ( 520908 ) on Monday April 17, 2006 @03:17PM (#15143999) Journal
      My only complaint with Guitar Hero is that the song list is devoted half to the 80's, a little from the 70's and still a little less from 2000-present with one song from the 90's (by Helmet). If they're going to keep the same band (who did phenomenal work), they shouldn't do the same stuff. Why do we need more hair band metal when a good portion of the original IS hair band metal?

      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.

  • I wish that, as much as I like Guitar Hero, Red Octane pressured Roxor to release In the Groove 2 (as they are their distributor) as well as focus on their own games. Some people are dying to play Bloodrush Expert at home and not in an arcade. ~_~

  • No game for keyboards? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Cthefuture ( 665326 ) on Monday April 17, 2006 @03:38PM (#15144134)
    Why doesn't someone make a game like this for piano/keyboard playing?

    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.
    • Konami has had just the game you seek for years in Japan, however I don't see it getting an American release anytime soon. You may be able to find it in some arcades that specialize in Japanese imports, however.

      Keyboardmania [wikipedia.org] on Wikipedia.

      • Why doesn't someone make a game like this for piano/keyboard playing?

        Konami has had just the game you seek for years in Japan, however I don't see it getting an American release anytime soon. You may be able to find it in some arcades that specialize in Japanese imports, however.

        Keyboardmania on Wikipedia.


        Never heard of this one before... sounds cool. ^_^

      • Keyboard Mania for PC (Score:3, Informative)

        by Ikeya ( 7401 )
        It does exist! I have it.
        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/M idi/Portable/Arrangers?sku=707430 [musiciansfriend.com]
    • In the 1980s there was a Nintendo Entertainment System gadget called Miracle [wikipedia.org], later ported to the PC, but it cost a pile back then.

      Something like that could be done much more cheaply these days. "Mavis Beacon Teaches Synthpop," anyone?
    • There is a game for keyboards, kinda, called Piano Wizard. [pianowizard.com] It's a blast to play with, but it's at best a standalone toy and falls far short of a cohesive game package and is way too expensive for mildly buggy software that lacks many obvious features.
  • I've borrowed a PS2 and GH from a friend for the past week or so, and have been playing it almost non-stop. Seriously, Guitar Hero is one of the most fun, addicting games I've ever played, and I'm not really a big rhythm-game guy (ie, DDR).

    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)

    by th3walrus ( 191223 ) on Monday April 17, 2006 @03:48PM (#15144209)
    The co-op mode is great and the new addition of playing different song parts is even better. I'd really like to see Guitar Hero combined with a Karaoke Revolution type thing where you can either play the guitar and have to sing along or else you can play the guitar and someone else could sing.

    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)

    by llevity ( 776014 ) on Monday April 17, 2006 @04:20PM (#15144423)
    I'll tell you why. I've been playing guitar for close to 15 years. I own an accoustic, two electrics, a couple of amps, a few effects pedals.

    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.
  • Guitar Hero is a very close ripoff of Guitar Freaks from Konami, which came out back in the days of PlayStation 1. What is so special about this ripoff compared to the original?

    Melissa

    • Re:What's so great about Guitar Hero? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Blackwulf ( 34848 ) on Monday April 17, 2006 @05:12PM (#15144739) Homepage
      What's so special?

      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.
      • Actually, Guitar Freaks USA was released in arcades here a long time ago. It had a couple of songs for the US but no one played it. They stopped trying after that. Guitar Freaks itself has started to get much more Americanized with some of the songs. It's been going into Metal quite a bit more (including some stuff by Dillinger Escape Plan and Mastodon). The series recently got a new release on JPS2 after...a really long time of there being no home releases for it. I would say that the other thing Guitar
    • From a quick glance it would seem to be the same game but there are plenty of differences.

      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])
    • Either you're trolling, or completely oblivious. Just because both games use a guitar controller does not mean one is a "ripoff" of the other. I realize bending over for Konami feels good, I mean obviously you're a fucking expert on this subject, but perhaps you should open your eyes to reality.

  • I need a left-handed guitar! (Score:3)

    by tb3 ( 313150 ) on Monday April 17, 2006 @05:19PM (#15144770) Homepage
    I just hope Red Octane pays attention to the 10 or 20 percent of us that are left-handed. Turning the controller upside-down just doesn't cut it. The whammy-bar is in the wrong place, and the strap is wrong. And I'm too left-handed to play right-handed.

    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.
  • Please. Could you make a PC version? Pretty please? I don't want to throw money towards Sony just to play that game.

    • Re:Begging (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Hannah E. Davis ( 870669 )
      My plan is to just get a used/price-reduced PS2 this fall when the PS3 finally comes out. I'm not a big fan of Sony either, but if I can get the game system cheap enough, I don't think I'll feel bad about buying it for just one game :)
      • For me this would require being certain that Sony doesn't benefit from it. If someone plans to dump his PS2 and needs money for, say, a Nintendo Revolution, hell, even a X360, I'll buy the PS2.
        • To parent and gp, You can get a used ps2 for under $75 on ebay. Certainly cheaper than any gaming upgrade to a pc, and via ebay NONE of the proceeds go to Sony. I mean come on.
  • The ladies will be all up ons when they see my obvious guitar skills! Thank you Guitar Hero Series. You truely are my hero.
  • How well GH has sold. I actually have no idea, and while everyone seems to be talking about it, people tend to mistake popularity with their group as popularity across the board. Look at Katamari Damacy, for instance.

    Just wondering if it's nearly as successful as everyone thinks it is.
  • Still no news re: this game being available of the XBox? My girlfriend (who is not into games at all) and I played this game at a friend's house and she really got a kick out of it. Guitar Hero is just what I need to lure her over to the dark side.

    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.

    • The Xbox1 is officially dead and no longer being produced, so no...an Xbox version isn't very likely. The 360 doesn't have the install base to justify such a risky release right now (the game is VERY expensive and rhythm games are still kinda niche), plus it's international support is practically nonexistant. Looks like if you want to play Guitar Hero, it's Ps2 or nothing.
  • How many guitar heroes does it take to change a light bulb?

    They have games to do that now.

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