Guitar Hero 2

Neziroth · Post by **Neziroth** » January 3, 2007, 7:26 pm

Well, I'm hooked.

Am I alone?

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » January 3, 2007, 7:32 pm

http://www.veeshanvault.org/forums/view ... hp?t=18952

pretty sure there are some others in that thread!

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » January 3, 2007, 7:39 pm

Waiting on the 360 version. It's on the must-buy list.

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » January 4, 2007, 10:39 am

i just got this last week. Its a blast and everyone that I've shown it to hasn't been able to put it down. The cooperative mode is so much fun- i love how each person can play on their own difficulty setting

I need to get the 1st one though cause I like the tracklist much better

Gonzoie - Luclin · Post by **Gonzoie - Luclin** » January 4, 2007, 2:16 pm

the 2nd one got old fast after playing out the first one.

The first one deffinately had a better track list, altho i do love playing the Heavy Metal songs in 2, i feel they are much harder than the first.

Nothing like playing Trogdor or Thunderhorse or expert!

Janx · Post by **Janx** » January 4, 2007, 5:02 pm

Six > both of those. It is nuts on expert, but an awesome song.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » January 4, 2007, 5:45 pm

Song list was stronger in GH1, but the coop mode kicks all known ass. My wife and I love to bust out the guitars and burn through Killing in the Name or John the Fisherman.

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » January 4, 2007, 7:18 pm

I can barely get past the last few songs on medium. I tried Shout at the Devil on hard and got booed off

I love the game, but my hands weren't meant to go that fast!

Llaffer · Post by **Llaffer** » January 4, 2007, 7:27 pm

I've played it a bit - got into the fourth city on Medium mode (always getting 4 or 5 stars).

I've never played guitar before, but I've played Cello for 8 years when I was in school - that left pinky just doesn't get used as much othewise

Gamei · Post by **Gamei** » January 5, 2007, 1:10 pm

Love this game. Had it since release for PS2 and still play it multiple times per week.

I'm stuck on the next to last tier in Expert atm, can't quite get past some of those songs. What's annoying is I can pass Misirlou and Beast and the Harlot on expert in quick play though. ><

Co-op is indeed awesome, I've had a few GH parties. I think the tracklist is fine, but I also enjoy the GH1 tracklist. The only problem with GH1 is the multiplayer isn't nearly as well polished - no co-op/pro face-off, and you can't choose your own difficulty.

Has anyone else tried hyperspeed mode btw? Press OBOYOBOY at main menu. It's a ton of fun, makes the songs feel slightly more frenetic.

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » January 5, 2007, 4:50 pm

Llaffer wrote:I've played it a bit - got into the fourth city on Medium mode (always getting 4 or 5 stars).

I've never played guitar before, but I've played Cello for 8 years when I was in school - that left pinky just doesn't get used as much othewise

my friends told me that it wouldnt matter that i already play guitar and thats true to some degree. once I got to the harder shit I think i had an easier time. For example my girlfriend cant hit the 5th button without changing hand positions but I can stretch it easily. Also hammer-ons and pull-offs feel pretty natural. One thing thats interesting is that I have trouble with songs that I can actually play on guitar, my right hand strums for the actual song unconciously and I end up trying to hit notes that arent there in the game

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » January 5, 2007, 6:57 pm

Is there any point to gold starring songs other than personal satisfaction?

And I'd like to say fuck Institutionalized. Fuck it right up the ass.

Janx · Post by **Janx** » January 5, 2007, 7:28 pm

Dregor Thule wrote:Is there any point to gold starring songs other than personal satisfaction?

And I'd like to say fuck Institutionalized. Fuck it right up the ass.

Out of all the normal songs THAT POS gave me the most trouble. God damn I hate that song. I haven't played it again since I beat it on expert and likely never will.

Llaffer · Post by **Llaffer** » January 6, 2007, 1:19 am

My hand-span isn't long enough to stretch to hit that fifth fret. I have to shift, and then lose myself when trying to shift back. I'm going to need to work on that a bit before I can get better at the higher level songs.

Niffoni · Post by **Niffoni** » January 6, 2007, 1:45 am

The game itself is a huge step forward from GH in most every aspect. The track list, which some have complained about is not as varied (read: not quite as good) as the first, but there are more songs at least.

I've never been one of those five-star youtube retards, so I've just been working my way through normal mode, which really is perfect for a casual GH player, in that I was able to pass essentially every song on first try, but would be hard-pressed to five star everything. I'll be moving on to hard mode tomorrow. Any tips on how to master those boring-ass heavy rock songs that dominate the last two teirs of the career mode? The random shredding sounds like it'll be a pain in the ass on hard and expert. Should I try listening to the original tracks a few times?

I really enjoy the descriptions provided throughout the game. They take the sting off some of the more masturbatory track selections by whatever metal snob picked them. I laughed out loud more than once just reading stuff in the store.

Well worth the money.

Niffoni · Post by **Niffoni** » January 6, 2007, 2:04 am

Dregor Thule wrote:Is there any point to gold starring songs other than personal satisfaction?

You unlock some pretty nifty guitars.

Other than that? I doubt it.

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » January 6, 2007, 11:57 am

Niffoni wrote:
Dregor Thule wrote:Is there any point to gold starring songs other than personal satisfaction?
You unlock some pretty nifty guitars.

Other than that? I doubt it.

Are you sure you get new guitars for gold-starring everything? I know you get em for 5-starring each difficulty (have easy and medium 5 starred).

Niffoni · Post by **Niffoni** » January 6, 2007, 1:51 pm

Dregor Thule wrote:
Niffoni wrote:
Dregor Thule wrote:Is there any point to gold starring songs other than personal satisfaction?
You unlock some pretty nifty guitars.

Other than that? I doubt it.
Are you sure you get new guitars for gold-starring everything? I know you get em for 5-starring each difficulty (have easy and medium 5 starred).

Whoops, my fault for half-awake posting. I thought you said 5 star. I have no idea, in that case.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » January 9, 2007, 2:03 am

Sounds like the 360 version is the one to have!

Guitar Hero II is set to be released for the Xbox 360 in March and now the bonus tracks have been revealed. The game will include over 70 tracks and 10 new tracks, most of which are covers.

quote:

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The ten new songs, all of which are unlockable in career mode, are not cheap additions as some might have feared. Among the stellar new tracks are "Billion Dollar Babies" by Alice Cooper, "Dead!" by My Chemical Romance, "Hush" by Deep Purple, "Life Wasted" by Pearl Jam, "Rock 'n' Roll Hoochie Koo" by Rick Derringer, "Possum Kingdom" by Toadies, "Salvation" by Rancid and "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden.

While the majority of tracks will be covers, as is the standard for Guitar Hero II, both "Dead!" and "Possum Kingdom" are listed as "master tracks," meaning they are the original recordings. The final two tracks remain unrevealed, leaving us to hold out hope that Hendrix will make his 360 debut this spring.

Along with a swanky new white guitar and ten bonus tracks, Xbox gamers can enjoy many of the staples of 360 gaming with Guitar Hero II. Achievement points, leaderboards, dashboard themes and picture packs, and downloadable songs are all planned. In fact, RedOctane is planning to have downloadable songs available at launch so that gamers can expand their Guitar Hero playlist immediately.

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Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » January 9, 2007, 2:24 am

I can hear Winnow sprinting to his computer to post!

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » January 9, 2007, 2:33 am

Nice, been waiting for something to be announced regarding our "insider" info from last year about Guitar Hero showing up on the 360.

Zygar · Post by **Zygar** » January 9, 2007, 2:36 am

Winnow needs to be over in the comics forum catching up on like 12 weeks of 52. There's no mention of a PC version of GH or GH2 is there? sounds kinda fun.

Edit: for misspelling goodness

noel · Post by **noel** » January 9, 2007, 7:48 am

Zygar wrote:Winnow needs to be over in the comics forum catching up on like 12 weeks of 52.

Glad I wasn't the only one reading that. Seconded!

There's no mention of a PC version of GH or GH2 is there? sounds kinda fun.

Edit: for misspelling goodness

It's totally worth it to go to Gamestop, pick up a used PS2, and grab the Guitar Hero 2 and 1 games. You will not be sorry.

I got both for X-mas, but I've been playing my way through GH1 to start out with. The tracklist is said to have a better progression for a newb like me, though the Hammer Ons and Pull Offs are supposed to be harder to hit than in GH2. Getting through easy wasn't too bad, but the introduction of the fourth fret was a pain for me. I'm finally getting it, so now I'm just working on hitting it consistently before I move on to Hard. I really love the game and love the music. I actually took the time to download all of the songs I didn't already have from Itunes and put them into a playlist so I could get more familiar with the songs.

I really, really love this game. I'd go so far as to say I might pick up a 360 if GH3 comes out for that platform.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » January 9, 2007, 8:44 am

Rumor is that some of downloadable tracks will by the GH1 songs.

Janx · Post by **Janx** » January 9, 2007, 6:22 pm

Iron freaking Maiden.

Now..will it come with a wireless guitar..

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » January 11, 2007, 9:49 pm

Here's a gameplay vid of Possom Kingdom by the Toadies(New track on the 360 version.

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/8365

Here's an article for this version of the game..

http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/ ... htm?Page=1

Here are the exclusive tracks for the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II (* denotes a song performed by the original band):

Possum Kingdom—Toadies*
Salvation—Rancid
Life Wasted—Pearl Jam
Billion Dollar Babies—Alice Cooper
Hush—Deep Purple
Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo—Rick Derringer
Dead!—My Chemical Romance*
The Trooper—Iron Maiden

Bonus unlockable songs
Drink Up—Ounce of Self
Kicked to the Curb—Noble Rot

And a few of the achievments.

Eddie Van Halen Award—Get a 500 note streak
Life of the Party—Bought all characters
Record Collector—Bought all songs
Big Spender—Spent $10,000 at store
Perfectionist—Get 100% on a song
200k Club—Get 200,000 points in a song
Rock Snob Award—Refused to play an encore
Scoremonger—Got an 8x multiplier
Dimebag Darrell Award--Get a 100 note streak
Hendrix Award--Beat a song with lefty flip on

Full list of Achievements -- http://www.xbox360achievements.org/home ... gameID=195

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » January 11, 2007, 10:50 pm

Nice, thanks

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » April 9, 2007, 4:30 pm

So I have been playing through this, and am currently working on 5 starring medium but I am having such a hard time with psychobilly freakout (Doesn't help that I hate this song so much I want to rip the singers vocal chords out with my bare hands.) that I'm starting to get too irritated.

I can't even imagine hard.. I tried a few songs but I couldn't really get the fifth fret down without losing my place.. I guess I will see if I can stretch my pinky to make it work that way, might be better.

The thought of not being able to get all of the achievements in a game frustrates me (and I think the difficulty on this game could have been toned down to the point that you don't have to be in a damn band to beat expert) I have pretty much accepted I will never beat the expert tour.

I also think it was kind of stupid for them to not make it online multiplayer - don't see any reason why it couldn't be done if they have it locally, but hopefully they think to put that in the third one.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » April 9, 2007, 4:56 pm

The 360 controller has some known issues at the moment. The first one we got had poor key response and the Whammy bar flat out did not work. Make sure to get one of the non-recalled models. The new songs are all excellent and not having to go back and 5 star easy and medium if I 5 star it on hard, but the controller is far less precise. They rearanged some of the songs with mixed results, as well.

Overall, it seems like they made some stuff a lot easier (Heart Shaped Box on hard was a LOT easier than the PS2 one) but scaled back the amount of star power you get. The new songs, in particular, have barely enough star power to get a full bar twice on hard, from what I saw. Most of the issues I have with the 360 version are related to its controller, however. Having to sit in front of my TV because they jewed out on the length of the cable is beyond gay. The controller is also a lot less smooth than the PS2 versions. The new eye candy is not worth the worse controller, but the new songs probably are.

PS- Funk, my wife and I have been barely able to keep pace with you (Phazael) and I know she played it all weekend, so you must be really going to town with it.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » April 9, 2007, 5:21 pm

Funkmasterr wrote:So I have been playing through this, and am currently working on 5 starring medium but I am having such a hard time with psychobilly freakout (Doesn't help that I hate this song so much I want to rip the singers vocal chords out with my bare hands.) that I'm starting to get too irritated.

Much

for Reverend Horton Heat!

:drinking:

+

=

&

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » April 9, 2007, 6:10 pm

Jice Virago wrote:The 360 controller has some known issues at the moment. The first one we got had poor key response and the Whammy bar flat out did not work. Make sure to get one of the non-recalled models. The new songs are all excellent and not having to go back and 5 star easy and medium if I 5 star it on hard, but the controller is far less precise. They rearanged some of the songs with mixed results, as well.

Overall, it seems like they made some stuff a lot easier (Heart Shaped Box on hard was a LOT easier than the PS2 one) but scaled back the amount of star power you get. The new songs, in particular, have barely enough star power to get a full bar twice on hard, from what I saw. Most of the issues I have with the 360 version are related to its controller, however. Having to sit in front of my TV because they jewed out on the length of the cable is beyond gay. The controller is also a lot less smooth than the PS2 versions. The new eye candy is not worth the worse controller, but the new songs probably are.

PS- Funk, my wife and I have been barely able to keep pace with you (Phazael) and I know she played it all weekend, so you must be really going to town with it.

Haha yeah I have been a bit ridiculous with it since I got it, but I hit a wall big time with the fifth fret button.. I have tried using my pinky and that isn't working too hot so im not sure what I will do.

I have been watching you guys progress too, but janx is walking all over all of us.. Another problem I am running into is my hands and wrists are starting to really hurt from playing it so much (I have tennis elbow in both arms) but I still can't stop

Right now "Woman" on hard is looking to be entirely impossible.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » April 9, 2007, 7:12 pm

Well my wife cleaned out medium (except the perfect on John the Fisherman) and I am working up hard. I doubt we can touch Janx, but we will do our best to aggravate your tennis elbow! Rock or Die!

Post by **pyrella** » April 9, 2007, 7:18 pm

Went to buy this - called and they said they had 2 in stock - arrived 30 mins later, I watched the guy with the last one walk out.

Fuckers!

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » April 9, 2007, 7:31 pm

GH2 store stories.

I call EBGames in the morning from work and they say they have one in. I was going to trade gears for it so I ask that he put it aside for me and he does, takes my name and I'm happy.

I walk in there that evening to pick it up and the assclown behind the cash says that he's sold it to another guy that walked in and gave him my name.

I was really pissed off and this dude wanted to take my name and phone number now for the next shipment. Told him to forget it and that I was going to WalMart that is 500 yards away to buy it.

Loving this game btw. The 4th fret wasn't a huge deal to get used to and I 5-starred most of the 1st round songs on the first try. My first Encore and unlocking Shout at the Devil was a high point.

This is my first tome playing a GH game and I'm hooked.

I had one of the faulty whammy bar guitars that wasn't responsive and my problem was very easily rectified with an elastic.

Turns out that my bar wasn't going all the way back on it's own and when I hit the whammy, half the time I wouldn't get anything out of it.

Hooking it to the strap post with an elastic has solved my problem beautifully.

What I've started doing is if my TV is in-use, I've downloaded Frets of Fire and have been playing that. Downloaded a 1.6 GB package of custom tracks from a torrent that was posted on The Pirate Bay.

Frets is by far an inferior product but some of the songs are so crazy hard that it makes for interesting practice.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » April 10, 2007, 3:37 am

Anybody have any pointers for advanced techniques in this game before I go trade it in? Really the difficulty on this game was set way too high and I am insulted by the trouble I am having even at medium.

When I pay 90 dollars for a game, I expect a pretty damn easy 1000 achievment points, end of story. I can't 5 star psychobilly freakout or carry me home on medium nor can I get past the third set on hard - and practicing for three weeks just so I can is not a reasonable option in my book... I have really never had a game frustrate me this much before, I suppose some people may like that kind of a challenge but I think that nowadays this kind of difficulty in a game shouldn't exist.

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » April 10, 2007, 4:06 am

I think the replies write themselves for this one.

Fash · Post by **Fash** » April 10, 2007, 8:56 am

Blame it on the controller! Surely you don't just suck at it.

noel · Post by **noel** » April 10, 2007, 9:54 am

Funkmasterr wrote:Anybody have any pointers for advanced techniques in this game...

I want you to know, I was with you right here. I too have the game, I too initially had trouble 5-starring Medium, and going to hard is just not something I have the time to put in the practice for. I love the game very much, but I do not have the necessary innate talent to go very far into hard without a LOT of practice. I'm comfortable saying that. I have enough skill in other areas of my life that not being able to beat guitar hero doesn't really bother me that much.

...before I go trade it in? Really the difficulty on this game was set way too high and I am insulted by the trouble I am having even at medium.

That's where you lost me... You're going to trade it in? You're INSULTED?!?! Did you fuck up when you chose your wording, or are you seriously insulted?

When I pay 90 dollars for a game, I expect a pretty damn easy 1000 achievment points, end of story. I can't 5 star psychobilly freakout or carry me home on medium nor can I get past the third set on hard - and practicing for three weeks just so I can is not a reasonable option in my book... I have really never had a game frustrate me this much before, I suppose some people may like that kind of a challenge but I think that nowadays this kind of difficulty in a game shouldn't exist.

Look man, the game is hard, takes some actual skill, and there's no guide I can give you that will get you through it. Being insulted about a skill game taking actual SKILL is... kind of silly.

As for trading it in, I find the game a lot of fun to play even on medium just to power it up and bang out a song from time to time. Occasionally I get brave and try hard and maybe in 40 years I'll have enough skill to 5 star a song on hard, but it's still fun to me.

Lynks · Post by **Lynks** » April 10, 2007, 10:14 am

Funk...I hear the Burger King games are pretty easy. You should stick to those.

The whole point I play these games is to find a challenge. What is the point on playing games if you are just going to walk through without any obstacles? Complaining that a game is too hard is ridiculous. Would you rather finish the entire game in a week? You don't get any value from that.

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » April 10, 2007, 11:45 am

once GH starts getting hard it becomes mostly about muscle memory. If you can't beat a song play it on practice mode with reduced speed. Figure out a way to play it comfortably slowly and it'll be easier to get through it at the normal speed.

I've gotten through expert on the PS2 version but you can be damned sure it took me a long time to get through shit like Institutionalized and Psychobilly Freakout. When I got through it I had a warm sense of nerd-pride.

LOL at funk though. Good lord, man. You need to think before you post or something

Janx · Post by **Janx** » April 10, 2007, 12:08 pm

If it helps you any funk, I'm ranked around 1930 out of..196k now?

Gimme a holler on XBL if you need some pointers (Gamertag = Janx).

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 10, 2007, 12:37 pm

Try using the normal 360 controller instead of the guitar on hard mode if you're just looking to get through it to get achievement points.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » April 10, 2007, 1:32 pm

That would completely defeat the fun of the game.

Funk:
Don't freak out. I have been at that point of frustration many times, it just takes some time and practice banging out to songs you like. This isn't a game where you have to conquer it to have fun.

When I first got it, I could not fathom how any normal person could play with more than three buttons. A year later, I spent a month trying to beat crossroads on hard (GH1) and being pissed every night. Now, I can hardly stand to play it on anything less than hard and Carry Me Home on hard makes me want to drive to Red Octane and punch the designer in the balls. When I get around to expert, I am sure I will feel the same way.

The one constant is that it is extremely satisfying to finally beat those songs and once you get a song down, you will go back and play it for fun over and over again. So, take a breather and come back to the game at your own pace.

On that note, the best thing for my marriage in the last year is that you can play 2 player with differing difficulty levels, so my wife and I can play coop and not get pissed at each other because one of us is not having as much fun.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » April 10, 2007, 3:34 pm

Jice Virago wrote:That would completely defeat the fun of the game.

Funk:
Don't freak out. I have been at that point of frustration many times, it just takes some time and practice banging out to songs you like. This isn't a game where you have to conquer it to have fun.

When I first got it, I could not fathom how any normal person could play with more than three buttons. A year later, I spent a month trying to beat crossroads on hard (GH1) and being pissed every night. Now, I can hardly stand to play it on anything less than hard and Carry Me Home on hard makes me want to drive to Red Octane and punch the designer in the balls. When I get around to expert, I am sure I will feel the same way.

The one constant is that it is extremely satisfying to finally beat those songs and once you get a song down, you will go back and play it for fun over and over again. So, take a breather and come back to the game at your own pace.

On that note, the best thing for my marriage in the last year is that you can play 2 player with differing difficulty levels, so my wife and I can play coop and not get pissed at each other because one of us is not having as much fun.

Yeah I know.. I would say that I will take a break from it for a few days but I won't even do that.. I am going shopping today for a few video game chairs and I am going to try and find a second guitar as well so my girlfriend can play with me (she plays bass guitar in rl anyhow so she likes playing that!)

I did get a 100% on Heart Shaped Box last night on medium and got the 500 note streak! Now I am trying to think about the 1000 note streak and I have to imagine that free bird is about the only song you can do this on.

Janx · Post by **Janx** » April 10, 2007, 4:27 pm

Be sure to get the achievement for watching the credits.

Be sure to have a shotgun nearby for entertainment =/

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » April 10, 2007, 4:31 pm

No shit, I know why you get an achievement for watching them - I should have timed them but I would say it was around 25 minutes long?

Gonzoie - Luclin · Post by **Gonzoie - Luclin** » April 10, 2007, 4:44 pm

Misirlou Expert.. as long as most expert songs from tier 5 up i believe mainly have over 1k notes.

I play the game for the realism factor of expert.. I cant play on any other difficulty from when i picked it up till now.. Did a few mediums and hards here and there while running through my brothers scenario and i just didn't get the same sense of satisfaction as storming through a song on expert.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » April 10, 2007, 4:51 pm

On medium, Jessica and Freebird I think crack 1k notes, but don't quote me on that. I bet I could probably get 500 on Killing in the name on Hard (I can play that song in my sleep), but there is no way with the crappy 360 guitar that I will crack 1k no matter how easy the song is.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » April 10, 2007, 11:01 pm

What really gets me on Freebird is the in the middle of the guitar solos where you have the notes thatkeep repeating (red green red green) and you aren't able to use the hammer on/pull off.. it's just too damn fast and I can never get it, I have that same problem in a few other songs.

Truant · Post by **Truant** » April 10, 2007, 11:15 pm

Funkmasterr wrote:What really gets me on Freebird is the in the middle of the guitar solos where you have the notes thatkeep repeating (red green red green) and you aren't able to use the hammer on/pull off.. it's just too damn fast and I can never get it, I have that same problem in a few other songs.

Try alternate picking. Makes fast passages much easier. IRL too!