Guitar Hero 2!!

[MizzouRah]

Some information on GH 2, I can't wait!!! Some friends and I are going to have some fun in co-op mode. :)


RedOctane's follow-up to the critically acclaimed rhythm game. Guitar Hero II features a brand-new and expanded track list, more venues and new play modes, and aims to rock longer and harder than its predecessor. RedOctane has once again teamed up with veteran music game developer Harmonix for the sequel, and is using famed recording studio WaveGroup for its music production, who also recorded the covers for the licensed tracks in the original Guitar Hero. The game's all-important track list encompasses all forms of rock and metal music including classic rock, "hair metal", heavy metal, modern rock and alternative rock. In total, Guitar Hero II features more than 55 songs. New modes include a multiplayer co-op mode where players can play not only the lead guitar track, but rhythm or bass as well, allowing players to take on two different sections of the song simultaneously. Supports the Guitar Hero SG controller.

[Pumpy Tudors]

When is this coming out?!?!

[caspanky]

November

[Bearcat729]

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/705/705055p1.html

Pre-E3 2006: Guitar Hero II First Tracks Revealed
RedOctane samples a few of the sequel's massive song list.
by David Adams

May 4, 2006 - In the midst of announcing, to everyone's shuttering shock, that Guitar Hero II will be shown at E3 next week, RedOctane also revealed a teasing sample of the new game's 55-song track list. So, without further delay or unnecessary drum soloing, here are the songs announced so far:


"Arterial Black" by Drist

"Psychobilly Freakout" by The Reverend Horton Heat

"Strutter" by Kiss

"War Pigs" by Black Sabbath

"Who Was in My Room Last Night" by The Butthole Surfers

"You Really Got Me" by the Kinks, as performed by Van Halen

"YYZ" by Rush
In addition to announcing these initial tracks, RedOctane revealed that the new Hero will feature returning rocker Judy Nails along with a new Rockabilly character.

Stay tuned for much more when we rock the E3 show floor.

[Fonzie]

YYZ!?

Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod.

Words just cannot express the awesomeness of that song selection.

[Eilim]

"Psychobilly Freakout" by The Reverend Horton Heat


Hell yeah... Now I just wish it was coming out sooner.

[SackAttack]

Glad to see the confirmation that it'll be playable next week.

I can't wait to try the new multiplayer.

[Ksyrup]

Here's some more news:

Those of you tired of us banging on so much about Guitar Hero a month before you can even buy it in the UK (April 7th remember!) will be pleased to hear that we ought to be banging on about it for at least another couple of years, as Kelly Sumner, CEO of publisher RedOctane, has told MCV we'll see a further "five or six" titles by the middle of 2007.
"We are working on Guitar Hero 2, which will have 40-plus new tracks," Sumner told MCV. He also confirmed that genre spin-offs including Country Rock for the US and a Metal edition are on the cards. He even pointed to further possibilities for the peripheral, adding, "you could absolutely do a plug and play version".



Also, a bit of interesting news to me from the guy who tracked half the GH1 songs:

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width="90%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Quote:</TD></TR><TR><TD class=quote>Marcus: Oh yeah, one of my favorite bands of all time is the Descendents. I've been in dialogue with Bill Stevens, their legendary drummer, and I totally want to get them in the game, exposing the Descendents and Black Flag and King's X. It works on a couple of levels, because I want to see them in the game, and getting the kids to play the songs and discover the back catalog and spur a whole new generation of fans. Especially with a vehicle like this, with so much exposure involved with it.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

That would fucking rule.

[Bearcat729]

Does Country Rock = Southern Rock?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Does Country Rock = Southern Rock?

My wild guess would be that it's more like Travis Tritt & Hank, Jr. than Skynard & the Allman Bros.

[MizzouRah]

I can't wait. This is pre-order territory.

[Qwikshot]

Just curioius, would this help you become a better guitar player in anyway?

[SackAttack]

Just curioius, would this help you become a better guitar player in anyway?

In the same way that playing Madden will make you a better football player, sure.

[Kodos]

It's provided further proof that I could never play guitar. 3 buttons = no problem. 4th button introduces lots of problems. Even without having to move my hand, the blue button causes lots of troubles. Damn pinky.

I've made it through most of medium, but will probably not progress very far if at all on the next level. I was proud that I finally got through Stellar on medium the other day. Didn't think that would ever happen. :)

Yes, I suck.

[SackAttack]

I have more trouble on hard with Stellar than I do Crossroads, sadly.

[bigdawg2003]

i finally got 5 stars on ace of spades and crossroads on hard difficulty yesterday. now i just have to get 5 stars on all of the last level songs (cowboys from hell = not gonna happen)

[Pyser]

i got up to 78% on expert at cowboys from hell.

ill NEVER beat the last ozzy song...so sadly, ill never beat the game.

doesnt stop me from playing the other songs i already passed though. cant wait for 2.

[SackAttack]

If my laptop weren't having issues, I'd give you guys show-floor updates on the game.

Alas, it will probably have to wait 'til the weekend. :(

[MizzouRah]

If my laptop weren't having issues, I'd give you guys show-floor updates on the game.

Alas, it will probably have to wait 'til the weekend. :(

Start a thread and give us all the E Expo updates!! Have you seen EA's Head Coach?

[SackAttack]

Start a thread and give us all the E Expo updates!! Have you seen EA's Head Coach?

Expo doesn't start 'til Wednesday.

What I'm saying is that laptop + issues = no reliable computer access for me from the show. They've got email lounges and the like from which I may be able to check in, but I really wouldn't count on hearing much of anything from me between Wednesday morning and late Friday evening.

[MizzouRah]

Expo doesn't start 'til Wednesday.

What I'm saying is that laptop + issues = no reliable computer access for me from the show. They've got email lounges and the like from which I may be able to check in, but I really wouldn't count on hearing much of anything from me between Wednesday morning and late Friday evening.

That stinks! Have fun and take plenty of notes!!

[Bearcat729]

Here a new story with pics from the game from IGN


http://ps2.ign.com/articles/705/705210p1.html

Pre-E3 2006: Guitar Hero II Hands-on
Plug in, tune up and get ready to freakin' rock once again.
by Chris Roper


May 5, 2006 - No game in recent years has rocked the IGN offices harder than Guitar Hero, so when the chance came around for us to pick up a couple SGs and plug into Guitar Hero II, well, let's just say we brought our own picks. Dunlop Tortex 0.88mm are where it's at, the by way. RedOctane invited us down to WaveGroup Sound, the studio behind the series' pitch-perfect covers, to check out the game and rock out a few tunes in the mixing room. The build we played was a preview of the E3 build, so we were limited to only two tracks in the awesome new 2-player cooperative mode, but man, we can't wait to pick up the axes again next week at E3.


RedOctane just released the list of the seven tracks that'll be at the show, which include covers of Reverend Horton Heat's "Psychobilly Freakout", KISS' "Strutter", Butthole Surfers' "Who Was In My Room Last Night", Van Halen's take on "You Really Got Me", Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" (Oh Lord yeah!), Rush's "YYZ" and Drist's "Arterial Black". The rest of the 55+ tracks scheduled for the game remain under tight wraps, but from the hints of possibilities that RedOctane dropped our way, the final track list could have some killer songs that people have been begging for since last year.



One of the biggest new features in Guitar Hero II is its cooperative mode (final mode names pending). The 2-player mode from the first game had two guitarists trade licks back and forth, each with their own score, Star Power and so forth. This mode will still be present in Guitar Hero II, but we have a feeling gamers will flock to the new setup like groupies to KISS.

Rather than trading licks, each player has their own part of the song they're assigned to, so while one player will take the lead guitar, the other will play either the rhythm guitar or bass parts, depending upon the song. With the two tracks on display at the demo, the Van Halen version of "You Really Got Me" and Reverend Horton Heat's "Psychobilly Freakout", the second section was assigned to the bass line.



If there's only one thing we took from the demo it's that the bass lines are loud. If producers ever let a bassist mix a record, this it what it would sound like. That doesn't mean that it overpowers the guitar, but it's certainly not buried in the background like on many records. The bass is deep, punching and just flat out sounds awesome. This is great in that players won't feel like they're stuck playing the bass section while their buddy rocks out the lead because hitting each and every note just sounds and feel rewarding as hell. Just as it's awesome to nail an extended power chord, every note coming from the bass instills a sense of rock god power when you hit it.

Being as most bass lines are rather simplistic in comparison to guitar (we're not forgetting Corporal Claypool), the bass sections of the songs we tried are certainly easier than the guitar parts, even on Expert. But that in no way means they aren't fun as hell, evidenced by the fact that as we traded off between the two tracks numerous times before our session was up, everyone was just as eager to pick up the low end as they were the lead guitar.

But the selling point of the game really is the lead guitar, and Guitar Hero II doesn't look to disappoint. "You Really Got Me" is reasonably simple as far as Van Halen tracks go, with a pretty short solo, but it's a really fun song to play. "Psychobilly Freakout" is damn hard, however. It was the first track we tried and went right to Expert, thinking that after we'd dominated "Cowboys from Hell" and "Bark at the Moon" we'd be ready for anything. Big mistake. The opening of this song came at us like it was going out of style, and but seconds later we'd failed. Notching things down to medium with our tails between our legs worked quite a bit better, but we'll definitely be practicing this one when it hits the office.



The coolest part about Guitar Hero II's cooperative mode is that it really emphasizes teamwork, or as it attempts to simulate, two members of a band getting into a groove. It's one thing when you're playing alone and you're nailing a song, but it's another thing altogether when you're nailing your section of a song and your buddy is rocking his, making the song that much cooler. It's hard to understand this if you've never played in a band, but you hit a certain state of Zen and it's just cool.

Part of the reason that this seems to work pretty well is that you're able to fail miserably, making the times that everything comes together that much better. While the 2-player mode from the first game would allow you to finish the song regardless of your performance, co-op in Guitar Hero II works just like the single-player experience in that you'll fail the song if your performance meter drops too low.

Being able to fail obviously means that both players need to bring their chops on the harder levels, though one extremely welcome feature this time around is the ability to assign separate difficulty levels for each player. So, while one person may always play on Expert, their buddy who might be new to the game can choose to play on Easy and still rock together.

Now, playing on Easy means that you'll have less notes to hit so your score won't be as high, but this also could impact a bass player's ability to help out the lead guitarist. Since both players are constantly influencing the Rock Meter, the bass player can really help keep the duo going through a difficult solo by hitting all of his notes. Of course, using Star Power always helps you get through difficult sections and solos, but this time around it's not individual - both players add power to the Star Power Meter and both need to lift their guitars simultaneously in order to trigger it. Again, cooperative.



In addition to building up the same pool of Star Power, notes from both players count towards increasing the score multiplier. Likewise, if either player messes up, the multiplier gets reset. This leaves the potential for both massive scores, as you're able to ramp up to X4 and X8 that much faster, and fairly poor scores as either player can set it back to X1.

Our demo really only scratched the surface of what we'll see in Guitar Hero II. We're already sold on the new cooperative mode, the bass stuff seems to work as well as we'd been wishing for, and the two tracks we were able to try are great fun to play. We're psyched to see a little more of the game at E3, which'll hopefully show us some of its revamped single-player mode, but most of our excitement lies around two words - "War Pigs". Oh Lord yeah.

[Fonzie]

I wish I could stop drooling.

[MizzouRah]

I wish I could stop drooling.

Me too. I am going to love playing this with my 10 year old daughter. :)

[Hurst2112]

bass line for YYZ? this should be interesting

[Chubby]

Kickass

I just got GH1 and am loving it so I can't wait to see the full track list (or more of it) when it's released at E3 :)

[Bearcat729]

bass line for YYZ? this should be interesting


Hmm well how about the bass line from a Primus song? Can't say I've heard either of them to comment on which one will be tougher to play.

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/707/707526p1.html

E3 2006: Guitar Hero II Hands-on
We rocked E3 like it's never been rocked before.
by Chris Roper


May 10, 2006 - Guitar Hero II is the business. That's really all we need to say, but if you want to know more, read on.


RedOctane, Sony and a number of other companies all have Guitar Hero II jammable in their E3 2006 booths simply because they know the game kicks ass. RedOctane's booth is where the action's at, however, as you'll not only find the most kiosks in action, but the most current build of the game as well. And by current we mean current - we announced this morning that RedOctane has signed on Primus' "John the Fisherman" for the game (the legit, master recordings direct from Primus), but what we didn't know was that this only just happened. As in, Harmonix got the masters on Monday but somehow managed to get the track into the E3 build. Thank you, Harmonix, thank you.



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.

"War Pigs" is, of course, killer. It's actually a rather easy song, minus maybe a bit of the solo but we'd also never played it before, but it's a seriously classic metal song and it's just freakin' cool to belt out Iommi's guitar lines. The little frill parts with lightning-quick hammer-ons and hammer-offs is tricky however as we only really nailed the first one all the way through.



We posted hands-on impressions with a Pre-E3 version of the game last week, which you can read about right here. One thing that wasn't in that build however is that Guitar Hero II now has three-button chords. Yes, if you think you were effed on the harder difficulty levels before, you're even more screwed this time. It's not quite as difficult as it sounds, however, as "War Pigs" and "John the Fisherman" each only have two or three in the song, generally at very powerful and lasting chords. It'll throw you off at first, but when you hit them, you'll know what holding the power of the universe in your hands feels like.

[Ksyrup]

They should add Claypool's bass version of Master of Puppets as the ultimate challenge.

[Chubby]

so what other new songs were revealed?

[SackAttack]

Nothing on the show floor, but let me see if I can log into the press kit and find a list.

[Bearcat729]

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/721/721965p1.html

New Guitar Hero II Tracks Announced
RedOctane loves the '80s and '90s.
by Chris Roper

July 30, 2006 - At an event held today in Australia (well, actually July 31st in the land down under), RedOctane is showing off a new build of its forthcoming Guitar Hero II, the sequel to one of the best, most popular and certainly most rocking music games ever created. Three new songs are on display at the show, bringing the officially announced track count up to 11. Already announced tracks include covers of Reverend Horton Heat's "Psychobilly Freakout", KISS' "Strutter", Black Sabbath's "War Pigs", Butthole Surfers' "Who Was in My Room Last Night?", Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" and Rush's "YYZ", along with the original master recordings of Primus' "John the Fisherman" and "Arterial Black" by Drist.

The three newly-announced tracks are covers of Stone Temple Pilots' "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart, Anthrax's "Madhouse" and Motley Crue's "Shout at the Devil". "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" is taken from STP's third major-label release "Tiny Music...Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop" and features a bevy of muted chords strummed quickly throughout its verses, making for a fast-paced play. "Madhouse" comes from Anthrax's 1985 release, "Spreading the Disease", and is a great example of Scott Ian's grinding guitar work. The Crue's "Shout at the Devil" appeared on the band's 1983 release of the same name and gives hair metal a proper showing in RedOctane and Harmonix's sequel.

For video of all three songs in action, head over to our media section for Guitar Hero II right here.

[Groundhog]

The fact that you can play bass guitar in this version AND play a Primus track using the original master recordings is just too awesome for words.

I don't think I've ever been so excited about a game. I bought the first one last Thursday and so far I've gotten myself, my two flatmates (1 female), my girlfriend, and my girlfriend's brother COMPLETELY, INSANELY hooked on it.

[SirFozzie]

Other new songs announced:

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Freebird
Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine

apparently another song will be announced today as well.


FREEEEBIIRD!

[Ksyrup]

I hesitate to bring this up, only because I don't mean for it to start a controversy but it certainly could. However, it still bothers/amazes me and I really wanted to mention it somewhere, and this seems like the best place...

We were at Best Buy on Sunday, and they have a Rockstar display set up with a TV and two guitars. Usually, people are playing the game with a crowd around watching. On Sunday, though, no one was using it when a small black child walked up to one of the guitars and started messing with it, eventually deciding to pick it up. At that point, his mother saw him, told him to put it down, and grabbed his arm to pull him away, saying as she and her 3 other kids walked away, "We're black, we don't play guitars."

How pathetic. It still pisses me off 3 days later.

[MikeVic]

Wow, that's horrible Ksyrup. I guess she never heard of Jimi Hendrix.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

[QUOTE=Ksyrup]At that point, his mother saw him, told him to put it down, and grabbed his arm to pull him away, saying as she and her 3 other kids walked away, "We're black, we don't play guitars."[QUOTE]

And people wonder why kids act the way they do............

[BrianD]

Why would they not play guitars? Or was this just a way to keep the kids from playing with a toy and then asking mom to buy it?

[Ksyrup]

Why would they not play guitars? Or was this just a way to keep the kids from playing with a toy and then asking mom to buy it?

At the risk of getting into the controversial stuff I tried to avoid, my take is that the black community largely looks at "guitar music" as the white person's territory, while the black community sticks to rap, hip hop, R&B, and other forms of music that don't require skills involving musical instruments (outside of vocal/lyrical/rythmic abilities, which they undeniably showcase in those forms of music).

And that saddens/angers me, because I love me some black rock music. It's just becoming harder and harder to find these days.

[Mustang]

Hopefully in 20 years he will have his own song on Guitar Hero 15 and, in an interview with a gaming magazine, will say how he always thought his Mom was full of shit.

[Pyser]

Other new songs announced:

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Freebird
Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine

apparently another song will be announced today as well.


FREEEEBIIRD!

are these really confirmed? because if so...they just a hit a fucking grand slam. twice.

[SirFozzie]

Confirmed:

http://forum.guitarherogame.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=4142

[Kodos]

Man, I'd love it if the rumor that Iron Maiden's "Wasted Years" is included. But where is Pour Some Sugar On Me?

[Ksyrup]

But where is Pour Some Sugar On Me?

No offense, but that song is 25% guitar, 75% Mutt Lange.

[Kodos]

Photograph?

[Ksyrup]

A couple nights ago, I rediscovered a 1983 bootleg of Def Leppard in LA that's really good. I think I remember posting about it months (or years) ago around here. I can't think of anyone who deserves a copy more than you. Interested?

[Kodos]

To quote Joe: "You betcha!"

When you shot down Photograph, I was gonna suggest "Gift Of Flesh", which I'm 99% sure you've never heard (it's from the Slang album).

What would you like for it?

[Ksyrup]

On the house. I can probably YSI it to you. I think I downloaded it originally in MP3 format - it's still on my hard drive, which is where I ran into it the other night. The sound is surprisingly good for something that is in MP3 format and was originally taped. I'm wondering if it was broadcast on the radio way back when.

[Ksyrup]

I didn't shoot down Photograph - that one would be way better suited for the game, I think. It's pre-gloss.

[Kodos]

I didn't shoot down Photograph - that one would be way better suited for the game, I think. It's pre-gloss.

There's the small chance you'd like Slang. It's about as un-Mutty as Def Leppard has been since On Through The Night.

[Mustang]

Between this and Bully coming out, I'm going to have to rethink buying back my PS2 that I sold off a few years ago.

[Groundhog]

Lots of yummy Guitar Hero 2 footage on YouTube, too.

[Vince]

Man, I'd love it if the rumor that Iron Maiden's "Wasted Years" is included. But where is Pour Some Sugar On Me?

If Wasted Years makes it on the game, I'm going to have to be restrained from breaking into some warehouse somewhere to get the game early.

[SackAttack]

Confirmed:

http://forum.guitarherogame.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=4142

Cover on Freebird. But damn, that's hot all the same.

[Bearcat729]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3153382&did=1



Guitar Hero 2 Songlist Revealed
The Police, Nirvana, Cheap Trick? Yeah, they are all there.
by 1UP Staff, 09/01/2006

51 of 55 users recommend this story.
The October cover story in Electronic Gaming Monthly is a backstage pass to check out Guitar Hero 2. Counted among the details they turned up was a pretty big list of songs from the final game.

Nirvana; "Heart-Shaped Box"
Primus (original recording); "John the Fisherman"
Stone Temple Pilots; "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart
Anthrax; "Madhouse
Motley Crue; "Shout at the Devil"
The Police; "Message in a Bottle"
The Pretenders; Tattooed Love Boys
Spinal Tap; "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight
Heart; "Crazy on You"
Allman Brothers Band; "Jessica"
Lynyrd Skynrd; "Freebird"
Avenged Sevenfold; "Beast and the Harlot"
Dick Dale; "Misirlou"
Lamb of God; "Laid to Rest"
Alice in Chains; "Them Bones"
Reverend Horton Heat; "Psychobilly Freakout"
Black Sabbath; "War Pigs"
KISS; "Strutter"
Butthole Surfers; "Who Was in My Room Last Night?"
Van Halen; "You Really Got Me"
Guns N' Roses; "Sweet Child O'Mine
The Rolling Stones; "Can You Hear Me Knocking?"
Rush; "YYZ"

[SackAttack]

Seems like that list is a little light. Guitar Hero had six sets of five songs each. That list is only 23 songs long. I wonder if that's an indication of more surprises to come, or if EGM just didn't get the complete list.

[WVUFAN]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3153382&did=1



Guitar Hero 2 Songlist Revealed
The Police, Nirvana, Cheap Trick? Yeah, they are all there.
by 1UP Staff, 09/01/2006

51 of 55 users recommend this story.
The October cover story in Electronic Gaming Monthly is a backstage pass to check out Guitar Hero 2. Counted among the details they turned up was a pretty big list of songs from the final game.

Nirvana; "Heart-Shaped Box"
Primus (original recording); "John the Fisherman"
Stone Temple Pilots; "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart
Anthrax; "Madhouse
Motley Crue; "Shout at the Devil"
The Police; "Message in a Bottle"
The Pretenders; Tattooed Love Boys
Spinal Tap; "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight
Heart; "Crazy on You"
Allman Brothers Band; "Jessica"
Lynyrd Skynrd; "Freebird"
Avenged Sevenfold; "Beast and the Harlot"
Dick Dale; "Misirlou"
Lamb of God; "Laid to Rest"
Alice in Chains; "Them Bones"
Reverend Horton Heat; "Psychobilly Freakout"
Black Sabbath; "War Pigs"
KISS; "Strutter"
Butthole Surfers; "Who Was in My Room Last Night?"
Van Halen; "You Really Got Me"
Guns N' Roses; "Sweet Child O'Mine
The Rolling Stones; "Can You Hear Me Knocking?"
Rush; "YYZ"

The title of the article is "The Police, Nirvana, Cheap Trick? Yeah, they're all there?"

Where's Cheap Trick?

[Fonzie]

Where's Cheap Trick?

Probably performing at a County Fair.

[MizzouRah]

Sweet Child O'Mine is going to kick ass. The beginning of that song is going to have my kids rocking when daddy plays it on his guitar!

[MikeVic]

Cool, can't wait to play!

[Vince]

That seems like a rather short list -- weren't there 30 "real" songs on the first one?

[Groundhog]

That's not a complete list.

[Ksyrup]

The Cheap trick song is Surrender.

[Mustang]

Well, splurged a bit this weekend and repurchased a PS2 for downstairs and bought guitar hero. First game in a long time where I absolutely lost track of time.. looked up and it was 1:00 in the morning and I was on it for almost 3 hours.

I just stink at 4 button and have no idea how I'm going to do 5 button. :)

[Groundhog]

Well, splurged a bit this weekend and repurchased a PS2 for downstairs and bought guitar hero. First game in a long time where I absolutely lost track of time.. looked up and it was 1:00 in the morning and I was on it for almost 3 hours.

I just stink at 4 button and have no idea how I'm going to do 5 button. :)

Welcome to the club. :)

So far I've been responsible for 4 people buying a PS2 console and GH, as well as 2 others with just the game.

4th button takes some getting used to, but once you have it down the 5th is a breeze. I finished every song on expert 2 weeks ago for the first time, and trust me, the feeling of beating Bark at the Moon on expert is hard to describe... it was made even sweeter considering about a week before I bombed out on the FINAL NOTE of the song!

[Ksyrup]

FYI:


Guitar Hero II arrives with a new track list, new venues and additional play modes – including the ability to transform the original Guitar Hero SG Controller into a rhythm, lead or bass guitar. The November issue of The Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM) will have a GH II demo on its coverdisk, and while no games modes are revealed yet, it will have 4 songs : Shout at the Devil by Motley Crue, Strutter by Kiss, YYZ by Rush, and You Really Got Me by Van Halen.

[MikeVic]

FYI:


Guitar Hero II arrives with a new track list, new venues and additional play modes – including the ability to transform the original Guitar Hero SG Controller into a rhythm, lead or bass guitar. The November issue of The Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM) will have a GH II demo on its coverdisk, and while no games modes are revealed yet, it will have 4 songs : Shout at the Devil by Motley Crue, Strutter by Kiss, YYZ by Rush, and You Really Got Me by Van Halen.

Awesome.

[Ajaxab]

4th button takes some getting used to, but once you have it down the 5th is a breeze.

Just got this game and a PS2 a month or so ago and my small hands are making the 5th button tough to get to. The big challenge for me is knowing when to move my hand down the neck of the controller and when to leave it in place and gamble that my pinkie can reach the last button.

If there's one song that's driving me nuts, it's 'No One Knows' on hard. For some reason, I'm stuck on getting to 80% before they kick me off the stage. But I'm still having a great time playing the game and am definitely looking forward to the sequel.

[WVUFAN]

For those interested, there's samples of the Guitar Hero 2 songs on their official website:

http://www.guitarherogame.com/

Also, they officially stated that Guitar Hero 2 will be released for the XBox 360 in January.

[Chubby]

preordered!

[SackAttack]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6158861.html

Guitar Hero II. Xbox 360. Downloadable content via XBL Marketplace.

Drool.

[Groundhog]

Downloadable content via XBL Marketplace.


This set off my spidey sense.

What this means is that songs that would have originally been included in the initial release will be held back and instead put up for purchase.

[SirFozzie]

Another song added to GH2: Kansas "Carry On My Wayward Son"

ROCK ON!

[SackAttack]

This set off my spidey sense.

What this means is that songs that would have originally been included in the initial release will be held back and instead put up for purchase.

I think this might be partially true.

Because of the market share involved with the PS2, I would have expected them to include the PS2 version's songs, plus some additional ones to encourage folks who bought it on PS2 to buy it again.

What I would expect now is something like this:

1) PS2 version's songs included for the 'cover charge.'
2) Extra songs made available via Xbox Live Marketplace immediately rather than packed in with the game.
3) A couple of them available for free to encourage casual users to get in the habit of checking the marketplace (and convinced of the quality, therefore willing to buy).

I think Activision has to realize that if they released the same game not only $10 more expensive because it's on Xbox 360, but ALSO deficient relative to the PS2 version, that it would not get the sort of repeat business it otherwise might.

[Vince]

Another song added to GH2: Kansas "Carry On My Wayward Son"

ROCK ON!

Sweet!

[SirFozzie]

the only other songs I could think would be Jukebox Hero and maybe Renegade ;)

[Vince]

I would kill to have Wasted Years on there. That's still just rumor, right? Where did you hear about Carry on My Wayward Son?

As of now, I'm probably most excited about Sweet Child 'O Mine.

[Ksyrup]

What I saw on Wikipedia is that Carry On was mentioned in a podcast but hasn't been confirmed.

[Ksyrup]

I've just started getting into the first one, so I probably won't be ready for the new one for several months. I'm looking forward more to the genre-specific ones that are supposed to come out next year, anyway. I'd rather have a full slate of hard rock/metal selections than have to bog through a Pretenders song, for example.

[SirFozzie]

I would kill to have Wasted Years on there. That's still just rumor, right? Where did you hear about Carry on My Wayward Son?

As of now, I'm probably most excited about Sweet Child 'O Mine.


was confirmed in a 1up.com podcast interview with the GH folks, from what I hear.

[SirFozzie]

BTW, the killer song in GH 2 is Megadeth's "Hangar 18". Why?

11 GUITAR SOLOS?????

[Ksyrup]

It's the ending of the song that's the killer - the instrumental part that has a kick-ass thrashing rhythm section interspersed with a bunch of solos.

Personally, I'd rather have Take No Prisoners. Best Megadeth song ever.

[Kodos]

I'm looking forward to Cheap Trick's "Surrender". And I agree that Iron Maiden's "Wasted Years" would kick ass (and probably kick my ass).

[SackAttack]

I want some Eagles in there sooner or later.

[Groundhog]

I'll be interested to play XYZ. I mean, the last like 2 minutes of that song is all synths from memory... plus it's just got some mad crazy parts in it.

Also, re: waiting for the genre specific packs so you don't have to wade through songs you don't like, I've actually found that a lot of the songs I enjoy playing the most in GH1 aren't the songs I enjoy listening to the most outside of the game... I actually really enjoy playing the Sum41 song for example, and I can't stand those guys when I hear them on the radio. Same with the Blue Oyster Cult.

[Ksyrup]

Has anyone posted the list of songs in order from the new game? If not, here they are:


Opening Licks:
Strutter - Kiss
Mother - Danzig
Monkey Wrench - Foo Fighters
Shout At The Devil - Motley Crue
Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight - Spinal Tap

Amp-Warmers:
Heart Shaped Box - Nirvana
Message In A Bottle - Police
Woman - Wolfmother (artist not confirmed)
You Really Got Me - Van Halen (Kinks)
Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas

String Snappers:
Surrender - Cheap Trick
Them Bones - Alice in Chains
Search and Destroy - Stooges (artist not confirmed, but it damn well better be the stooges!)
Tatooed Love Boys - The Pretenders
War Pigs - Sabbath

Thrash and Burn:
Cherry Pie - Warrant
Who Was In My Room Last Night - Butthole Surfers
Girlfriend - Darkness (artist not confirmed), some say Mathew Sweet
Can’t You Hear Me Knocking - Rolling Stones
Sweet Child of Mine - GnR

Return of the Shred:
Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine
John The Fisherman - Primus
Freya - Sword (artist not confirmed)
Bad Reputation - (too hard to say, my guess is Thin Lizzy, but could be Joan Jett)
Jessica - Allman Brothers

Relentless Riffs:
Crazy On You - Heart
Trippin On A Hole In A Paper Heart - STP
Rock This Town - Stray Cays
Last Child - Aerosmith
Stop - Janes Addiction (artist not confirmed, but I really hope it’s Janes Addiction.)

Furious Fretwork:
Madhouse - Antrhax

Already confirmed songs:
Hangar 18 - Megadeth
Laid to Rest - Lamb of God
Misirlou - Dick Dale
Beast and the Harlet - Avenged Sevenfold
Freebird - Lyn Skyn
YYZ - Rush.
Psychobilly Freakout - Rev Horton Heat


This is 38 of the 40 licensed songs, and there are supposedly 15 bonus songs. Anyone seen a more up-to-date listing?

BTW, I copied this from another board, so the comments are not mine.

[bigdawg2003]

has anybody else played the demo thats included in the latest official playstation magazine. yyz, strutter, you really got me, and shout at the devil are the playable songs in case anybody is wondering.

[MikeVic]

Cherry Pie, RATM, and Woman all make me very happy today! I wonder if they'll censor the end of the RATM song.......

[Vince]

You know, Crazy on You by Heart is probably going to be a bitch to get through.

[Ksyrup]

I'm looking forward to Laid to Rest by Lamb of God...even though at the point I'm at with the original game, I still can't play that kind of song yet!

[Chubby]

got the demo today WOOHOO!!!

[Ksyrup]

According to IGN (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/737/737921p1.html), the final track listing has been revealed for the upcoming PS2/Xbox 360 video game "Guitar Hero II", due on November 7. Totaling 40 tunes in all, spread over eight difficulty levels, the new game seems to have an even wider range of rock-oriented music than the first time out. From GUNS N' ROSES to the POLICE to DICK DALE, "Guitar Hero II" runs the gamut of rock.

"Guitar Hero II" track listing (sorted by difficulty level):

1. Opening Licks

MÖTLEY CRÜE - Shout at the Devil
DANZIG - Mother
CHEAP TRICK - Surrender
WOLFMOTHER - Woman
SPINAL TAP - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight

2. Amp-Warmers

KISS - Strutter
NIRVANA - Heart-Shaped Box
POLICE - Message in a Bottle
VAN HALEN - You Really Got Me
KANSAS - Carry on Wayward Son

3. String-Snappers

FOO FIGHTERS - Monkey Wrench
ALICE IN CHAINS - Them Bones
IGGY POP AND THE STOOGES - Search and Destroy
PRETENDERS - Tattooed Love Boys
BLACK SABBATH - War Pigs

4. Thrash and Burn

WARRANT - Cherry Pie
BUTTHOLE SURFERS - Who Was in My Room Last Night
MATHEW SWEET - Girlfriend
ROLLING STONES - Can't You Hear Me Knockin'
GUNS N' ROSES - Sweet Child O' Mine

5. Return of the Shred

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE - Killing in the Name Of
PRIMUS - John the Fisherman
SWORD - Freya
THIN LIZZY - Bad Reputation
AEROSMTIH - Last Child

6. Relentless Riffs

HEART - Crazy on You
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS - Tripping on a Hole in a Paper Heart
STRAY CATS - Rock This Town
ALLMAN BROTHERS - Jessica
JANE'S ADDICTION - Stop

7. Furious Fretwork

ANTHRAX - Madhouse
LIVING END - Carry Me Home
LAMB OF GOD - Laid to Rest
REVEREND HORTON HEAT - Psychobilly Freakout
RUSH - YYZ

8. Face-Melters

AVENGED SEVENFOLD - Beast and the Harlot
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES - Institutionalized
DICK DALE - Misirlou
MEGADETH - Hangar 18
LYNYRD SKYNYRD - Free Bird

[SackAttack]

Plus all the unlockables...

I'm drooling already.

[Lonnie]

My birthday is Nov 11th, looks like I'll be getting an early present!

[cartman]

Dick Dale is gonna be awesome! I can only hope to honor the King of the Surf Guitar.

[Vince]

This game is going to be amazing. It will consume days of my life.

[MizzouRah]

The 360 will rock like no other!

[Eilim]

We need to get one of the programmers around here to tinker with the code to *THIS* (http://louhi.kempele.fi/~skyostil/uv/fretsonfire/) so we can have our own little FOFC score site so we can all show our true virtual guitar skills. ;)

When the ps2, or big screen tv have been tied up I've used my ps2-USb converter to hook up the controller to my pc to get my GH fix. Some really good tunes scattered around the net for it and with the latest version you can even import all the songs right from your GH disc.

(btw, check out the demo video on the site if you get the chance.. I still play the tutorial every once in a while just because it cracks me up.. :) )

[Groundhog]

We need to get one of the programmers around here to tinker with the code to *THIS* (http://louhi.kempele.fi/~skyostil/uv/fretsonfire/) so we can have our own little FOFC score site so we can all show our true virtual guitar skills. ;)

When the ps2, or big screen tv have been tied up I've used my ps2-USb converter to hook up the controller to my pc to get my GH fix. Some really good tunes scattered around the net for it and with the latest version you can even import all the songs right from your GH disc.

(btw, check out the demo video on the site if you get the chance.. I still play the tutorial every once in a while just because it cracks me up.. :) )

I'm downloading this now. If it's as good as I hope it is, I'll have to grab one of those ps2-USB convertors to use my guitar.

[Lonnie]

Xbox 360 controller - X-Plorer

Story (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mygen.com.au/cms_files/mygen/ProductImages/846/2/2/X06_all_GH2_art_02.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mygen.com.au/article.php%3Fpage_id%3D30928542110181063%26se_id%3D29%26format%3D2&h=260&w=635&sz=20&hl=en&start=23&tbnid=NCXU3WVV2oZeOM:&tbnh=55&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3DGuitar%2BHero%2B2%2Bcontroller%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN)

http://www.mygen.com.au/cms_files/mygen/ProductImages/846/2/2/X06_all_GH2_art_02.jpg

[Pyser]

FYI:


Guitar Hero II arrives with a new track list, new venues and additional play modes – including the ability to transform the original Guitar Hero SG Controller into a rhythm, lead or bass guitar. The November issue of The Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM) will have a GH II demo on its coverdisk, and while no games modes are revealed yet, it will have 4 songs : Shout at the Devil by Motley Crue, Strutter by Kiss, YYZ by Rush, and You Really Got Me by Van Halen.

this magazine is out now (10 bucks though). fwiw, you can play all 4 songs at any difficulty level, and can also play in co-op mode, with each person choosing their own difficulty level.

and yes, yyz is amazing.

[mrsimperless]

this magazine is out now (10 bucks though). fwiw, you can play all 4 songs at any difficulty level, and can also play in co-op mode, with each person choosing their own difficulty level.

and yes, yyz is amazing.

Thanks, I'm probably gonna have the first wet dream of my entire life tonight thanks to you.

Have you tried out the co-op yet? I can't tell you how much I'm lookking forward to that. Oh and also to being able to play multiplayer at different difficulties so I can finally compete against my mom. That's right, I said my mom. She probably plays GH more than me, although she's still stuck on easy level.