Guitar Hero II: Xbox 360 1st Impressions

Written by Kevin Alexander

Wednesday, 04 April 2007 06:41

Having played countless hours of both PS2 versions I was excited to get my hands on the newly-released 360 edition. This morning I had a chance to spend a couple of hours with it.

Of course the major difference between the two is the guitar itself. I loved the SG, it felt comfortable and fit like a glove. It sat against my body nicely (ooooohhhhh yeaaahhhh) and was tough as nails. In comparison the X-Plorer feels a bit awkward at first due to the different shape of its body. The new, longer strap connects to the back of the neck instead of the top of the body and though I was a bit worried when I saw this, it doesn't seem to feel weird. The buttons feel a bit smaller, but are probably the same size and have good action, like the SG. The whammy bar also feels a bit different, but is easy to get used to. My biggest gripe is with the pointed body interfering with the strap and affecting the way the guitar rests against your body. If you've played enough Guitar Hero on the PS2 you'll know what I mean. My brother-in-law who has spent a fraction of the time with the game that I have, didn't notice anything feeling weird so if you're new to the game you shouldn't have any problems. I've spent so much time with the game that the red SG felt different than the black one when I first got it, though they were probably exactly the same.

As for the game itself, it's exactly Guitar Hero II as it was on the PS2 only the songs are rearranged a bit and they've added achievements and online leaderboards. During the first two songs I played I unlocked 4 separate achievements though that's not to say that all of them are easy to get. Graphically the game looks identical as the PS2 version on my 27" Sony CRT (don't get jealous).

Overall, if you've played it and love it, that love will continue over to this version of the game. While I'm at it, if anyone is interested in both the PS2's GH 1 & 2 plus 2 official Red Octant guitars in a dual gig bag, let me know since I won't be needing them any more.

Comments (12) Add Comment

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written by Andarko, April 04, 2007

I am a Guitar Hero 2 neophyte, having only played the game a handful of times on friends' PS2s, but I spent a few hours with it on my 360 last night, and I LOVE IT! It looks great on my HDTV; it is incredibly fun to play; and it is highly addictive. My only gripe is about the guitar. I have small hands, so the buttons being close together doesn't bother me; in fact, I wouldn't mind if they were a bit closer together. But the jagged shape of the guitar rubbed against the right side of my body while I played, leaving my arm and side a bit irritated. It's not terrible, but it is a little annoying and makes me ponder whether I need to wear long sleeves every time I play. Nevertheless, I am counting down the hours until I can leave work to go home and play more GH2!

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written by Andarko, April 04, 2007

P.S. - I also had some difficulty with tilting the guitar up for Star Power, though I don't know if that's a sensitivity issue with the controller, or my own inexperience with the game.

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written by Hednisk, April 04, 2007

I've also had some problems with the Star Power tilting sensitivity and the whammy bar. Apparently there are some guitars that have a crappy whammy bar and some that don't.

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written by Razrbaby, April 04, 2007

Andarko & Hednisk: You're not alone on the star power. I've played the PS2 version and it's tougher to get it to trigger on the 360. I'm hoping I get better at it over time but it's a little bit of a bother

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written by Danny M, April 04, 2007

dude I suck miserably at this game and there's no need for you to tell me so via XBL Messages, lol. But i cleared all songs on Easy (woopedy-doo) and Im almost done with all songs on Medium..i think it will take MUUCCCH more practice before I can start playing witha 5 string guitar, lol

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written by Kevin Alexander, April 04, 2007

Hey man, everyone's gotta start somewhere. I could barely do songs on Medium when I first started playing the original. Since then I've probably logged 50-60 hours playing the two PS2 games. That's the only reason I can start off on Hard.

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written by Dan Zuccarelli, April 04, 2007

Seriously, this is a game that really does reward patience and effort. It took me forever to get the hang of it... getting my hands to do different things just threw me for a loop

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written by Katana, April 05, 2007

I've only played the game on the PS2 a little bit at a friend's house and at the store so the controller isn't an issue for me. That said I disagree that it looks exactly the same as it does on Playstation. They graphics, specifically the background graphics are a hell of a lot better than on the Playstation.

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written by Danny M, April 05, 2007

"...I could barely do songs on Medium when I first started playing the original..."

Damn, I havnet gotten 100% on a song on easy yet, but even thought I suck, unlike games like ghost recon, rainbow six, splinter cell etc., I havent stopped playing yet - as a matter of fact, I can't get my hands off of it. I think between yesterday and today i have logged about 10-15 hours in between work and work, and some more work....

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written by Katana, April 05, 2007

Dan, look for a song with lots of long notes to get 100% on.

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written by coupland, April 06, 2007

So is it unusual that I have every song on easy five star, I'm clearing most songs on medium with ease, but can't clear a single song on hard more than 20% of the way into the song?

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written by Katana, April 06, 2007

I don't think so, I'm pretty much the same. There is a pretty steep jump between medium and hard, the extra button doesn't help, but there are just a ton more notes.