It is one of those things you never notice, so it goes overlooked. Guitar Hero strikes that perfect cord for the hardcore and casual fan. Pleasing both camps is almost impossible, Harmonix and RedOctane get a lot of credit, but it is not enough - this game is the definition of "pick up and play."
No matter how good, or how bad you are, you will rock out to Guitar Hero II.
Superb music/rhythm games coming from the U.S. is something of an anomaly, so that makes Guitar Hero's Cinderella Story that much richer. Now that the game is out on the Xbox 360, things get even better, if you can believe it.
It doesn't seem to matter one bit that I played this game to death on the PS2. It doesn't matter how many times you play this game, because it keeps getting better the more you play.
Play wise, the 360 edition did not add a lot to the already jam packed game. You get 10 songs exclusive to the 360, including a number of original recordings: "Stop," "Dead!," "Possum Kingdom," and "John the Fisherman." That brings the total number of tunes to 74. There are also three (so far) downloadable packs of songs from the original game, costing 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25) each - you can add nine more songs with these downloads.
Pearl Jam is a favorite of mine, but "Possum Kingdom" and "Dead!" are my favorite new tracks. "Life Wasted" is a fun track to play in the game, and that is really all that matters, it's just not my pick for a PJ tune in Guitar Hero.
It is really a delight to get original recordings. Some of the covers are just not right. And when the song is as famous as the ones here, its easy to notice when the vocals or guitar riffs are off.
The set list in Career Mode has also been shuffled around a bit, 15 songs in total changed places. This does help, placing some of the harder tracks later in the career.
Sure it is just eye candy, but the graphical boost on the 360 makes an impact. There is new lighting in the venues, and character models are crisp. This isn't a game that requires a sheen, but it has it. The strobe lights in the 360 version can actually be distracting, something I did not even notice in the PS2 version.
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