Also new is the guitar controller, a white Gibson X-Plorer. This guitar is heavier than the PS2's SG, and a lot easier to hold without the strap (yes, I prefer strapless). Like other controllers on Microsoft consoles, it has a breakaway cable, and if any controller needs it, it's this one! Going between the two controllers is fine, but I do prefer the X-Plorer.
Last but not least, you have 1000 Achievement Points to nab. As if this game wasn't addicting enough, you will be rocking out even longer going for the Hendrix Award (Beat a song with lefty flip on) or the Page & Plant Award (Get 100% notes hit on a song in Cooperative). The Achievements were really well thought out, and add that much more to the game.
The guitar had some issues at the launch of the game. The Whammy bar was not responsive on some units. I have two guitars, both with different model numbers, and I have had no Whammy bar issues. A software patch was released that cleaned up the Whammy bar issues. The raging forums died down once the patch was released, so it must have fixed the issue that people were having.
This game just rocks. If you have not picked it up yet, it is really your loss. The Xbox 360 version gives you even more, so if you passed on the PS2 version, there are even more reasons to pick this one up. And if you are truly obsessed, you should have this version of Guitar Hero II as well.
Guitar Hero II is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB for Lyrics. This game can also be found on: PS2.
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