Guitar Hero II
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😍 8.8/10
(Playstation 2 - US, Music)
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Developed_By:
Harmonix Music Systems Inc.
Published_By:
Activision
Released On:
07 Nov 2006
Also available on:
Guitar Hero II expands upon the gameplay and features of the original PS2 game. As a wannabe rockstar, you need to play songs by pressing combinations of five fret buttons on a guitar-shaped controller, while working the strum bar, along with an optional whammy bar for distortion. The sequel contains 64 songs, of which 40 have been licensed. One of the tracks was discovered through a contest at beaguitarhero.com, where unlicensed bands could send in a demo to be included in the game. Most of the tracks have been covered in-studio, but a few use original recordings.
The career mode has been revamped as a high school battle where you need to make your way to the top. Every venue is now represented by a different city. There are also encore performances, and unlockables can still be bought in the shop. A completely new addition is the practice mode (Shred School). When you keep getting stumped by a single track, you can train in this mode. The background music is dropped, you can choose a certain section to practice, and there four types of speeds available, to slowly get the hang of difficult passages.
In the multiplayer mode, you can still play the traditional mode from the first game, where sections are traded off between players. The co-op mode is new: both players play the same song at the same time, but one is given the lead guitar, while the other handles the bass or rhythm guitar. Unlike the traditional mode, you can fail and both player share the score, rock meter and multiplier. To activate star power (a short power-up mode where the score multiplier is doubled, built up in a meter by playing a number of star-shaped notes without flaws and best saved for difficult sections) both players need to raise the guitar at the same time. You cannot practice together in this mode, but the different sections are available in the singleplayer practice mode. The final mode is called Face-Off. Here, both players play every single note at the same time. In the multiplayer mode, each player can now choose an individual difficulty level. Upon completing Face-Off, Pro Face-Off becomes available, where both players need to use the same difficulty level.
Other additions include the introduction of three-button chords, smoother hammer-ons and pull-offs, and the screen now shakes if you break a note streak (only for the side of the player who makes the mistake in the multiplayer mode).
UPC-A:
047875950351 (United States)
UPC-A:
047875951198 (United States)
UPC-A:
047875951358 (United States)
UPC-A:
047875951952 (United States)
UPC-A:
047875952010 (Canada)
eBay Product ID:
167357231 (United States)
eBay Product ID:
59781859 (United States)
eBay Product ID:
63515912 (United States)
ASIN:
B000WQZ7WS (United States)
Sony PN:
SLUS-21224/21447 (United States)
Sony PN:
SLUS-21224P2T/21447P2T (Canada)
Sony PN:
SLUS-21447 (United States)
Sony PN:
SLUS-21672 (United States)
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Media Type:
DVD-ROM
Save Game Methods:
External Storage
Multiplayer Options:
Same/Split-Screen
Sound Capabilities:
Dolby Pro Logic II
Number of Offline Players:
1-2 Players
Gamepads Supported:
DualShock, DualShock 2
Controller Types Supported:
Analog Controller
Input Devices Supported/Optional:
Guitar Controller, Gamepad
Multiplayer Game Modes:
Free-for-all / One-on-one (VS), Co-Op
Video Modes Supported:
Progressive Scan (480p), Widescreen (16 x 9)
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Manual
Game Guide
Extracted from the original game manual
This text is an interview with a fictional rockstar from the music rhythm game *Guitar Hero II*. It provides character backstory and flavor text, offering insights into the personality and musical tastes of Axel Steel. The player, however, does not directly interact with this content but rather plays the game as a guitarist.
Story
Askin' Q's and Kickin' A's With AXEL STEEL
An exclusive interview with Guitar Hero II's metal monster.
We had a chance to sit down with hard-rocking Axel Steel, one of the stars of Guitar Hero II and ask him a bunch of questions! We were able to meet up with Axel at an all-night diner after one of his shows.
Interview
GH Magazine: Thanks for taking the time to do this; I know how busy you are.
Axel Steel: No problem, the smells from that tour bus were starting to get to me.
GHM: What kind of music are you listening to now?
AS: There's this new type of metal out of Norway which, like takes metal and smothers it with a gooey layer of more metal, sprinkles it with bits of metal with and roasts it on an open fire until it's cooked all the way through.
GHM: Sweet. So when did you first pick up a guitar?
AS: I can't remember the exact age, but I was young. I remember seeing this rock band play down the road. They were so loud, they had so many chicks, and they wore so much denim that I was instantly hooked.
GHM: When's your new album coming out?
AS: Well, we decided to do things a bit different this time. We had the cover art done first, and now we're going back and writing songs based on it... it's going slower than we thought it would.
GHM: So what's the album cover look like?
AS: It involves a snake somehow holding a machine gun... and he's shooting all these monsters, but the monsters are like smiling...like they like it... yeaahhhh!
At that point in the interview Axel saw his tour bus taking off down the street and he took off chasing after it.
How to Play
GETTING STARTED
•
open button
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memory card slot 2
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memory card slot 1
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controller port 1
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controller port 2
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USB connectors
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disc cover
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on/standby/
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reset button
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IR receiver
Set up your PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system according to the instructions supplied with your system. Check that the system is turned on (the on/standby indicator is green). Press the OPEN button to open the disc cover.
Place the (Guitar Hero II) disc with the label side facing up in the disc holder, and then close the disc cover. Attach game controllers and other peripherals as appropriate. Follow the on-screen instructions and refer to this manual for information on using the software.
Memory Card (8MB) (for PlayStation®2)
To save game settings and progress, insert a memory card (8MB) (for PlayStation®2) into MEMORY CARD slot 1 of your PlayStation®2 system. You can load saved game data from the same memory card or any memory card (8MB) (for PlayStation®2) containing previously saved games.
MAIN MENU
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CAREER
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QUICK PLAY
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MULTIPLAYER
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TRAINING
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OPTIONS
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UP/DOWN
Career
Live the life of a true rock star! In Career mode you unlock new songs and new venues, and also earn cash that you can use to buy additional songs, characters, guitars, guitar finishes, equipment, and other items in the store!
Character Select Screen
Pick your axe-wielding hero from this screen! Each rocker has a unique set of moves.
Guitar and Guitar Finish Select Screens
Which guitar are you going to use to shred up the stage? Purchase different guitars and guitar finishes in the store.
Career Status Screen
From this screen you can see your overall career status, change your character, change your guitar, or buy gear.
Store
Time to spend the cash you earned with your blood, sweat and tears. Inside the Store you can buy new songs, new guitars, new guitar finishes, bonus videos and even new characters.
Quick Play
Jump right in and start shredding! In Quick Play you're free to play any song you've currently earned or unlocked.
Multiplayer
Get ready for dueling axes of distortion! In the Multiplayer mode there are three different ways to play:
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Face-Off: Two players compete against each other while alternating play on the same note chart. Each player can adjust the difficulty to fit their skill level.
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Cooperative: Two players work together to make it through a song and get the highest score possible! In this mode one player plays the lead guitar and the other player either plays the rhythm guitar or bass guitar. Each player can adjust the difficulty to fit their skill level.
If you want to succeed in cooperative mode you really need to work as a team. You share a rock meter with your co-player, and to activate star power you'll both need to tilt your Guitar Hero SG Controller at the same time. Unlike the other multiplayer modes, in this mode you can fail a song!
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Pro Face-Off: This is the ultimate duel for guitar champions. Two players battle it out playing the same note chart at the same time on the same difficulty level. Finish any Career level to unlock this mode.
Training
Kick out the jams like you mean it. Guitar Hero II offers two forms of training:
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Tutorials: These interactive tutorials teach you everything you need to know about Guitar Hero II and are highly recommended for both beginners and experienced players.
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Practice: You can take any song in the game that you've currently played and can practice any part of it. You can choose to play the song at the normal setting, or you can slow the song down to really help you out.
Options Menu
Tune your settings here. You can access many of these options from the in-game pause menu as well as from the main screen.
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Audio Settings: Change the volume of the band (background music in game), guitar (the part you're playing in game) and sound FX (crowd volume, background noises) in the game. You can also turn Stereo Sound on and off.
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Video Settings:
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Lefty Flip (Player 1 and Player 2): Flips the note locations around on the screen for players that like to hold to controller in their left hand.
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Widescreen Display: Adjusts the picture to fit widescreen televisions.
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Progressive Scan: If your television supports progressive scan (and you have the correct component cables), you can turn progressive mode on using this option.
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Calibrate Lag: Some televisions have an audio visual lag that can make it difficult to play the game. Use this screen to calibrate your television's lag.
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Manage Bands: Delete or rename the bands you've created.
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Data Settings: Save your game progress, load a game from the memory card, or turn auto save on or off.
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Bonus Videos: Watch the bonus videos you've purchased in The Store.
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Credits: Check out all the hard-workin' people who helped make this game possible!
NAMING YOUR PROFILE
Coming up with a cool band name is as important as deciding which post-concert party you're going to crash. This band name will serve as the name of your Guitar Hero II Profile. You can edit this name later in "Manage Band" located in the Options Menu.
HOW TO ROCK
Guitar Hero II
Controls
L2 button
L1 button
R2 button
R1 button
directional buttons
left analog stick
L3 button
SELECT button
ANALOG mode button
START button
right analog stick
R3 button
button
X button
Up
activate Star Power
Whammy Bar
activate the Whammy Bar
Orange Note
Confirm
Cancel
Confirm
Pause
GREEN FRET BUTTON
ACTIVATES THE GREEN NOTE / CONFIRM
RED FRET BUTTON
ACTIVATES THE RED NOTE / CANCEL
YELLOW FRET BUTTON
ACTIVATES THE YELLOW NOTE
BLUE FRET BUTTON
ACTIVATES THE BLUE NOTE
ORANGE FRET BUTTON
ACTIVATES THE ORANGE NOTE
Strum Bar UP or DOWN
activate the Fret Button(s) you have pressed
Tilt Sensor
Tilt the Guitar Hero SG Controller up to activate Star Power
Enemies & Characters
CLIVE WINSTON
A rock star known for his diverse life, Clive Winston achieved fame with #1 albums, world tours, and unique charity concerts. He once played 12 solos on 12 guitars simultaneously for the Queen of England and recently released a rock opera based on air hockey.
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