Guitar Hero II
Box art for two versions of Guitar Hero II. Left: PlayStation 2, PAL release. PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a colour -encoding system used in Broadcast television systems in large parts of the world Right: Xbox 360, NTSC release. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. NTSC ( National Television System Committee) is the Analog television system used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico
Developer(s)	Harmonix Music Systems
Publisher(s)	RedOctane, Activision
Designer(s)	Greg LoPiccolo Rob Kay Chris Canfield Josh Randall
Series	Guitar Hero
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Xbox 360
Release date	PlayStation 2 NA November 7, 2006 AU November 15, 2006 UK November 24, 2006 EU November 30, 2006 Xbox 360 NA April 3, 2007 AU April 4, 2007 EU April 6, 2007
Genre(s)	Rhythm game
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB:T OFLC: PG BBFC: PG PEGI: 12+ PEGI: 11+ (Finland)
Media	DVD
Input methods	Guitar controller - game packaged with Gibson SG (PS2) or Gibson X-Plorer (Xbox 360) controller, gamepad

Guitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video Harmonix Music Systems (or simply Harmonix) is a video game development company based in Cambridge Massachusetts in the United States. RedOctane is an American electronic entertainment company perhaps best known for publishing the ''Guitar Hero'' series. Activision Inc is an American Video game developer and publisher. A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer Robotkid is the alias of Josh Randall, an Electronic dance musician video artist and video game developer from Cambridge Massachusetts. In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a Video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's In video gaming, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session A multiplayer game is a Game which is played by several players. A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of Video games into suitability-related groups The Entertainment Software Rating Board ( ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, Advertising guidelines and The Office of Film and Literature Classification is a Statutory Censorship and classification body which provides day to day administrative support for the Classification The British Board of Film Classification ( BBFC) originally British Board of Film Censors, is the organisation responsible for Film, DVD Pan European Game Information ( PEGI) is a European Video game content rating system. Digital media (as opposed to analog media) usually refers to Electronic media that work on digital Codes. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is A game controller is an Input device used to control a Video game. The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro) is a type of Electric guitar. A gamepad, also called joypad or control pad, is a type of Game controller held in the hand where the digits (especially thumbs are used to provide input A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a Video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's Harmonix Music Systems (or simply Harmonix) is a video game development company based in Cambridge Massachusetts in the United States. RedOctane is an American electronic entertainment company perhaps best known for publishing the ''Guitar Hero'' series. It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero is a Music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 Video It was first released for the PlayStation 2 in November 2006^[1] and then for the Xbox 360 in April 2007, with additional content not originally in the PlayStation 2 version. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. ^[2]

Like the original Guitar Hero, the player uses a guitar-shaped peripheral to simulate the playing of rock music as notes scroll towards the player. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. In Music, the term note has two primary meanings 1 a sign used in Musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a Sound; Most of the gameplay from the original game remains intact, with new modes and note combinations being the major additions. The game features more than 40 popular licensed songs, many of them cover versions recorded for the game, spanning five decades (from the 1960s to the 2000s). In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released ^[3] The PlayStation 2 version of Guitar Hero II can be purchased individually or in a bundle that packages the game with a cherry red Gibson SG guitar controller. The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s The Xbox 360 version of the game is offered in a bundle that packages the game with a white Gibson X-Plorer guitar controller. The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro) is a type of Electric guitar. Both of these controllers are wired, but RedOctane also sells a wireless controller for the PlayStation 2. ^[4]

Since its release, Guitar Hero II has been met with both critical and commercial success, helping the Guitar Hero series become a cultural phenomenon. ^[5] As of December 1, 2007, the game has sold 3. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 1 million copies. ^[6] It has spawned the "expansion" title Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s for the PlayStation 2. Guitar Hero Encore Rocks the 80s (titled Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s in Europe is a Music video game and the third installment in the popular A full-fledged sequel, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, has been released by Neversoft, the makers of the popular Tony Hawk series. Neversoft or Neversoft Entertainment is an American Video game developer, founded in 1994 by Joel Jewett Mick West and Chris Ward The Tony Hawk series is a computer and Video game series endorsed by Tony Hawk and is created by games developer Neversoft and published by ^[7] Harmonix, the previous developers of the Guitar Hero series, went on to produce Rock Band, a similar rhythm game that features guitar, drum and microphone gameplay.

Development

The guitar controllers bundled with Guitar Hero II: cherry red Gibson SG (PS2) and Gibson X-Plorer (Xbox 360)

The surprise success of Guitar Hero readily lead to the development of a sequel for the game. The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro) is a type of Electric guitar. Guitar Hero is a Music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 Video ^[8] According to developer John Tam, the team felt they "hit the sweet spot" of genres and decades within the set list and wanted to maintain that for the sequel. ^[8] The costs of obtaining licensing rights for music from "big bands" such as AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, and Metallica, in addition to the lack of understanding of how the music would be used prevented these groups from being used in Guitar Hero. AC/DC are an Australian Hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Led Zeppelin were Van Halen is a Hard rock band formed in in 1972 They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978 Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in. However, Tam notes that with the success of Guitar Hero, "They understand that we're not going to embarrass their music, we're going to actually pay homage to their music and get it to the point where people are going to fall in love with their music and understand their music in a totally different way than they've ever experienced it before. "^[8] They also had requests by artists to include master tracks within the game. ^[8]

In addition to working more directly with artists, RedOctane and Activision worked with various musical instrument and equipment companies to provide in-game product placement. Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a type of Advertising, in which promotional Advertisements placed by marketers using Such vendors include BOSS Effectors, DW Drums, Eden Bass Amplication, EMG, Epiphone, Ernie Ball Strings, Gibson Guitar, Guitar Center, Hofner, Kramer, Krank, Line 6, Mesa Boogie, MusicMan Basses, Orange, Randall Amplifiers, Roland, Vans and the Vans Warped Tour, VHT, and Zildjian. ^[9]

Guitar Hero II was originally announced for the PlayStation 2 on April 17, 2006. Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[10] A demo version of the PlayStation 2 version of Guitar Hero II was released with issue #110 of Official PlayStation Magazine on October 5, 2006. Official US PlayStation Magazine (often abbreviated to OPM) is a now-defunct international Video game magazine, originally published by Events 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[11][12] Features of the demo included four playable songs on four difficulty levels for single player and co-op modes. Demo releases do not feature the ability to flip the notes for left-handed players. Demo versions feature the songs "Shout at the Devil", "You Really Got Me", "Strutter" and "YYZ". " Shout at the Devil " is a popular song by the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. " You Really Got Me " is a rock Song written by Ray Davies and performed by his band The Kinks. "Strutter" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, released on their self-titled debut album in 1974. " YYZ " (the title of which is properly pronounced "Y-Y-Zed" is an Instrumental rock piece by Rush, from the 1981 album Moving Pictures ^[11] The demo featured slightly different note charts than the final release for some of the songs. The retail game was released for the PlayStation 2 on November 7, 2006 in North America, November 15, 2006 in Australia,^[13] and November 30, 2006 in the United Kingdom and Europe. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[14] It was released as both a stand-alone game and as a bundle containing the game and a cherry Gibson SG guitar controller. The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s

Xbox 360 version

When Activision purchased RedOctane in 2006, the company expressed strong interest in bring the Guitar Hero series to "every significant new format" in order to take advantage of the next generation of consoles. Events January 26 2006 -- Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld the Nintendo DS Lite. ^[15] The Xbox 360 version was announced on September 27, 2006 at Microsoft's X06. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. X (sometimes called the "X0 events" is an annually held Trade show hosted by Microsoft, showcasing its Xbox - and more recently Games for ^[16] Dusty Welch of RedOctane stated that the Xbox 360 "provides an incredible platform for facilitating downloadable content" due to the integrated hard drive on the console. ^[17] The Xbox 360 version of the game included 10 exclusive songs and additional content available for purchase through the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Xbox Live Marketplace ( XBLM) is a virtual market designed for Microsoft 's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download ^[18]

The Xbox 360 version was released on April 3, 2007 in North America^[19] and Australia,^[20] and then on April 6, 2007 in Europe, only as a bundle containing the game and a wired Gibson X-Plorer guitar controller; this bundle was priced at US$89. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro) is a type of Electric guitar. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 99, US$10 more than the PlayStation 2 version (a common occurrence among current-generation and last-generation releases of the same games ^[21]). It was released as a stand-alone game for the Xbox 360 in the UK on January 25, 2008. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[22]

Gameplay

See also: Common gameplay elements in the Guitar Hero series

Gameplay is based on the successful formula created for the first Guitar Hero game; the player may use the guitar peripheral to play scrolling notes by holding the corresponding fret button on the guitar neck and simultaneously pressing the strum bar. Alternatively, one can play with the DualShock 2 or Xbox 360 controller by using four shoulder buttons and a face button, mapped to specific fret keys. The DualShock (officially DUALSHOCK and occasionally referred to as Dual Shock) is a line of vibration-feedback ^[23][24]

Several changes have been made to the gameplay mechanics for Guitar Hero II: hammer-on and pull-off functionality has been improved, and three note chords have been introduced, scored as triple points if played correctly. Hammer-on is a Stringed instrument playing technique performed (especially on Guitar) by sharply bringing a fretting-hand finger down on the Fingerboard A pull-off is a stringed instrument technique performed by plucking a string by "pulling" the string off the Fingerboard with one of the fingers being used There are additional statistics available for a song upon completion, and the scores achieved in either Quick Play or Career mode are saved to the same in-game high-score list. ^[25] The handedness of the guitar can now be toggled from the Pause menu when playing a song (previously, this was only available from the game's main menu). For the Xbox 360 version, scores can also be compared with other players through Xbox Live via the Leaderboard feature, and there are 50 Achievements that can be earned in the game. Xbox Live (trademarked as Xbox LIVE) is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation ^[26][27]

Career mode

Xbox 360 version of the game displaying the scoring meter (left), the guitar fretboard (middle), and the Rock and Star Power Meters (right)

In Career mode, players create a band name and select a guitarist from among the available characters. Eight characters, each representing a unique genre of rock music - are available from the start of the game: Eddie Knox, Axel Steel, Casey Lynch, Lars Ümlaüt, Izzy Sparks, Judy Nails, Johnny Napalm, and Pandora. ^[28] Additional characters — Clive Winston, Xavier Stone and the Grim Ripper — can also be purchased, allowing them to be used in later sessions.

Only the lead guitar is available to be played in the Career mode. Over the course of the Career mode the band plays at eight available venues. The venue system from the original game has been altered slightly and has the band traveling geographically from town to town in order to play at the next arena. The venues are Nilbog High School, The Rat Cellar Pub, The Blackout Bar, The RedOctane Club, the Rock City Theater, the Vans Warped Tour, Harmonix Arena and Stonehenge. The Warped Tour' is a touring music and Extreme sports festival Stonehenge is a Prehistoric Monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury ^[29] The venues feature lighting and pyrotechnics that are synchronized with the music. Modern stage lighting is a flexible Tool in the production of Theatre, Dance, Opera and other Performance arts The term "pyrotechnics" can also be used for Fireworks events ^[30]

Not all songs in the main set list are available from the start. Once a song is unlocked for play within Career mode, it becomes available for play in all other modes. When working through Career mode at a specific difficulty level, the next tier of songs is unlocked once the required number of songs on the current tier (3-5, depending on difficulty and console) are completed. Additionally, the encore song for a particular tier is only made available once its requirements are completed. On the Easy difficulty setting, there are no encores available, but the next tier will be unlocked immediately after completing the required songs in the previous tier. ^[25]

Successful completion of a song on Medium or higher difficulty during Career mode will earn the player in-game cash. Higher difficulty levels^[31] and better scoring performances are rewarded with more cash. ^[32] In-game money can be used at The Store to buy various items. Some items are available only after completing all songs at higher difficulty levels or 5-star performances. ^[33] Within The Store, the player can purchase new Gibson guitars, guitar finishes, three additional characters, alternate outfits for the eight characters available from the start, bonus songs, and videos. The Gibson Guitar Corporation of Nashville Tennessee, USA is a manufacturer of acoustic and Electric guitars The company's most popular guitar ^[34] For unknown reasons, the bonus videos are absent from the PAL version of the game. Within the Xbox 360 version, there is also an option to access the Guitar Hero II content on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Xbox Live Marketplace ( XBLM) is a virtual market designed for Microsoft 's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download ^[26]

Multiplayer

In cooperative multiplayer, the two players share their score, Rock Meter, and Star Power. Screenshot from the PlayStation 2 version.

There are three different multiplayer modes available:^[35][36]

• Cooperative

One player plays lead guitar while another plays either bass guitar or rhythm guitar, depending on the song. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the Rhythm guitar is the use of a Guitar to provide Rhythmic chordal Accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a Musical ensemble Both players share a score, rock meter, star power meter, and streak multiplier. Cooperative mode is the only multiplayer mode in which a song can be failed. Star power can only be activated by both players simultaneously.

• Face-Off

This is the same multiplayer mode as featured in the original game, though in Guitar Hero II both players can select their own level of difficulty. In this mode, players alternate between playing sections of the selected song. The scores are weighted so that a player who hits fewer notes on Easy difficulty may not necessarily lose against an opponent on Expert difficulty who hits more notes.

• Pro Face-Off

Players play the full lead guitar track on the same difficulty. For the PlayStation 2 mode, this is available upon completion of any career level,^[37] while for the Xbox 360 version, the mode is unlocked after completing the career mode at Medium level or higher. ^[38] The score system is identical as the song could be played alone, but songs cannot be failed in this mode.

Although, online multiplayer was not available at the release of Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360, RedOctane has stated that they hope to be able provide this later once they are able to work out the technical issues. ^[39]

Practice mode

Practice mode is a new addition to the game, allowing a player to practice certain sections of a song ("Verse 2," "Chorus," "Bridge 3," "Gtr Solo 4," etc. ) on different difficulties and instruments. ^[40] Practice mode gives the player the ability to toggle the speed of the notes (Full Speed, Slow, Slower and Slowest) and does not stop a song no matter how many mistakes are made. Players can play the bass guitar lines on most songs. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the On others, a rhythm guitar line is available instead. Rhythm guitar is the use of a Guitar to provide Rhythmic chordal Accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a Musical ensemble ^[41]

Soundtrack

Main article: List of songs in Guitar Hero II

See also: List of Xbox 360 downloadable content for Guitar Hero II

Both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 versions of Guitar Hero II feature the same core 64 playable songs (40 licensed, 24 bonus songs). Guitar Hero II is a Music video game developed by Harmonix and distributed by RedOctane, and is a sequel to Guitar Hero Guitar Hero II is a Music video game developed by Harmonix and distributed by RedOctane, and is a sequel to Guitar Hero ^[42] Among the featured tracks are "You Really Got Me" performed by Van Halen, "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses, "Woman" by Wolfmother, "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath, and "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. " You Really Got Me " is a rock Song written by Ray Davies and performed by his band The Kinks. Van Halen is a Hard rock band formed in in 1972 They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978 " Sweet Child o' Mine " is a song by the Hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Guns N' Roses is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 " War Pigs " is an Anti-war song by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their 1970 Album, Paranoid Black Sabbath are an is a song by the American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was first featured on the band's debut album (pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd in 1973 and Lynyrd Skynyrd (ˌlɛnɚdˈskɪnɝd is an American Southern rock band The Xbox 360 version of the game contains 10 exclusive tracks not included in the PlayStation 2 version, including "Billion Dollar Babies" by Alice Cooper, "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" by Rick Derringer, and "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden. Billion Dollar Babies is an album by American Hard rock band Alice Cooper, released in March 1973. Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer songwriter and musician whose career spans five Johnny Winter And is a 1970 album by Texas blues guitarist Johnny Winter. Rick Derringer (born Richard Zehringer, 5 August, 1947, in Fort Recovery Ohio) is an American Guitarist vocalist " The Trooper " is a song written by Iron Maiden bass player Steve Harris. For other uses see Iron maiden. Additionally, the Xbox 360 version allows for downloadable songs to be purchased on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Xbox Live Marketplace ( XBLM) is a virtual market designed for Microsoft 's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download The Xbox 360 version also features a reorganized set list that provides a more balanced progression in difficulty. ^[27]

Most of the songs featured in the main set list are cover versions, with the exception of "Stop", "Possum Kingdom", "Dead!", and "John the Fisherman"; these four are based on master recordings. In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released For the State Park in Texas see Possum Kingdom State Park. "Possum Kingdom" is the first single from the Toadies ' 1994 "John the Fisherman" is the first single by the alternative rock band Primus, released first live in 1989 on Suck on This The unlockable bonus songs are all master recordings, including some specifically arranged for use within Guitar Hero II. ^[43] Cover songs are credited on screen with the phrase "as made famous by" (for example, "Surrender, as made famous by Cheap Trick"), while the original songs are credited with "as performed by" (for example, "John the Fisherman, as performed by Primus"). " Surrender " is a Cheap Trick song originally released on January 30, 1978 on the album Heaven Tonight. Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford Illinois, that gained popularity in the late 1970s Primus is an American rock band currently composed of singer and bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde, and

RedOctane stated that the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II "planned to feature more downloadable content than any other 360 title" utilizing the Xbox Live Marketplace,^[44] including many of the songs from the original Guitar Hero a week after the release of the game. The Xbox Live Marketplace ( XBLM) is a virtual market designed for Microsoft 's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download ^[45][46][47] Four such packs have been released since April 11, 2007. Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[48][49] Additionally, two packs featuring new content to the Guitar Hero series have also been released, including songs from My Chemical Romance,^[50] Protest the Hero, Trivium, and Atreyu. My Chemical Romance (often shortened to MCR or' My Chem') is an American alternative / post-hardcore quintet that formed in 2001 Protest the Hero (often abbreviated as PTH or simply Protest) is a Canadian Mathcore band from Whitby, Ontario. Trivium is Atreyu is a Metalcore band from Orange County California. The band consists of vocalist Alex Varkatzas, guitarists Dan Jacobs and ^[51] There have also been individual track downloads featuring songs from European bands Los Rodríguez, Pleymo, and Soilwork. Los Rodríguez was a rock band composed by two Spaniards and two Argentinians, that played during the 90's Pleymo is a French Nu metal band Today they have shifted towards a more melodic rock sound Soilwork is a Swedish Melodic death metal band from Helsingborg. ^[52]

Featured instruments

Guitar Hero II features many popular real world Gibson, Epiphone, and Kramer guitars,^[53] including the Gibson Les Paul, Gibson SG, Gibson Flying V, (these three being the only ones available from the start) Gibson Sonex 180 and Gibson Explorer. The Gibson Guitar Corporation of Nashville Tennessee, USA is a manufacturer of acoustic and Electric guitars The company's most popular guitar The Epiphone Company is a Musical instrument manufacturer founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos Kramer Guitars is an American manufacturer of Electric guitars and basses The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s The Gibson Flying V is an Electric guitar model first released by Gibson in 1958. The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro) is a type of Electric guitar. Oddities such as the double necked Gibson EDS-1275 and unusual looking Gibson Corvus also make an appearance. The Gibson EDS-1275 is a doubleneck Gibson electric guitar introduced in 1958 as a special-order custom instrument The Gibson Corvus was a short-lived series of guitars produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in the mid-1980s Several available finishes are also recognizable from popular guitarists, including Zakk Wylde's bullseye Les Paul. Zakk Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt on January 14, 1967 in Bayonne, New Jersey) is an American musician who As play progresses, several custom shaped guitars become available, although some are notable in the real world such as the USA and Battle Axe (a similar looking bass is played by Gene Simmons, and the guitar was played by John Christ of Samhain/Danzig fame). Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz (pronounced Haium on August 25, 1949) is an Israeli -born American Hard rock Bass For information about the bass guitarist of Avenged Sevenfold, see Johnny Christ. Samhain was a Death rock / Horror Punk band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983 Danzig is an American Heavy metal band that fuses dark lyrics and imagery with Blues-rock influences Basses, such as the Music Man StingRay, Gibson Thunderbird, and the Höfner bass (as made famous by Paul McCartney, the bassist for the Beatles) are also available for co-op play. Music Man StingRay is an electric bass guitar by Music Man, introduced in 1976 The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric Bass guitar made by Gibson. Karl Höfner GmbH & Co KG is a German Manufacturer of Musical instruments with one division that manufactures Guitars and basses, and another Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960

The band itself plays with Orange amps and DW drum kits, along with more in-game endorsements. Orange Music Electronic Company is an English Electric guitar and P Drum Workshop is an Oxnard California -based drum and hardware manufacturing company When the player passes each set of songs in career mode, his/her band is rewarded with money and equipment endorsements, including Ernie Ball strings, Boss effects, Line 6 guitar amplifiers, VHT amplifiers, Mesa Boogie amplifiers, and Roland keyboards. Ernie Ball (1930 – September 9 2004) was an American Entrepreneur, musician and innovator widely acclaimed as a revolutionary in the development Boss is a manufacturer of Effects pedals for Electric guitar and Bass guitar. Line 6 is a manufacturer of Digital modelling Electric guitars Acoustic guitars, amplifiers and Mesa/Boogie (also known as Mesa Engineering is a Company in Petaluma California that makes Amplifiers for Guitars and basses is a Japanese manufacturer of Electronic musical instruments electronic equipment and Software. These products then appear on stage while the band plays the ensuing setlists. ^[54]

Reception

The PlayStation 2 version of Guitar Hero II was welcomed with very positive reviews. Game Rankings is a Website which keeps track of Video game reviews from other sites and combines them to present an average rating for each game Metacritic is a Website that collates reviews of music Albums games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and Books. It received a 10/10 review in the December 2006 issue of Official PlayStation Magazine and was awarded the Game of the Month award. The game received a rating of 9. 5/10 from IGN,^[57] ranking higher than the original game in the series and amongst IGN's highest rated PlayStation 2 games ever. IGN (abbreviated and formerly known as I magine G ames N etwork is a multimedia news and reviews Website that focuses heavily on Video IGN would later include it on their 2007 list of "The Top 100 Games of All Time" at #49. GameSpot reviewed the PlayStation 2 version with a rating of 8. GameSpot is a video gaming Website that provides News, Reviews Previews Downloads and other information 7/10,^[36] and the Xbox 360 version 8. 9,^[27] both slightly lower than its predecessor. Game Informer gave it a 9/10, while its "second opinion" rating was better, at 9. Game Informer (often abbreviated to GI) is an American -based monthly magazine featuring articles news strategy and reviews of 25/10. According to Game Rankings,^[61] the average critic score of Guitar Hero II is 93%, making it the 9th best reviewed game of 2006. Game Rankings is a Website which keeps track of Video game reviews from other sites and combines them to present an average rating for each game

The Xbox 360 version has earned similarly positive reviews and slightly higher scores with a 9. 5/10 in the March issue of Official Xbox Magazine,^[72] a 4. Official Xbox Magazine is a monthly Video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch time of the original Xbox. 75/5 from GamePro, a 9. GamePro is an American Video game magazine published monthly The magazine was first established in Redwood City California in 1989 by Pat Ferrell 5/10 from Play Magazine a 9. Play is a monthly magazine produced by Imagine Publishing in the United Kingdom, covering all aspects of Sony 's PlayStation product 4/10 from IGN, and a perfect score of 5/5 from Got-Next. IGN (abbreviated and formerly known as I magine G ames N etwork is a multimedia news and reviews Website that focuses heavily on Video ^[74] As of April 3, 2007, the Game Rankings score is 94%. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[73] The popular G4 television show X-Play gave both versions of the game a 5/5. G4 is an American cable and satellite Television channel originally geared toward male viewers aged 12&ndash34 devoted to the world of X-Play (previously GameSpot TV and Extended Play) is a TV program about Video games known for its reviews and Additionally, the Australian Xbox Magazine has also awarded the game, for the first time, an 11/10, in a reference to This Is Spinal Tap. This Is Spın̈al Tap (officially spelled with a non-functional umlaut over the letter 'n' and dotless 'i' is a 1984 mock Rockumentary

Common praise for the game by critics is aimed at the new multiplayer and practice modes. ^[40][32] Common critiques concern the song list, which includes more hard rock and metal than the previous game, deeming it less accessible to casual players. ^[40] Other common critiques concern the quality of the covers. ^[27]

The downloadable song packs for the Xbox 360 version have been criticized for being too pricey. Each song is priced at 166. 67 MSP using the Microsoft Points system, which is approximately $2. Microsoft Points (denoted as) are the currency of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Windows Live Gallery and Zune online stores 08 USD for one song. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The price was seen by many fans of the series as being far too expensive and was met with resistance and angst with a large number of people pledging to boycott the content. ^[48] Microsoft's Xbox Live Director of Programming, Major Nelson, defending the pricing and release scheme, and attributed the high cost of the content to "licensing issues" on the Xbox 360 platform, as all contracts drawn up for songs from the original game had to be rewritten, since they are playable on an additional console. ^[75]

In 1UP.com's review for the Xbox 360 version of the game, the downloadable song packs are noted as a "mixed blessing"; praise is given for retooling the songs with better gameplay elements such as the inclusion of co-op modes, but the fact that the songs come in pricey packs of three "defeats much of the appeal". 1UPcom is a video-game site owned and operated by Ziff Davis Media, publisher of the popular video game magazine EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly. ^[40] In an interview with RedOctane president Kai Huang,^[76] Huang stated that the decision to pack the songs in three was made to keep the cost of the tracks down. RedOctane is an American electronic entertainment company perhaps best known for publishing the ''Guitar Hero'' series. Though Huang felt the pricing was fair, he noted afterward "we do listen to the fans and take any feedback we receive seriously. "

Sales

In December 2006, Guitar Hero II for PlayStation 2 was the second best-selling video game of the month,^[77] selling 805,200 units. It was outsold only by Gears of War for Xbox 360, which sold 815,700 units. Gears of War is a tactical Third-person shooter Video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. ^[77] It was the fifth best-selling video game of the fiscal year of 2006, with 1. 3 million copies sold. It was also the third best-selling game for the PlayStation 2, behind Madden NFL 07 and Kingdom Hearts II. Madden NFL 07 is the 2007 edition of the popular Madden NFL series is an Action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Square Enix and Buena Vista Games (now Disney Interactive Studios in 2005 for the Sony ^[77] Total sales of the game during 2006 were $200 million. Events January 26 2006 -- Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld the Nintendo DS Lite. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[78]

On July 12, 2007, Dusty Welch of RedOctane stated that there have been over 300,000 downloads of the music packs until that point and that the prices were "very attractive and desirable for consumers. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "^[79] On September 11, 2007, Activision reported that with over 650,000 downloads, the music packs qualified as "multi-platinum" under RIAA's definitions. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of Albums and singles sold through retail and ^[80]

As of December 1, 2007, 3. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 1 million copies of Guitar Hero II have been sold. ^[6]

Technical issues

No official statement from RedOctane or Activision has been made about the discs or the game itself having any issues, but players have reported songs freezing or skipping, causing the audio to be unsynchronized; unusually long loading screens; and menus that freeze or lock up entirely causing the game to crash. RedOctane is an American electronic entertainment company perhaps best known for publishing the ''Guitar Hero'' series. Activision Inc is an American Video game developer and publisher. The RedOctane Support Center Answer Guide states, "We’re already in the process of looking into this and testing to replicate the experience. We’ll notify everyone with our results shortly, and will have a positive resolution if need be. "^[81]

Two models of the X-Plorer controller were released for the Xbox 360 version of the game: model numbers 95055 and 95065. Of the two versions, the 95055 has an RJ-11 jack for effect pedals near the controller cord and is suspect to having an unresponsive whammy bar. RJ11 is a Physical interface often used for terminating Telephone wires A tremolo arm or tremolo bar (also called a "whammy bar" or "wang bar" is a lever attached to the bridge and/or the Tailpiece of RedOctane later responded, saying that they "isolated this issue to two model numbers that can be found on the guitar's packaging". Customers are able to exchange these models for new models. ^[82]

On April 13, 2007, Activision revealed that the issue was not a problem with the hardware, and that the guitars were not defective. Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The cause of the problem was anti-cheat protection software, and Activision released a patch on Xbox Live on April 14, 2007 to remedy it. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[83] However, this patch may have caused some unintended side effects. Starting on April 16, 2007, numerous users began reporting lockups and failures of their system (such as the Red Ring of Death) after downloading and installing this patch, causing them to require hardware repair service through Microsoft. Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Xbox 360 Video game console is subject to a number of technical problems that can render it unusable RedOctane stated, "We're aware of the problem and we're looking into it. "^[84]

Numerous game players have also reported problems with static shocks to the X-Plorer guitars causing various fret buttons (usually the green one) to permanently malfunction. Multiple exchanges of guitars have not solved the problem, as exchanged guitars also exhibit the problem. To date, RedOctane has not solved the problem, and has refused to extend warranties to replacement guitars, time limiting the warranty back to the original date of purchase. ^[85]

References

External links

• Official site
• Guitar Hero II at IGN
• Guitar Hero II at GameSpot
• Guitar Hero II reviews at Metacritic
• A list of Xbox 360 Achievements for Guitar Hero II