I just picked up a copy of Guitar Hero for PS2. What a game. If you play guitar, you'll jump into the game quickly -- it feels quite natural. Because the game comes with a GUITAR CONTROLLER!
The guitar controller has 5 frets with buttons on them, a little flicky area that serves as a strum zone, and even a working whammy bar. It's quite wild.The game plays as a sort of guitar karaoke. The top of your TV screen shows the concert (digitally rendered with comic-looking characters - very stylized), while the bottom is a fretboard drifting toards you. On that fretboard, frets are marked to represent the notes you are supposed to play. In this way you sort of fake your way through playing a rock song. There is a HUGE range of songs and bands to play along with -- The Ramones, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queen, ZZ Top, Edgar Winter, Cream, Stevie Ray Vaugh, Jimi Hendrix, Bad Religion, Queens of the Stone Age, Sum41, The Donnas, Franz Ferdinand.... and an uncountable number of underground bands that you can unlock.
The easy levels are totally do-able, and VERY replayable. It's fun every time.
If you DO play guitar, it can only help with your finger dexterity and speed. As the levels get harder, it is a real challenge to play the notes and chords in time with the music.
This is one of the most refreshing and different games I've played since Katamari Damacy. And it's the closest I'll ever get to playing with David Bowie or Joan Jett or Audioslave. It's really wild to hear what your 'playing' fit in with the rest of the band.
I played for about 3 hours last night. My hand still hurts.
