The only game that let's you play the guitar solo in Freebird. Enough said.
I didn't ever play the first Guitar Hero, but I am very good at rhythm games. So I thought I could play Guitar Hero II for a little while, then beat it after five hours and move on. Oh no no.
Guitar Hero II continues maybe the most innovative video game experience of the 21st century. For starters, the guitar-shaped controller is absolutely fantastic. It feels and fits well, the buttons and strum bar are responsive, and the game's menus work perfectly with the controller.
So I sat down to play Shout at the Devil for my first gig. I played on Medium... for one gig. Man, this game is hard. I had to go back and clear all the easy levels before I felt comfortable enough to tackle the Medium level. In fact, I just now five-starred all the Medium songs, and I've been playing for two weeks. Just understand, this game does have a long-lasting appeal.
The soundtrack for Guitar Hero II is wonderful. It runs the gamut from classic rock to death metal, instrumentals and vocal accomodations. Covers for Sweet Child of Mine, Carry on Wayward Son and Freebird (Freebird!) are definitely some of the highlights. True, not all the covers are very good. The cover of Killing in the Name (by Rage Against the Machine) is notably poor, but most of the songs do a decent job of representing the originals. Also, some of the bands gave their originals to RedOctane, which was a nice touch.
So that's it. The game is unbelievably fun, especially in multiplayer mode, where one player can play electric and one can play bass. It will keep you going for a long time, working to perfect each song. And you can play Freebird! My fingers are still hurting...