Guitar Hero might just be the most fun game I've ever played. This is surely a must-buy for rock fans!
Gameplay- In case you didn't already know, Guitar Hero lets you use a guitar-shaped controller as your means of rocking out. You could also play using a regular PS2 controller, but it really isn't very fun. If you use the guitar controller, you will be forced to hit various combinations of color coded fret buttons while you strum. Easy mode starts you out using only three of the fret buttons, and mostly single notes. Medium introduces more chords to you and a new fret button, while Hard does the same. The progression of the difficulty is not only just right, but it is also one of the most naturally progressing games I've ever played. The songs get harder as you get better, and the game stays on par with your skills for pretty much the entire game. All of this makes for a very fun experience and a realistic feeling experience, even though the controller is actually nothing like a real guitar.
Graphics- This is the weak point of Guitar Hero. The characters and stages look great, but you will spend most of the time looking at the notes coming towards you on a dash board, so the graphics you will usually see are pretty basic (just colored notes moving closer to you). If you take the time to watch the show unfold, you should notice that the character animations are superb and the crowd and band members are fun and active. The ambiance of the game is one of it's strong points, as the graphics add to the rock star experience, but it's truly a shame that you don't see more of it.
Sound- The songs may all be covers, but they are fantastic covers! The song selection is better than any other game I've ever seen, and the variety is fantastic. You have your loud metal songs, softer classics, modern rock hits, and large variety of others. Some of the most fun songs include Black Sabbath's "Iron Man", Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla", Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction", Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out", and Red Hot Chili Pepper's "Higher Ground", and Boston's "More Than A Feeling." Almost every song in the game is fun to play in one way or another and almost all the covers do the originals justice. Guitar Hero might just be the best sounding game ever made.
Value- Guitar Hero is packed with replay value. The price is steep ($70) and a second controller will cost another $40 if you want to play multiplayer, but it is all worth it. This is the type of game that I can see myself still playing five years from now, and it is perfect for parties. Guitar Hero has quite a few unlockables as well. This includes more songs like Black Label Society's "Fire It Up" and new characters such as The Grim Reaper. None of these will take you too long to unlock them, but they all add to replay value once you do. It is important to know that you will be given quite a bit of value for your $70 and replay value is a strong point in this game.
I love Guitar Hero! It has become one of my favorite games for PS2, and it is also my pick for 2005 Game of the Year. If you have any interest at all in rocking out to some of the greatest bands of all time, you really need to play this. The price is certainly steep, but Guitar Hero is without a doubt worth the price of admission.