Guitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix and distributed by RedOctane, and is a sequel to Guitar Hero. The game was released first to PlayStation 2 in 2006 but later released for the Xbox 360 in 2007. Guitar Hero II challenges players to recreate the lead guitar portions of many rock music songs using a specially designed guitar-shaped controller, based on either a Gibson SG for the PlayStation 2 version, a Gibson Explorer for the Xbox 360 version, or else a standard console controller. As notes scroll down the screen towards the player, the player must hit both the fret buttons on the guitar controller and the strum bar at the same time to successfully hit the notes. Successfully hitting notes improves the player's performance in the game and also raises their score, while missing notes will reduce the player's performance, and a poor performance may end the song prematurely. Each song can be played at one of four difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert. These levels reflect the number of fret buttons used and the number and frequency of the notes to be performed.[1]
There are 64 songs total in the PlayStation 2 version while there are 74 songs total for the later Xbox 360 version. The Xbox 360 version adds an additional 24 downloadable songs via Xbox Live Marketplace, bringing the total to 98 songs.[2][3]
Game disc songs
Main setlist
There are 40 songs in the main Career mode for the PlayStation 2 version, and 48 songs in the Xbox 360 version.[4][5] Songs are organized by tiers that are related to the song's difficulty, and there are differences between the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 ordering due to the extra songs.[4] Each tier at a given difficulty is unlocked in order, and a tier is completed once three to five songs (depending on the difficulty level) and the tier's encore song are successfully completed.[6] Once a song is unlocked in a tier at any difficulty, it is available for the quick play, competitive, and co-operative modes.[6]
Most songs in the game are covers of the original songs performed by WaveGroup Sound,[1] but there are some master recordings as indicated below.[7] Each song has a lead guitar track and either a bass or rhythm guitar track that can be played in practice or cooperative modes.[8]
| Year | Song title | Artist | Master recording? | PlayStation 2 Tier | Xbox 360 Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | "Bad Reputation" | Thin Lizzy | No | 5. Return of the Shred | 5. Return of the Shred |
| 2006 | "Beast and the Harlot" | Avenged Sevenfold | No | 8. Face-Melters | 8. Face-Melters |
| 1973 | "Billion Dollar Babies" | Alice Cooper | No | — | 3. String-Snappers |
| 1971 | "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'"a | The Rolling Stones | No | 4. Thrash and Burn | 4. Thrash and Burn |
| 2000 | "Carry Me Home" | The Living End | No | 7. Furious Fretwork | 8. Face-Melters |
| 1976 | "Carry On Wayward Son" | Kansas | No | 2. Amp Warmers Encore | 3. String-Snappers |
| 1990 | "Cherry Pie" | Warrant | No | 4. Thrash and Burn | 2. Amp Warmers |
| 1976 | "Crazy on You" | Heart | No | 6. Relentless Riffs | 6. Relentless Riffs |
| 2006 | "Dead!"a | My Chemical Romance | Yes | — | 6. Relentless Riffs |
| 1973 | "Free Bird"a | Lynyrd Skynyrd | No | 8. Face-Melters Encore | 8. Face-Melters Encore |
| 2006 | "Freya" | The Sword | No | 5. Return of the Shred | 6. Relentless Riffs |
| 1991 | "Girlfriend"a | Matthew Sweet | No | 4. Thrash and Burn | 4. Thrash and Burn |
| 1990 | "Hangar 18" | Megadeth | No | 8. Face-Melters | 8. Face-Melters |
| 1993 | "Heart-Shaped Box" | Nirvana | No | 2. Amp Warmers | 1. Opening Licks |
| 1968 | "Hush" | Deep Purple | No | — | 4. Thrash and Burn |
| 1983 | "Institutionalized"a | Suicidal Tendencies | No | 8. Face-Melters | 8. Face-Melters |
| 1973 | "Jessica"a | The Allman Brothers Band | No | 6. Relentless Riffs | 5. Return of the Shred |
| 1990 | "John the Fisherman" | Primus | Yes | 5. Return of the Shred | 5. Return of the Shred |
| 1992 | "Killing in the Name" | Rage Against the Machine | No | 5. Return of the Shred | 6. Relentless Riffs |
| 2004 | "Laid to Rest"a | Lamb of God | No | 7. Furious Fretwork | 7. Furious Fretwork |
| 1976 | "Last Child"a | Aerosmith | No | 5. Return of the Shred Encore | 5. Return of the Shred Encore |
| 2006 | "Life Wasted" | Pearl Jam | No | — | 2. Amp Warmers |
| 1985 | "Madhouse" | Anthrax | No | 7. Furious Fretwork | 7. Furious Fretwork |
| 1979 | "Message in a Bottle" | The Police | No | 2. Amp Warmers | 3. String-Snappers |
| 1962 | "Misirlou" | Dick Dale | No | 8. Face-Melters | 8. Face-Melters |
| 1997 | "Monkey Wrench" | Foo Fighters | No | 3. String-Snappers | 4. Thrash and Burn |
| 1988 | "Mother"a | Danzig | No | 1. Opening Licks | 2. Amp Warmers |
| 1994 | "Possum Kingdom" | Toadies | Yes | — | 1. Opening Licks |
| 1990 | "Psychobilly Freakout" | Reverend Horton Heat | No | 7. Furious Fretwork | 7. Furious Fretwork |
| 1973 | "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" | Rick Derringer | No | — | 5. Return of the Shred |
| 1981 | "Rock This Town" | Stray Cats | No | 6. Relentless Riffs | 7. Furious Fretwork |
| 1994 | "Salvation" | Rancid | No | — | 1. Opening Licks |
| 1973 | "Search and Destroy" | Iggy Pop and the Stooges | No | 3. String-Snappers | 3. String-Snappers |
| 1983 | "Shout at the Devil" | Mötley Crüe | No | 1. Opening Licks | 1. Opening Licks Encore |
| 1990 | "Stop" | Jane's Addiction | Yes | 6. Relentless Riffs Encore | 6. Relentless Riffs Encore |
| 1974 | "Strutter"a | Kiss | No | 2. Amp Warmers | 1. Opening Licks |
| 1978 | "Surrender" | Cheap Trick | No | 1. Opening Licks | 1. Opening Licks |
| 1987 | "Sweet Child o' Mine" | Guns N' Roses | No | 4. Thrash and Burn Encore | 4. Thrash and Burn Encore |
| 1980 | "Tattooed Love Boys" | The Pretenders | No | 3. String-Snappers | 5. Return of the Shred |
| 1992 | "Them Bones" | Alice in Chains | No | 3. String-Snappers | 3. String-Snappers |
| 1984 | "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight"a | Spinal Tap | No | 1. Opening Licks Encore | 2. Amp Warmers Encore |
| 1996 | "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" | Stone Temple Pilots | No | 6. Relentless Riffs | 6. Relentless Riffs |
| 1983 | "The Trooper" | Iron Maiden | No | — | 7. Furious Fretwork |
| 1970 | "War Pigs" | Black Sabbath | No | 3. String-Snappers Encore | 3. String-Snappers Encore |
| 1993 | "Who Was in My Room Last Night?"a | The Butthole Surfers | No | 4. Thrash and Burn | 4. Thrash and Burn |
| 2006 | "Woman" | Wolfmother | No | 1. Opening Licks | 2. Amp Warmers |
| 1978 | "You Really Got Me" | Van Halen | No | 2. Amp Warmers | 2. Amp Warmers |
| 1981 | "YYZ" | Rush | No | 7. Furious Fretwork Encore | 7. Furious Fretwork Encore |
- ^a Song has a rhythm guitar track instead of a bass guitar co-operative play track.
Bonus songs
There are 24 bonus songs in the PlayStation 2 version of Guitar Hero II[9] and 2 additional songs for the Xbox 360 version.[5] All bonus songs are unlockable by using in-game money within the game's store. Once purchased, they are playable in quick play, competitive, and co-operative modes. The song "Raw Dog" by The Last Vegas was selected as part of the "Be a Guitar Hero" contest for the release of Guitar Hero II.[8]
All bonus songs are master recordings, and where marked, include rhythm guitar rather than bass guitar tracks.
| Year | Song title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Arterial Black"[Note 1] | Drist |
| 2006 | "Collide" | Anarchy Club |
| 2006 | "Drink Up"[Note 2] | Ounce of Self |
| 2006 | "Elephant Bones" | That Handsome Devil |
| 2006 | "Fall of Pangea" | Valient Thorr |
| 2006 | "FTK" | VAGIANT |
| 2004 | "Gemini"[Note 1] | Brian Kahanek |
| 2006 | "Jordan" | Buckethead |
| 2006 | "Kicked to the Curb"[Note 2] | Noble Rot |
| 2006 | "Laughtrack"[Note 1] | The Acro-Brats |
| 2006 | "Less Talk More Rokk"[Note 1] | Freezepop |
| 2000 | "Mr. Fix It" | The Amazing Crowns |
| 2006 | "One for the Road" | The Breaking Wheel |
| 2006 | "Parasite" | The Neighborhoods |
| 2006 | "Push Push (Lady Lightning)" | Bang Camaro |
| 2006 | "Radium Eyes" | Count Zero |
| 2006 | "Raw Dog" | The Last Vegas |
| 2006 | "Red Lottery" | Megasus |
| 2005 | "Six" | All That Remains |
| 2006 | "Soy Bomb"[Note 1] | Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives |
| 2004 | "The Light That Blinds" | Shadows Fall |
| 2006 | "The New Black" | Every Time I Die |
| 2006 | "Thunderhorse" | Dethklok |
| 2003 | "Trogdor"[Note 1] | Strong Bad |
| 2006 | "X-Stream" | Voivod |
| 2006 | "Yes We Can" | Made in Mexico |
Downloadable content
The Xbox 360 version of the game allows for the use of downloadable content available through Xbox Live Marketplace. These are typically released as packs of three, or as single song.[10] These packs include songs from the original Guitar Hero for the PlayStation 2.[11] Additional packs consist of songs that have not been featured in Guitar Hero before, and are masters, even though some are indicated as covers in the game. As of April 1, 2014, these songs are no longer available in the Xbox Live Marketplace.
| Year | Song title | Artist | Master recording? | Release date | Single / Pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Bark at the Moon" | Ozzy Osbourne | No | Apr. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 1[11] |
| 2004 | "Hey You" | The Exies | No | Apr. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 1 |
| 1980 | "Ace of Spades" | Motörhead | No | Apr. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 1 |
| 1974 | "Killer Queen" | Queen | No | Apr. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 2[11] |
| 2002 | "Take It Off" | The Donnas | No | Apr. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 2 |
| 1973 | "Frankenstein" | The Edgar Winter Group | No | Apr. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 2 |
| 1989 | "Higher Ground" | Red Hot Chili Peppers | No | Apr. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 3[11] |
| 1994 | "Infected" | Bad Religion | No | Apr. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 3 |
| 2000 | "Stellar" | Incubus | No | Apr. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 3 |
| 1978 | "I Wanna Be Sedated" | The Ramones | No | Jul. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 4[12] |
| 1972 | "Smoke on the Water" | Deep Purple | No | Jul. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 4 |
| 1982 | "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" | Judas Priest | No | Jul. 11, 2007 | Guitar Hero Track Pack 4 |
| 2006 | "Famous Last Words" | My Chemical Romance | Yes | Aug. 14, 2007 | My Chemical Romance Pack[13] |
| 2006 | "Teenagers" | My Chemical Romance | Yes | Aug. 14, 2007 | My Chemical Romance Pack |
| 2006 | "This Is How I Disappear" | My Chemical Romance | Yes | Aug. 14, 2007 | My Chemical Romance Pack |
| 2006 | "Detonation" | Trivium | Yes | Sep. 28, 2007 | Guitar Hero Indie Label Pack[14] |
| 2006 | "Ex's And Oh's" | Atreyu | Yes | Sep. 28, 2007 | Guitar Hero Indie Label Pack |
| 2005 | "Bury the Hatchet" | Protest the Hero | Yes | Sep. 28, 2007 | Guitar Hero Indie Label Pack |
| 1993 | "Sin Documentos" | Los Rodríguez | Yes | Oct. 15, 2007 | Single[15] |
| 2006 | "Sept" | Pleymo | Yes | Oct. 15, 2007 | Single[15] |
| 2007 | "Exile" | Soilwork | Yes | Oct. 15, 2007 | Single[15] |
| 2007 | "The State of Massachusetts" | Dropkick Murphys | Yes | Nov. 29, 2007 | Guitar Hero Indie Label Pack II[16] |
| 2007 | "You Should Be Ashamed of Myself" | The Bled | Yes | Nov. 29, 2007 | Guitar Hero Indie Label Pack II |
| 2007 | "Memories of the Grove" | Maylene and the Sons of Disaster | Yes | Nov. 29, 2007 | Guitar Hero Indie Label Pack II |
References
- General
- Kuo, Li C. (2006-10-09). "The Complete Guitar Hero II Song List". GameSpy. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
- Specific