Guitar Hero 2 details emerge

It’s ignorant to say Guitar Hero is the best music game ever just because it’s the first one you’ve gotten around to liking. I love it too, but it’s not as universal or ranged as DDR or Frequency. The only reason it’s taking off in popularity is because it has a cute, gimmicky controller that people are compelled to hold.

I’d argue that as someone who dismissed many, many music games as not being musical enough, that is WHY Guitar Hero is so good. Guitar Hero also contains the best selection of music I’ve seen in a game as well. The spirit is there. Ok, so maybe DDR lends itself to j-pop as much as Guitar Hero lends itself to Judas Priest, but the simple fact is its resonating with such a large number of people it cannot be a fluke.

See? It’s arguably the best music game, and here you are arguing about it! 😉

As someone who has liked lots of other music games, I have to say it’s definitely in my top three. And I’m more excited about Guitar Hero 2 than I would be for any new Frequency sequel or DDR Mix 1.21 Gigawatts. That is, of course, in part due to its cooperative mode, which will make multiplayer simply awesome.

~Sean

It looks more like you’re arguing about it than him.

Just participating!

~Sean

DDR can be and is played with a lot more than j-pop. It’s overshadowed right now because it’s so much older, and the time when it was new and suprising has passed: but DDR is in more homes, arcades, and platforms than Guitar Hero will ever be, and has seen more sequels, spin-offs and knock-offs than any game since the 80’s ever will.

I love both games. LOVE them. I like that Guitar Hero doesn’t exhaust me, but it’s too specialized to be better than DDR.

Ok, so DDR has more than J-Pop.

it still doesn’t have music that holds up half as well as the stuff in Guitar Hero. You of all people should know that just because a game is more successful doesn’t make it good.

I might go so far to say that Guitar Hero and Donkey Konga are the only 2 actual music games I can think of, since DDR, Beatmania, Rez, and all the others are more about rhythm. Ok, maybe Samba counts as music too.

I don’t think sales and market permutation have any direct correlation with quality, but then we disagree on Eternal Darkness, so I don’t want to try to make the same argument again.

I still maintain that Zac’s claim is airtight, because here we are, arguing about it! 😉

~Sean

*ignores Orange*

Saying that music and rythm are seperate is nonsensical. Your brash and insulting ignorance of the games you list is hanging out like your dick at a stoplight. You’ve just listed games with controllers shaped like musical instruments as musical, and everything else as rythm, when in fact they’re all rythmic, and they all involve music. -Though Rez shouldn’t be on any list of music games, being little more than a brilliant Star Fox clone with multi-target locking. Is a musical game one where you need to produce a certain tone? That only includes Karaoke Revolution. Are you trying to seperate out games where player input creates sound? That would be Frequency, Guitar Hero, Samba de Amigo and Donkey Konga, though Samba and Donkey Konga create sound not originally present in familiar songs. Games where input timing is tied to, but does not affect instrumentals? Add Pop ‘N’ Music and Beatmania. Now, just the games that attempt no direct connection to specific instruments? Those are called dance games, and they include those played on pads as well as those using optical movement sensors. I won’t list their multitude.

As for popularity not equaling quality: good point. Lesser sellers are not necessarily inferior, but monumental inter-national phenomena deserve reverence, or at least *respect*, which is virtually my entire point.
As for aspursions on the music selection in DDR: DDR is unofficially controlled by fans now, and there are thousands of songs available. Even if DDR was 100% J-Pop, that’s less limiting than a game that only allows songs with intricate non-stop guitar tracks.
As for actual comparisons of the gameplay quality (the only thing we should be discussing): Guitar Hero is way too similar to its relatives for the word “best” to be thrown around. It stands behind established design principles with which you are not versed. It also has numerous shortcomings in multiplayer options and scoring.

You have no more pedigree to critique this genre than any random dude who gets dragged to a lot of arcades. Now, stop talking out your ass, you neophyte noob.

I have no idea what this is about any more.

~Sean

And yet you keep responding.

I’ll stand by my previous comments. “War Pigs” by Sabbath is awesome, and until thats in every bongo/maraca/turntable/accordion shaped controller game, Guitar Hero 2 will be a better game.

because of Black Sabbath.