Guitar Hero II (game only) (PlayStation 2, 2006)

I have to say, Guitar Hero II's gameplay is way more intuitive than Guitar Hero I, at least in terms of hammered notes. They finally make sense! The co-op multiplayer is pretty great as well, as long as you and your friends are willing to share lead guitar.

However, Career Mode really starts to suck towards the end - not because it's necessarily hard (which is really, really is on Hard and Expert) - but because the music gets progressively more and more single-minded. They start you off with sets that are mixed up in terms of era and genre, but, eventually you end up playing the last two sets where virtually every song is a lame metal track. If you love metal, then you'll love the end of this game. But, if you believe the true guitar heroes were the ones from the classic rock era, you're going to be excited, and then progressively more disappointed as the rock you love all but disappears from the track lists. Even Free Bird loses its luster after an ordeal like sets 7 and 8.

So, great game, but at least to this reviewer, way less cool music.