Guitar Hero II

"Aside from the bitchin' new modes, Guitar Hero II is essentially the same game with new songs. Can't really complain, though -- the set list for the sequel is in some ways better than the original, mostly because of variety."

"Guitar Hero 2 does nothing to change its predecessor's direction. It's essentially a fine-tuned update to last year's hit, and that's just fine with me."

"It might not make quite the same impact that its predecessor did, but Guitar Hero II brings the rock heavier and faster than ever before."

"If I had any complaints about our preview version, it was that some of the covers felt a little weak. Pitch-wise, every song is dead on, but some of the covers are lacking some oomph: Shout at the Devil is almost painful to listen to, and the Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains covers just don't feel grungy enough. Also, there were also some frame-rate issues with two or three songs, something that absolutely needs to be corrected before launch; there's no reason to sacrifice timing in a rhythm game for prettier 3D settings."

"Guitar Hero II expands upon the smash-hit original game in almost every way with a greatly expanded (and arguably better) track list, improved multiplayer support, a practice mode and more. The result is a game that seems to have almost everything you could have wished for in the sequel, aside from maybe a pack-in case of beer."