Squidoo's Guitar Hero Fan Club

Ok, here is my list of Guitar Hero Products. I personally own most of them, some others I might buy them soon. But they tell my personal Guitar Hero history step by step, and I will share it with you (at least with those who care about it... if not, just keep rolling down... no hard feelings...). At first sight this list might seem pretty long, but believe me, it is not. I was adding the Amazon.com pictures and links (the best place to buy Guitar Hero stuff on the net, if you ask me... the second best being eBay). In order to do that, I did a search at Amazon.com website for the keyword "Guitar Hero" and it returned 528 items!!! I think my list covers essentially what you really need, with the best of the "extra stuff" (for the PS2 console, that is... although most of these items have a "similar" for other consoles). So hopefully my GH list will also help you decide what you really need to buy without needing to dig in hundreds and hundreds of items.

If you want to buy anything from this list, you just need to click on the desired item picture and it will take you to Amazon.com where you can instantly buy the item at the best price around. And you will be helping the "Squidoo's Guitar Hero Fan Club" as we will get a modest commission from that sale (don't you think we deserve it, after keeping and maintaining this lens for your personal enjoyment?... hehe...). But really, the main idea here is to let you know my personal experiences and that you tell us yours, instead of trying to sell you stuff (keep reading and you'll notice it). Ok, here's my Guitar Hero Story... one item at a time...

Prologue

It all started back in November 2006, right after Guitar Hero II was released. Some friends were getting together to play "this Guitar Hero II game that just came out". I had nothing better to do that night, so I went to my friend's house even when I wasn't particularly interested in playing the game. To make a long story short: I went, I played it, and the rest is history... the next day I was at a local GameStop buying the game...

Item #1: Sony PlayStation 2


You should be asking why did I included the PS2 console in this list. Simple: As I previously mentioned in some other places (more specifically in my History of Video Games lens and blog), I'm a retro-gamer. I prefer vintage video games for their simplicity and fun, in older games your scoring really matters. Recent games are all about graphics, speed, shooting around, stages so hard to complete you need to download a walkthrough from the net... in today games you don't even check your final score anymore. Not that I don't like new games at all, games like God of War, Halo, Wii Sports, BioShock and many others are really cool... but it' a whole lot different experience. In my opinion, and I quote myself, "Guitar Hero is a new video game with a retro video game spirit".

With that being said, I didn't have a PS2 back then. I had to buy it, specifically to play this game. Back in 2006, this game was exclusive for the PS2. But it is now available for the XBOX 360, Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii as well (since GH2 for XBOX 360, and GH3 for PS3 and Wii).

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: As many of you should know, this is a pretty solid console. It got thousands of other great games to choose from (from both PSX and PS2) and the newer slim version is pretty sleek (Pro: the LAN adaptor is already included, Con: you can't use the external hard drive in this model, which is only needed for a handful of games). Games are cheaper, even more if you buy them pre-owned. The PS2 still in production, so they continue making new video games for it (Guitar Hero World Tour will also come for the PS2, and even when graphics are not as good as next-gen consoles, gameplay is pretty much the same). And with newer versions of the PS3 not accepting PS2 and PSX games, you may need one if you plan to continue playing your older games (including GH1, which comes only for the PS2 console). Bottom line: Yep, you should have it.

Now that I have the console, I'm gonna need the game...

UPDATE: Amazon.com's PS2 price as of today is $129.99 with free shipping, which is very good. But if you have a GameStop or EB Games near you, I think
they reduced its price to $99.99. You should check that out...

Item #2: Guitar Hero/Guitar Hero II Video Games


So after asking for the PS2 at the store, I asked for the Games. Since I liked it so much, I thought about buying both Guitar Hero 1 and 2 (Here I'm showing the 2-in-1 new version, which is less expensive... It was not available back then so I had to buy them separately). The original plan was to buy any of the games alone and the other game as a bundle (they both came with a wired SG Guitar, GH1 guitar was black and GH2 guitar was red). Unfortunately, they were already out of bundles for both games, even for the GH2 which just arrived. So I had to buy both as "game-only" versions.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: GH1 and GH2 games are very similar. Both games are exceptional: GH1 have awesome gameplay, great song list, and nice multiplayer options. It is as a game should be, simple rules and challenging at the same time. GH2 have the same nice characteristics but with some minor improvements and new great songs. You should definitely have them.

And now, to the guitar controller...

Item #3: Activision's Guitar Hero Official Wireless Guitar Controller


Since the store was out of Bundles, I bought both GH1 and 2 games alone and the original Guitar Hero wireless guitar (which was something nice, actually... the wireless guitar was very good).

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I was a little skeptical as first, since this was Guitar Hero's first wireless guitar and you know what happens with new technologies from time to time. However, soon I found out that there was no need for worries. It is pretty responsive, guitar body is very comfortable, there are no wires messing around, and batteries last very long (I don't remember exactly, but they lasted for many months using it almost everyday). It is my second-favorite guitar, and I only like the first most for "nostalgia reasons". And since it's been around for a while now, its price has dropped significantly. This is a nice guitar to get, if you need and extra one.

And speaking of extra guitars, after some time I wanted to get an extra guitar to play with family and friends...

Item #4: TAC Flying-V Wireless Guitar Controller


As I just typed, I needed a second guitar to play multiplayer with my family and friends. It was supposed to be a cool guitar, but it didn't have to be an expensive one (this was going to be the "other player" guitar anyway). So I bought this guitar, or at least a guitar very similar to these one. It was just like these, but it was silver and TAC made it exclusively for GameStop stores (it said "GameStop" instead of "TAC"). Ah yes, and it doesn't have the small "solo buttons" (this looks like a v2.0 of mine).

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I like the Flying-V shape a lot, and this guitar is pretty inexpensive (so that's a plus). Wireless signal is pretty strong and buttons are very responsive. But fret buttons are a little hard to push down for my taste, and the "tilt" sensor might be difficult to activate sometimes. In conclusion, you may buy this guitar if you are looking for an inexpensive wireless guitar and you really like the Flying-V shape. If you don't care about the shape and can pay some extra bucks, I recommend a second official Guitar Hero controller.

Item #5: "Guitar Hero Encore - Rocks the 80's" Video Game


New game, new songs... had to buy it. This game came only for the PS2, and was only available as "game only" (no guitar bundle here). Technically it is more of the same gameplay, but the whole song list comes from the 80's.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I liked it, 80's hits made me remember my days as a child and teen. It was a little shorter, with less songs than the originals. It was not as popular as GH1 and GH2, I guess because younger people didn't buy it (maybe they're not really into 80's music).

Item #6: Guitar Hero III Wireless Guitar Bundle


So it arrived, the most anticipated GH game to date is finally here. This time the game have some major changes, the first one being the change of video game developer to Neversoft. The tracks list was spectacular, with over 70 songs, mostly great. Some famous guitar players were included as "Boss Fights" (like Tom Morello from "Rage Against the Machine" and Slash formerly from "Guns 'n Roses"). Multiplayer was also greatly improved.

This was also the first GH game to come for all major platforms (PS2, PS3, XBOX 360, Wii, PC). There were many complaints from PC version buyers, allegedly hardware requirements were sky high and even meeting the requirements the game was buggy. Bundled guitars for this GH3 were the Gibson Explorer for PC (just like the XBOX 360 GH2 version), the Kramer Stryker for the PS2 and the Gibson Les Paul for the others. I really loved the Kramer Stryker, it works perfectly and the new removable neck is great to carry it around. Plus I had a real Kramer Stryker back in the 90's when I used to play at local clubs with my band.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: Well, I kinda got excited and already told my experience... But so far is my favorite GH game (and guitar too).

Item #7: Rock Band Special Edition Bundle


Is there room for some healthy competition? Guitar Hero's original developer "Harmonix" teaming up with "MTV Games" made a new version of the game (this time with the whole band in it). Well, due to the similarities with Guitar Hero of course I had to try it. It included a wireless guitar (a Fender Stratocaster) a wired drum kit, a microphone, and the game. It also includes a usb hub in case you want to play with the whole band (all instruments are USB, and can't be used on Guitar Hero o vice-versa). If you only like guitar play, there is a RB Bundle with just the guitar controller.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: It is solid game, overall. The "whole band" thing is a really good idea IMHO, if you have more people to play with or at least if you like to play all band instruments one by one (personally I love drums, however I haven't even unpacked my microphone yet). It have 45 songs, not a few but not great either (there is a "Track Pack" with 20 additional songs, but you need to buy it separately). I also think that it's a bummer that RB and GH instruments are not compatible with each other (even more when GH4 will include drums and mics as well). I mean, I know they are different developers, there are licensing issues, etc. But think about it... all lightguns use any lightgun, not just the ones made by the game developer. Why can't they do the same? It could even be good for them. For example: If I want to play GH, I will buy GH no matter what... but if I'm more into Fender guitars, I could buy the GH game alone and then buy the RB guitar. So RB will make a sale (as opposite as now, that RB gets nothing... and the same is true the other way around). In all video games compatibility is key, they should not make us buy a new controller for every game. Ufff, I feel much better now... hehehe...

Item #8: Guitar Hero: Aerosmith w/ 2-wired Guitars Bundle


As soon as it arrived, I went to a local video games store to get GH: Aerosmith. I was planning to buy the bundle with a wireless guitar (I started collecting them), but then I noticed that the wireless guitar was identical to the GH3 one (a Kramer Stryker, I know it's my favorite but I don't feel like having the same guitar twice). So then I noticed that for the same price there was a bundle with two wired controllers (one red SG just like the GH2 controller, and one black SG like the GH1 controller but with an exclusive silver faceplate). Since I didn't have any of those guitars, this was definitely the bundle to buy.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: A very good one, no doubt about it. Graphics and gameplay are very similar to GH3 (as expected since it's the same developer). As game name implies, most tracks are Aerosmith songs (which may be a pro or con, depending if you like Aerosmith... for me it was a pro). But not all songs are, from every 5-tracks section there are 2 songs from other artists and 3 songs from Aerosmith. Aerosmith stickers are very cool, too. Once again I was very pleased (although I still playing... I'll let you know about anything else that I found).

Item #9: Guitar Hero on Tour (for the Nintendo DS)


OK, although I own a Nintendo DS I haven't decided to buy this GH game just yet... mostly because of the rumors and reviews I've seen (and some personal opinions...). On the bright side, I've heard that the game is really fun, songs are good and controls are responsive. I also think the 50 bucks price tag is ok, since it includes game, fret buttons add-on, holding strap, and pick-like stylus (many people complained about the price also... not me). But on the negative side: 1) I don't really feel like GH is the kind of game to take with you everywhere you go (do you imagine yourself playing it while at McDonalds ordering line?). 2) There are only 4 fret buttons instead of 5, I guess it would be difficult to deal with 5 fret buttons the way you hold it. 3) You have to blow on the DS mic to activate star power, which is kind of weird. 4) Game is very short, with only 25 songs and many of them are from previous games. 5) If you own an original Nintendo DS (not lite, the bulky one), you have to remove some screws before attaching the fret buttons part. 6) Sound is a little bad in the DS (as you might expect with those mini speakers). 7) There has been complaints about the way you need to hold the DS in order to play... supposedly is kinda uncomfortable). As you can see, I have my doubts about this game... since it is so short, I will probably wait a month or two and buy it pre-owned from somebody who finish it and don't want to play it anymore.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: None yet. If you have any comments on this game, please feel free to share it with us!

Item #10: Guitar Hero World Tour (aka Guitar Hero 4)


This is it... the big cheese, the great kahuna, the game we're all waiting for. Expected to be in stores on October 27, GHWT will come with a whole lot of changes. Not all the information has been released yet, but so far we know this: It will include guitar/bass, drums and microphone (just like Rock Band), the guitar shape looks like an Ibanez or an ESP and it includes "solo fret buttons" (again, just like Rock Band), drums looks pretty cool with 3 toms and 2 cymbals rather that "4 toms for everything" Rock Band drums (GH drums are wireless also), the mic is very similar to Rock Band's, it will have a "battle of the bands" option, and you will be able to create your own character. Sounds good to me, so far...

The name "Squidoo's Guitar Hero Fan Club" does not means or implies any kind of official affiliation with Guitar Hero video game creators, developers, distributors, groupies, or any other individual or entity who gets a dime every time somebody buys a Guitar Hero product, in this world or any other. In addition, this group is not endorsed, sponsored, affiliated, or supported by Squidoo.com (although we really wish we were...). The word "Squidoo's" was included in the lens name only to make it sound cooler, or something. But this doesn't mean Squidoo's people can't join us, they're more than welcomed to come to jam and chat. Especially Megan, she's pretty hot... have you seen her pic, doing that thing she do with her hands?... Hmmm, very nice... Huh? Did I typed all that on the disclaimer? Yes I did, I should delete all that... Nah, I'm just too lazy for that, let's just pretend you never read it...