Guitar Hero

 PlayStation 2
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 229 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 191 out of 229
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 229
  3. Negative: 18 out of 229
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  1. jamessmith
    Jul 23, 2006
    5
    jim j and dan r you two are dumasses and no everyone knows that if the music is on mtv it most likely sucks and why you've never heard of the bands is beacuse thye were before you and i were born and if you think they have no top 40 hits your wrong just go to riaa.com and look at the best sellers list and you'll find the people you were saying ain't popular actually aresojim j and dan r you two are dumasses and no everyone knows that if the music is on mtv it most likely sucks and why you've never heard of the bands is beacuse thye were before you and i were born and if you think they have no top 40 hits your wrong just go to riaa.com and look at the best sellers list and you'll find the people you were saying ain't popular actually areso how about you get a life (besides watching myv and listening to gwen stefanie) and try to educate yourself on music before you make dumass comments about bands and by the way hers some songs by people you've never heard of retard, queen sings, "we will rock you, and we are the champions" also ozzy osbourne was in black sabbath and ozzy had a tv show on mtv so how about you keep your opinions to yourself until you know what your talkin about… Expand
  2. LazyQ.
    Dec 30, 2005
    5
    Ok, I guess the big selling point of the game is that "it's like playing a real guitar," but as a guitarist, I know this isn't true. Let's examine this closely. The guitar that comes with this game is plastic instead of wood and it has no strings, tuning machines, metal frets, pickups, input jack, tone or volume knobs, truss rod, bridge, or bridge saddles. Plus, and this is Ok, I guess the big selling point of the game is that "it's like playing a real guitar," but as a guitarist, I know this isn't true. Let's examine this closely. The guitar that comes with this game is plastic instead of wood and it has no strings, tuning machines, metal frets, pickups, input jack, tone or volume knobs, truss rod, bridge, or bridge saddles. Plus, and this is a biggie, on a real guitar you don't play by pressing down on five colored buttons, you hold your fingers on different frets of different strings to make a variety of tones.. A real guitar is plugged into an amplifier using a quarter inch guitar cable. The Guitar Hero controller plugs into a Playstation 2 Video Game Console, which is very different from an amplifier. So don't let people fool you, this is not anything like playing a real guitar. The only reason I give this game a five out of ten is because the songs rock.… Expand
  3. JerradN.
    Feb 7, 2006
    7
    The interface is all right and the songs are decent, but this is by no means a new game concept. Guitar Freaks has been out in Japan since the late 1990s. This game just adds a few buttons, making the button area too wide for easy use, and gives an awkward note perspective for reading fret patterns. All right; nothing spectacular.
  4. LalsakWolas
    Mar 2, 2017
    7
    Well the game is fun, but the song list is kinda week. It could have been better, like the Rock Band one, that was way better. Still is a good game and I really enjoyed it.
  5. fuyuyuki
    Sep 7, 2020
    6
    great concept, poor execution.

    this is great as a casual party game, with many iconic rock songs. but as a rhythm game, the engine leaves much to be desired
  6. GabePhoenix
    Feb 21, 2022
    7
    It doesn't have enough of the very popular rock, or metal, but it does have a handful of hidden gems to be discovered. I do respect this entry a lot, for it is the very first in the series, and creates a gameplay foundation so fun, challenging and iconic that still remains very influential these days.

    I wish, though, there was a way to make some extra cash with the bonus songs in the    It doesn't have enough of the very popular rock, or metal, but it does have a handful of hidden gems to be discovered. I do respect this entry a lot, for it is the very first in the series, and creates a gameplay foundation so fun, challenging and iconic that still remains very influential these days.

    I wish, though, there was a way to make some extra cash with the bonus songs in the career mode, instead of repeating the base ones. I know, I know it's fun to repeat them, and eventually master them, but I'm just sayin' there's no reason to block income from bonus tracks. Having them pay us for playing them would actually encourage such attempts.

    The career mode is very simplistic, but functional and fun; it doesn't really feature any endings or cutscenes like future games, though.
    The unlockables are nothing special except for the bonus tracks you can unlock. Other than that, there are just cosmetics and new guitars and character, which is... nice.

    GUITAR HERO built something to be remembered, and eventually, upgraded into much better installments. I do recommend you give it a try; there are some fun songs to be "rock n' roll'd".    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PS2 Game of 2005
8
#8 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 65 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 65
  3. Negative: 0 out of 65
  1. Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
    90
    When it really comes down to it, what this game's about is no-frills rocking. And no-frills rocking is what it does very well. [Nov 2005, p.98]
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  2. GameSpot
    90
    With its extremely smart approach to difficulty, its great guitar controller, and its killer song selection, Guitar Hero might just be the best rhythm game ever made.
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  3. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    90
    I am frankly astonished by how much playing this game feels like playing the guitar for real.
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