Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s

[Keith]

As annoying as it is, I need this. Tempted to pick up another PS2 so that I can play it if it's not announced as 360-bound soon.

Let me know if it's worth it Yoshi...

[Yoshimax]

Stop pushing me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll report back tomorrow Fisty my man - I predict INSTABUY

[crocky-chocky]

This game is bloody brilliant.

90% of Guitar Hero 2's soundtrack left me cold, and the difficulty for me was either piddle easy on medium, or insanely tough on hard. Rocks the 80's gets it SPOT ON, both musically and difficultily.

A lot of the songs are just ace FUN to play, there's no chugfests or dirges. It's all enjoyable music, whether for its cheesy 80's timbre, or just that it's an ace track (Los Angeles by X is a BELTER).

I absolutely love it, WAY better than 2 for me.

The characters have had a nice 80's makeover an' all, though I still think they're the nasty kind of stylized...they should aim for Timesplitters-esque proportions...

Sorry, I'm rambling.

Anyways, the only downside for me is no Frank Zappa or Devo. BOO!

Oh, and there's no Freezepop. A crime.

[MrMarbles]

I finished this on Expert in a single run-through after work. That shouldn't be taken as an indication of difficulty as I did the same with GHII. In my opinion, the difficulty is pretty much the same as GHII's career songlist - none of the songs are as tough as Jordan and Six, though.

Having said that, whoever finished Play With Me on Expert on their first attempt is definitely a better man than I - it took me three attempts before I finally scraped through, and even then I was in the red at one point.

I must say that the songlist is excellent - it's generally a lot more fun to play than a few of GHII's offerings: plenty of meaty power chords and excellent solos to whip through, actively encouraging suggestive hip-thrusts, wide-legged stances and co-op play with your backs to each other. In my opinion, that is exactly what Guitar Hero should be about - no horrible Psychobilly riffs here.

As for the value, it really depends on how much you played the previous Guitar Heroes. I didn't think twice about paying £25 for thirty songs because I know I'll get my value endlessly replaying the songs, trying to get those elusive 100% runs.

I kind of wish there were some unlockable bonus songs, but that's just me being greedy now that my honeymoon period of all-new Guitar Hero songs to play is over - the bonus songs always gave me that second thrill of fresh content to conquer once I'd clocked career mode in the previous ones and I miss that tonight.

Still, Rocks the '80s is so good that it's made my left hand hurt terribly. But I'm playing through the pain. I'll regret this in a few years.

EDIT: I started typing this before crocky-chocky's post. Good to see I'm not alone in preferring much of the songlist

[Roddie]

^ Psychobilly Freakout was one of the (if not the) best songs in GH2.

[FreelancePolice]

urgh no it's awful awful. It might be an ok song (subjective I know) but to play it's just not fun imo.

[MrMarbles]

I dunno - for me, the best Guitar Hero songs are those I'd want to play air guitar to, with my eyes closed and my mouth making "wah-waaaaah-wah" shapes during the solos. And personally, I'd never want to play air guitar to Psychobilly Freakout.

Anyway, the best song in GHII was clearly Search and Destroy, particularly in co-op.

[Roddie]

urgh no it's awful awful. It might be an ok song (subjective I know) but to play it's just not fun imo.

ah interesting, I think it's a great song (and great album), but i also think that even if it's not my favourite song in the game from a listening perspective, i find it the most fun to play by a country mile; everytime i heard it in the background on the menus and save screens, i couldn't wait to unlock it!

obviously there was never gonna be any RHH in the 80's pack, but i really hope we get some more of them in future GH/RB games

[Dazzyman]

Seems to have some really cheesey 80s rock music in this and some choices what just dont work for a rock guitar (come across a couple what are dead air for awhile as its synth based). Been playing it tonight and some of the songs also seem to end abruptly. I aint a fan of these tacky type tracks like Flock of Seagulls as they where bad enough hearing them for the first time in my teenage years in the 80s and for me brings back the horrors of how bad some of the music was.

Their was some great music also in the 80s, I mean where is Prince & any of the Purple Rain tracks (and his other 80s albums for that matter), Queen and stuff like Its a Kind of magic album (ie for me the best soundtrack of all time as its basically Highlander the soundtrack) & The Works album, crikey we could have had a Flash Gordon on this from 1980 and where is The Wall from Pink Floyd and INXS numerous great 80s tracks?

Unfortunetly for me Ive yet to find any good songs on this, GH1 and 2 just wipes the floor with it for me. It also seems a heck of a lot easier and Ive missed some notes and it still gave me them as the leeway seems even greater than ever. Looking even more they could have added much better songs from the 80s if they wanted to add normal songs if their including stuff like turning Japanese. We could have had the likes of Peter Gabriel, AHA, Def Lep, UB40, Waterboys, Depeche Mode, Del Amitri, Paul Young, Simply Red, REM, Bruce Springsteen, crikey even Elton John, Tina Turner and the Pet Shop Boys and of course Tears For Fears, The Christians & Dire Straits to name a few but no we get this rubbish and some of the covers are terrible Seeing as they have included some odd choices we could have had more of the heart of the 80s with hiphop and of course New Romantic stuff so they really have chosen some right dire tracks for me.

Rick Astley, Sonya & Status Quo is better than this rubbish and Id rather eat my head than listen to those 3 mmm Bananarama. Still I like Nik Kershaw so what would I know

[Keith]

If we're talking about Queen, I'd give anything for "I want it all" to be on there. Don't suppose it is though eh?

[Yoshimax]

I like how Dazzy complains some songs don't seem suited to Rock Guitar then starts rhyming off Elton John, Tears for Fears, Tina Turner and Pet Shop Boys

[Keith]

I don't know, I wouldn't mind "West End Girls" being on it. "Do. Do do de do. Do do de do."

Can't really think of much Elton John that would suit mind. You know what would iterally make me go and buy another PS2 for this though? Rush: The Spirit Of Radio. (And as it was released on Jan 1st. 1980 it just makes the cut too!)

[Yoshimax]

Having just listened to that track I have to agree Keith - Again, that's the kind of track I'd take for 500 points over that last 3 track ****fest they released.

[crocky-chocky]

We could have had the likes of Peter Gabriel, AHA, Def Lep, UB40, Waterboys, Depeche Mode, Del Amitri, Paul Young, Simply Red, REM, Bruce Springsteen, crikey even Elton John, Tina Turner and the Pet Shop Boys and of course Tears For Fears, The Christians & Dire Straits to name a few but no we get this rubbish and some of the covers are terrible

It's called ROCK the 80's, none of those bands did such a thing. Though you're bang right about Prince, he should defo have featured! Maybe they're holding him back for GH3, along with Zappa and Devo...obviously.

I was wondering if anyone can offer me some playing tips for hard and expert, on GH1 and 2 I've only successfully done a handful of tracks and I'm wanting to branch out, I think it's down to my 'hand stance'...any tips?

[Yoshimax]

For me initially it was about shifting my hand along so that red and not green was "button 1" making orange "button 4" rather than blue.

In fact, I found it easier to rest with red as button 1 and stretch for green rather than vice-versa and stretch for orange.

After a while your brain just becomes programmed to respond to what you see onscreen and it becomes an entirely subconscious action - when that happens you have truly arrived