Developer(s): Harmonix Music Systems
Publisher(s): RedOctane (US, EU), Activision (AU)
Genre: Music
Wikipedia: Link
Game review links: Metacritic92/100
Game description: Rock the Rhythm, Lead, and Bass Guitar tracks in the follow-up sequel to "Guitar Hero." Form your guitar duo and shred riffs cooperatively or go head to head in all new multiplayer modes. With over 55 tracks to rock out to, you'll go from Guitar Hero to Guitar god in one press of a fret button. Choose from multiple rock characters and jam at concert venues that grow in size as your rock career progresses. You'll start your rock career playing small clubs and bars, but if you play well you'll work your way up to stadiums and arenas. Guitar Hero II takes the guitar rock experience to new volumes by allowing players to play 3 different guitar tracks: Rhythm, Bass, and Lead. Guitar Hero II introduces all new multiplayer modes like: cooperative, pro-face off, and face off, letting 2 Guitar Heroes conduct their own symphonies of destruction. Shred School: Guitar Hero II features an all new practice mode, allowing Guitar Zeroes to become Guitar Heroes with enough practice.
Like in the original Guitar Hero, the player uses a peripheral in the shape of a solid-body electric guitar to simulate playing rock music as notes scroll towards the player. Most of the gameplay from the original game remains intact, provides new modes and note combinations. The game features more than 40 popular licensed songs, many of them cover versions recorded for the game, spanning five decades (from the 1960s to the 2000s) It was re-release for the Xbox 360 as a bundle only (game+guitar) with 10 additional songs.

Guitar Hero II

Guitar Hero 2 NTSC-U Cover
Game general and emulation properties:
ESRB rating: T (Lyrics)
PEGI rating: 12+
OFLC rating: PG
Game supports guitar controller
Widescreen supported natively
Progressive scan supported
Supports up to two local players
Languages supported:
English: SLES-54442 & SLUS-21447 & SLUS-29198
German: SLES-54442
French: SLES-54442
Spanish: SLES-54442
Italian: SLES-54442
Region NTSC-U:
Serial numbers: SLUS-21447
SLUS-29198 (Demo)
Release date: November 7, 2006
2007 (Greatest Hits)
CRCs: 2A6C845B
Windows Status: Playable
Linux Status: Playable
Mac Status: ?
Region PAL:
Serial numbers: SLES-54442
SLED-54509 (Demo)
Release date: November 15, 2006 (Australia)
November 24, 2006
Windows Status: Playable
Linux Status: ?
Mac Status: ?


Test configurations on Windows:


Environment Configurations Comments Tester
Region OS CPU/GPU Revision Graphics Sound/Pad
PAL Windows
  • I5 3330
  • HD radeon 6850
1.3.svn5932 GSDX
  • SPU2-X
  • ?
USA v02.20(10/02/2006), Little
NTSC-U Windows
  • Intel Core i5 6600K @ 4.7GHz
  • Nvidia GTX 1070 SC 8GB
1.5.0 Git 2285 GSdx 1.1 (AVX2)
  • SPU2-X 2.0.0
  • LilyPad 0.12.1
OpenGL HW Renderer, Bilinear (PS2) Texture Filtering, "Basic" Blending Accuracy (only utilized for minor DOF-like effect in certain camera angles). Generally a very light 3D game, will run fine on either DX11 or OpenGL renderers.
NTSC-U Windows 10 V2004
  • Intel Core i7-8700K @ 4.7GHz
  • Nvidia GTX 1070 Ti 8GB
1.5.0 dev-3285 GSdx 1.1 (AVX2)
  • SPU2-X 2.0.0 (Note1)
  • LilyPad 0.12.1
Game runs fine in DX or OGL. Microstutter/audio lag issues abound. See custom configs:

Set EE/IOP & VU Clamping mode to NONE. Change framerate in PCSX2_vm.ini to 120FPS (Note2). --- Speedhacks: Preset: NONE EE Cyclerate: 1/130% EE Cycle Skipping 1/Mild EE Cycle Skipping mVU Flag Hack/MTVU: ON --- (Note1) Default LATENCY setting at 100ms and Synchronizing mode set to TimeStrech seems to make the audio lag behind the notes on screen. In-game lag calibration doesn't fix. These values get the audio as close as possible to perfect sync. Audio may skip if target frame rate is not met (See note 2) (Note2) Setting the framerate in PCSX2_vm.ini higher than 60 GREATLY helps with frame skipping/microstutter issues. Can be set higher than 120, but game will slow down if frame rate can't reach targeted rate.

Yokrei



Test configurations on Linux:

Environment Configurations Comments Tester
Region OS CPU/GPU Revision Graphics Sound/Pad
NTSC-U OpenSuse Tumbleweed x64
  • Intel i5 2500
  • Intel HD Graphics 2000
1.3.1+git20150130.2119-1.3 (Packman repository) GSdx-OGL (Hardware/Software)
  • SPU-X 2.0.0
  • Onepad 0-Dev 1.1.0
Plays as well as the first one. Joder666



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