Noob Guitar Hero 2 Q's (X360)

[Daliman]

I just got this game 3 days ago, and I love it( I never had any previous incarnations on GT). While I am happy with my progress, I am not even in the realm of many of you. It appears most don't even bother playing the easy level, but I'm going ahead and baby-stepping through it, and will not move to the next level until I have solid 5* performances on all songs at each level. I have 5* or better most of the songs through the first 5 levels, although 4 and 5 I haven't played more than once or twice each, and am annoyed to find my OCD often prevents me from getting 100%s and close, as if I'm on a note streak, all the sudden my finger itches, or my neck tickles, something stupid. OCD is annoying...

Anyways, on to the Q's (some literal, some opinion)

1. How do you to get to play encores?
2. Does using the whammy bar add points(pretty sure this is no, just Star power energy on starred long notes, but not positive. Does it add points on Star power notes?)
3. Are guitar players inherently at an advantage in this game, and conversely, would learning to play this game at a high level likely make it easier for you to learn to play guitar? I would guess both are true, as I envision all these guys that are crushing the game play guitar already, ( obviously I know even a fantastic guitar player would have to assimilate himself to the game before being awesome.)
4. I personally always strum up; is there any inherent advantage to strumming either direction (or both)? Or is it strictly a comfort issue?
5. When I first started, I would always press the fret in exact time as the strum like a control button, even if it were 5 or 6 notes in a row, letting off the fret to press in time each time. I assume this was poor form, am I correct?

All I can think of right now, TY for your patience with a GT2 noob.

[chuckleslovakian]

1. You clear every song in a group for the first time.
2. Whammy doesn't add points
3. Yes and yes. But only a little.
4. Optimal is alternating strumming up and down. This way allows you to strum as fast as possible. This becomes essential as songs get faster.
5. Yeah that is poor form. I would love to see you try to play miserlou on expert like that.

[Daliman]

[ QUOTE ]
1. You clear every song in a group for the first time.
2. Whammy doesn't add points
3. Yes and yes. But only a little.
4. Optimal is alternating strumming up and down. This way allows you to strum as fast as possible. This becomes essential as songs get faster.
5. Yeah that is poor form. I would love to see you try to play miserlou on expert like that.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cool, ty for the responses. By "Every song in the group" I assume you mean at each location, I.E. the 5 songs at each venue? If so, I have done this 4 or 5 times already, Do you have to do the songs consecutively( I have a few times...)? Or do I have to finish all songs at a skill level? Are there possibly no encores for easy level noobs like me?

[Daliman]

Also, of guys like you, and GT1T, etc, who ARE killing this game, who actually plays guitar?( I know Ghazban plays flugelhorn or something).

[chuckleslovakian]

yeah, for easy level there are no encores but for medium there are

[gusmahler]

I'm also a newbie. As mentioned before, there are no encores at Easy level. You have to be at Medium or higher to get an encore (and unlock the song).

You might want to consider moving up to Medium. There's no real reason to keep playing at Easy level, unless you want to unlock the guitar you get by 5 starring each Easy song. But if you work at Medium, you get money for each song and you can unlock encores.

Plus, Medium is so different from Easy (you have a fourth key to worry about), I think it's worth it to struggle at Medium than to tweak 5 star Easy songs to 100%. Because it'll prepare you better for Hard and Expert.

[Daliman]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm also a newbie. As mentioned before, there are no encores at Easy level. You have to be at Medium or higher to get an encore (and unlock the song).

You might want to consider moving up to Medium. There's no real reason to keep playing at Easy level, unless you want to unlock the guitar you get by 5 starring each Easy song. But if you work at Medium, you get money for each song and you can unlock encores.

Plus, Medium is so different from Easy (you have a fourth key to worry about), I think it's worth it to struggle at Medium than to tweak 5 star Easy songs to 100%. Because it'll prepare you better for Hard and Expert.

[/ QUOTE ]

Probably not a bad idea, but at least this will give me some familiarity with the songs, if not fully how they will play at higher levels. Also, I am having fun at the easy levels: I may be in the minority in that I'm not just trying to get to the highest levels as quickly as possible. A longer period of enjoyment before this game turns into an obsession to 80% Jordan is fine by me. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[GetThere1Time]

Also, yeah, I've played guitar casually since I was 13. I've never gotten serious about it though. Mostly I can just strum some chords, play a blues scale or two, and read tabs.

As for #3, Basic finger strength and dexterity, good sense of rhythm, and good coordination are a few things that translate. It's noticeable but not a HUGE help. GH2 and playing the guitar have a completely different feel.


#4: Do what's comfortable but learn how to alternate strum. I down strum almost every note because I find it more accurate but there is some fast stuff that you absolutely can't down strum.


[ QUOTE ]


Probably not a bad idea, but at least this will give me some familiarity with the songs, if not fully how they will play at higher levels. Also, I am having fun at the easy levels: I may be in the minority in that I'm not just trying to get to the highest levels as quickly as possible. A longer period of enjoyment before this game turns into an obsession to 80% Jordan is fine by me.

[/ QUOTE ]

One of the things I've always loved about this game is there are different levels of competition. You can get wasted with friends and play it. Mothers, wives, girlfriends, and kids, can enjoy it. If you just want to casually play your songs every now and then, you can enjoy it.

If you decide you want to get a little competitive and challenge yourself, you can work on finishing different difficulty levels and 5*ing all the songs. Then if you want even more of a challenge you can go to scorehero.com and sign up for their boards and see how you're ranked. They also have leagues there. There's XBL leaderboards.

[g-bebe]

This game is sounding too good to pass up this summer with all these posts. I must buy a PS2 and GH1.

[DrNo888]

I got a PS2 just to play GH and DDR. Screw other games that use the normal controller!