Guitar Hero 2 Guitar Controller
by Activision
Our Price: $59.99
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Category: Video Games
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Product Summary
Brand: ACTIVISIONAudio: German (Manual); English (Manual); French (Manual)
Release Date: 2007-09-04
Platform: Xbox 360
Model: II X-plorer Controller
Publisher: Activision
Product features:
- Game sold separately.
- Guitar Hero 2 Bundle with Guitar
- Official Xbox Magazine [with DVD] (1-year)
- Play
- Tips & Tricks Magazine
Video Game Reviews of Guitar Hero 2 Guitar Controller
Customer Review: My "X-Ploration" with the X-Plorer
Summary: 4 Stars
Before I explain my thoughts on this guitar, I should explain what my past experiences with other guitars have been.
I used to play a little on my sister's Guitar Hero III, where I became fairly competent on Expert, using the guitar that was bundled with that. My only recollection with that blasted thing was how easily it fell apart.
Fast forward to a few months ago...
Not having a TV (much less a modern console), I mostly play guitar hero on my little laptop. I was searching for a good controller that would work well on my PC and found the PS3 RB Stratocaster. For the first few months, I was satisfied with its performance, but noticed how the "Rock Band" style strummer really didn't work for certain sections of different songs. It failed to give me reassurance that my strumming pattern was accurate whatsoever.
Then recently, I played with a friend using their World Tour guitar for the 360. It had been over a year since I played a Guitar Hero guitar and I had forgotten how it felt. The strummer with that guitar was amazing, and I had fallen in love with it. The frets, however, were a nightmare. They were further apart, and gave a lot of resistance that felt like they were being supported with heavy springs. It ached the back of my hand to try to play before long, and I noticed my performance going down the toilet because of it. So this little affair wasn't going to work.
Finally, I decided to search online for popular guitar hero guitars, ones that had a nice "clicky" stummer to it that would give me reassurance, and buttons that weren't as resistant as the World Tour one and not quite as clicky as the Stratocaster. That's where I ran into the X-Plorer, seeing how popular it was amongst players, particularly for its durability.
After some searching, I found a place where I could buy a new one more cheaply than I could online and rushed it home in excitement.
The first thing I noticed about this guitar was its size. The X-Plorer is about 5/6 the size of the Stratocaster, and about 2/3 the size of my electric guitar, and it felt funny to hold. But I knew it was something I'd get used to (and I have), and thought nothing of it.
I had downloaded all the drivers for using the 360 controller on my PC just prior, so as soon as I plugged the X-Plorer in I was ready to play. The length of the cord didn't bother me, as I was playing on the PC where I have to be a little closer to see the screen.
My scores didn't drastically change, but playing felt more fluid and natural with the softer frets. I loved the feel in comparison to the last two guitars I had tried. The strummer was a little louder than I anticipated, and I noticed that instead of helping me keep the beat, my ears paid more attention to the beat I was making with the strummer than on the game, and occasionally went into a bad pace because of it. This was easily fixed by playing with my headphones on, so I could enjoy the feel without worrying about the sound.
The star power works beautifully on this guitar. On the stratocaster, I'd have to angle the guitar almost vertically and shake it for star power to activate. With the X-Plorer, a good tilt is well enough, without being oversensitive about it.
The one major thing that bothers me about the X-Plorer is its placement of Start/Back and arrow buttons. Not only are they hard to reach with your fingers without moving your hand, but they are located right where I would naturally rest the lower corner of my hand when playing, resulting in accidentally hitting Start+Down+Start randomly in the middle of a song, and making me start from the beginning. For that, the X-Plorer gets 4 stars rather than 5.
Description of Guitar Hero 2 Guitar Controller
The Guitar Hero 2 Controller feels just like a real guitar, making it the ultimate way to jam on your Xbox 360. Players press the fret buttons in sync with scrolling "notes" on screen that indicate the rhythm of the song. Players activate these "notes" by flicking the strum bar on the Guitar Hero 2 Controller. With a second Controller, Guitar Hero turns into the ultimate party game!! The dual guitar action on songs like Iron Man and More Than a Feeling will have the crowd going nuts. Stylized Start and Select buttons that look like volume knobs off an actual guitarControllers Games
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