Assuming that the gaming public cannot count, or simply doesn’t care about sequential or numerical order, the tri-Lambdas at Microsoft will soon be releasing the PlayStation hit Guitar Hero II for their 360 console. Perhaps in a bold move, foregoing the first Guitar Hero (which had better songs than the sequel), have they finally stopped the maddening formula of releasing two games when one would do just fine? Time will tell, especially if Microsoft decides to launch downloadable content (Only on Xbox Live: Plutonium Edition! Catch the Fever!).

Aside from any financial issues (which don’t matter because I will certainly buy it anyway), I’m looking forward to this game moreso than many other games. When I initially played GH, my inner music snob was unleashed, and I really thought that I would throw down the guitar when I found tapping was impossible and dash to my Steve Vai collection. However, as soon as I found myself ripping through solos without all of that pesky ‘practicing’, I knew I was hooked on a feeling. A feeling of rock ‘n roll. Whiskey. Leather. A buttload of cocaine. I need light gauge strings if I’m going to shred.

Guitar Hero captures the fun of playing guitar well without working at it, and although we can probably expect the 360 version to mirror many of the positive in the PS2 version, this time around they’ll hopefully make a few changes. For me, these included making in-game options easier to access, playing the bass more fun (right now it’s about as much fun to play as the actual bass (whimper)), and add songs that can maintain similar levels of difficulty while being perhaps a little more well-known. There’s nothing like limping through a difficult song you’ve never heard before. But I guess there’s something to be said for expanding your musical horizons, even if it is through a game whose controller looks like something I’d buy my 6 year old cousin.