Ozzy kicked my ass!

I finally broke down and bought myself a copy of Guitar Hero for the PS2 a few weeks back and I have not regretted it one bit. By far, this is one of the most addicting and fun games I have ever played and I would recommend it to anyone else like me with a love for rock music.

The game includes a guitar controller that is slightly smaller-scale than the real Gibson guitar it was modeled after, but it works fantastically from the simple strumming to blistering solos (but it could have used a longer strap for tall, skinny people like me). My only problem is Bark at the Moon by Ozzy, even on normal difficulty level, kicks my ass. There are plenty of famous tracks to try and it's just an amazing feeling to be "playing" some of the classics that I grew up with like Cowboys from Hell (Pantera), Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple), Iron Man (Black Sabbath), Unsung (Helmet), and Spanish Castle Magic (Hendrix). It's also given me a much better appreciation of some artists like Queens of the Stone Age--their track No One Knows seriously kicks my ass on Hard and Expert modes--and even Stevie Ray Vaughn. Yes, anyone who knows my musical taste knows that I'm no fan of Stevie Ray, but this may change my mind because of his amazing technical ability.

All in all, it was well worth every penny as I blissfully whip it out for an hour or two every few days and rock out (after putting my little girl to bed, of course). Thankfully, a sequel has been announced and will be out around the holiday shopping season. If they can make a million different DDR and Karaoke Revolution titles, here's hoping they make a million different Guitar Hero titles too!