Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s PlayStation 2
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s Image
Metascore
69 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 50 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.0 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 25 Ratings

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  • Summary: Fans can once again whip out their Gibson-shaped SG guitar controllers and shred to their favorite rock tracks. PS2-exclusive Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s features retro rock venues and hipster characters, unlockable guitars, intense game play modes, and most importantly 30 awesome new songs to experience the ultimate rock star fantasy. The list of finger-melting tracks includes: I Wanna Rock (by Twisted Sister), I Ran (by Flock of Seagulls), Round and Round (by Ratt), I Want Candy (by Bow Wow Wow), Metal Health (by Quiet Riot) Holy Diver (by Ronnie James Dio) and Heat Of The Moment (by Asia). [Activision]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 50
  3. Negative: 4 out of 50
  1. GotNext
    90
    It's a lot of (very familiar) fun, but like an overpriced concert t-shirt, there's no escaping the feeling that it's not quite the value it looked when enthusiasm had free reign over your wallet.
  2. Game Chronicles
    85
    Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80’s would have been a much better installment in the franchise had it been priced as an expansion or offered more content to justify the high sticker price.
  3. Digital Entertainment News
    73
    You'll play through the songs once and then go back to playing Guitar Hero II while waiting for Guitar Hero III to come out.
  4. netjak
    49
    I could see a couple of dedicated Guitar Hero fans picking this up purely for completeness’ sake. But beyond that, it should be avoided. It’s just too much for too little good stuff.

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User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 19
  3. Negative: 8 out of 19
  1. MikeG.
    9
    30 songs for 40 bucks, yea, i'll buy every guitar hero game at that value, besides, some of the songs are more difficult than most gh2 songs.
  2. KevinR.
    8
    Is it too expensive and far too short? Yes. But it's still Guitar Hero, and most of the songs, while not great, are solid and fun to play, if not all that hard. If you can, wait for it to drop to $29.99 or less and you'll have a great deal. If you just hate the 80s, wait for Guitar Hero III and Rock Band.… Expand
  3. JohnV.
    7
    Bought it yesterday and have played through it all on Hard already. It's a short ride with little fulfillment. I recommend picking it up if you can find it - you won't - for around $20. Otherwise, save your money for Rock Band. I just have it because my friends wanted new songs, and I had the extra cash. Poor covers to boot.… Expand
  4. LeoJ.
    4
    It's hard to like GH 80s. It brings less to the table than a TV dinner. Songlist? It's short, with many selections that raise eyebrows as high as any New Wave hairstyle. "Lonely Is The Night"? "Shakin'"? "Turning Japanese"? "I Ran"? The really awful 80s covers of "Ballroom Blitz" and "Radar Love"? Who was responsible for this screwjob? It doesn't really get to rocking by any definition until near the end, and before you know it the whole experience ends. There's very few changes from GH2; you're more likely to find things that are missing than added. Most of what differentiates this package from GH2 is eye candy, with only six 80s styled characters (good-bye Xavier, Clive, Casey, Eddie, and Lars), one unlockable character, no bonus music, no videos, and no special guitars. Many of the graphical elements are exactly the same or only have minor "80s Tweaks", like changing what Axel and Judy are wearing during the opening cartoon or making bits of the menu screens more pastel. It's pointless and annoying. Worst of all, this thing is EASY. Since the playlist stays away from power metal, glam rock, deathmetal, and whathaveyou, instead choosing to stay warm in the confines of hair rock and guitar pop, most songs are straight ahead lather-riff-repeat numbers, where you'll wind up playing the same exact pattern over and over for three to five minutes. Yawn. Even on Hard it's a cake walk. (Except for "Play With Me", of course...) Truth from someone with hours and hours and hours invested in the previous Guitar Hero games? Save yer cash for GH3 and Rock Band.… Expand

See all 19 User Reviews