Guitar Hero II Publisher:  RedOctane Developer:  Harmonix

Why It Rocked: The original Guitar Hero had an extremely fun back-and-forth multiplayer mode, but Guitar Hero II has upped the ante quite a bit. The new cooperative mode lets a second player pick up either the rhythm guitar or bass track, and the results simply rock. Instead of playing alongside someone, you're actually playing with them. It's one thing to trade licks back and forth, but when you nail your section while your buddy nails his, you get this feeling of success and "oneness" that few other experiences offer.

A major improvement to the formula is the ability to select different difficulty levels. This really opens up the accessibility and fun when newcomers want to join in with veterans. The other new mode is the Pro Face-Off, allowing both players to play the entire song at the same time, finally proving once and for all who the better player is. Really, the only thing that remains missing from Guitar Hero II's multiplayer is the ability to play online, and with issues of lag we're probably glad Harmonix didn't attempt it only to miss perfection because everything else is basically perfect.

Runner-Up:  
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

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