Proto:Guitar Hero II (PlayStation 2)/Late 2006 Retail Demo/UI Changes

This is a sub-page of Proto:Guitar Hero II (PlayStation 2)/Late 2006 Retail Demo.

Much of the retail demo's UI is different from the final game. Some screens are missing and many of the menu backgrounds are identical to the first Guitar Hero or unique to this demo altogether. (Notably, practice mode's background is actually a 3D venue, versus a static screen in the final game.) Even some of the menu backgrounds that did make it to the final game received tweaks.

In the final game, highlighted menu options often animate, with each letter slightly wobbling in place. Nowhere in the demo does this occur.

General

The Harmonix logo seen at startup uses a much flatter, less detailed style than the one seen in the final game. This is generally the logo Harmonix uses nowadays. No Activision logo appears in the demo.

Prototype	Final

The splash screen is much brighter, and the disembodied arms and flames cover most of the screen, obscuring some of the text. In the final game, they've been made much smaller so that the text can rest on a pure black backdrop. The copyright and trademark text is in a different font as well. (Oddly, the earlier OPM demo splash screen is much closer, though still not identical, to the retail game than the later demo's.)

Prototype	Final

The song selection screen is similar, though there's no doodles running along the right side of the setlist in quickplay, the "SETLIST" drawing at the top appears much darker, and the background behind the paper appears to be the same marbled surface that the song selection screen from the first game uses. The vignette effect over top the final game's setlist screen isn't present in the demo.

Prototype	Final

The loading screen the retail demo uses is identical to the one used in the earlier OPM demo. It shows a stylized depiction of the Harmonix Arena venue. This screen is totally unique to both demos.

Prototype	Final

The pause menu uses an entirely different background that's much simpler than either the Guitar Hero or Guitar Hero II pause menus. The background is also featured in the OPM demo, making it also exclusive to the demos.

Prototype	Final

Career

The career mode is normally locked off from access, though if patched to be playable, the following differences can be seen.

The tour difficulty screen is entirely unique to the demo. It can actually be seen in promotional materials from around the time: a shot of it appears at 12:46 in this YouTube upload of an interview with Harmonix featured in Official PlayStation Magazine issue #111.

Prototype	Final

The tour status screen still uses the status screen from Guitar Hero, down to the player's "status" (how far they are in the career mode) being listed.

Prototype	Final

The setlist still uses the stars from the first game, and the stars overlap the longer song titles. No gold stars are handed out for FCs, again, like the first game.

Prototype	Final

While completing songs does award money, no deductions screen exists in the demo.

The encore screen is more rudimentary than the final game's, and the text uses the same font as featured throughout the first Guitar Hero. Whereas the final game has multiple encore screen texts, the demo only has one.

Prototype	Final

Encores are very basic in the demo: all five songs in the tier are unlocked from the start, and any song can be played as the "encore". None of the encore-specific intros exist in the demo, and the player still starts with their Rock Meter in the yellow like any other song. No sponsor screens exist after completing encores.

Additionally, while the setlist says to "play in the latest venue to continue your career", only the Battle of the Bands venue can be selected. Thus, after five songs, career can't be progressed.

Training

No tutorials are available in the demo. When selected, the main menu goes immediately to the practice mode song selection screen.

In the final game, practice mode uses its own difficulty select screen. In the demo, it uses the one from quickplay.

Prototype	Final

The section selection screen is marginally different, being less detailed, missing the vignette effect, and using a different font for the "SELECT START SECTION" text at the top.

Prototype	Final

The in-game practice mode backdrop is a proper 3D stage using many of the same assets from the basement venue from the first game. This is most visible on the Les Paul guitar; it's much brighter than the rest of the room, and none of the game's 3D graphics are anti-aliased for performance reasons, leading to the jagged effect that the Les Paul exhibits. The generic "Rox" amplifier from the basement venue makes one final appearance here; in the final game, it's replaced with a Mesa Boogie-branded amplifier.

In the final game, practice mode has its own fretboard. In the demo, it uses Johnny Napalm's fretboard.

Prototype	Final

The "end of practice" screen takes up most of the screen and uses the same background as the demo's pause menu.

Prototype	Final

Options

The options menu is locked down in the unpatched demo; if patched to be accessible, Guitar Hero leftovers are visibly present throughout.

Demo	Final

The audio and video options screens got their own backdrops and layouts in the final game, instead of reusing ones from Guitar Hero. Curiously, the retail demo uses a slider to set lag compensation, rather than the proper calibration tool the final game uses.

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

Warning screens, such as the ones for autosaving and deleting bands, also still use the first game's warning screen background. The only place this is really seen is when progressive scan is switched on; autosave is disabled by default in the demo.

Prototype	Final

The bonus videos screen also still uses the Guitar Hero background and menu options. No videos are present in the demo, either in the files or in-game.

Prototype	Final