You can still create your own rocker on PS2, but what you won't get is the ability to earn stars via the new challenges that Activision included on the other versions of Guitar Hero 5. You earn stars to unlock new areas, which in turn unlocks new songs. On the Career side of things, most of the standard Guitar Hero experience is there. With so many limitations to the design, Party Play is really there in name only.
In fact, while the mode is available off the title screen, a full 30 second load is required to jump into the mode, and is again used any time you want to skip songs. You'll still get a Party Play mode, but with no support for drop-in or drop-out play, and no full setlist to scroll through (only "skip song" is available) it's far from the same party experience. Unfortunately, the PS2 version doesn't work the same way. It's hands-down one of the most attractive features of Guitar Hero 5, and a huge hit on other consoles. Songs can be changed, players can drop-in and drop-out mid-song, and the no-fail mode also allows you to change difficulty or switch instruments while the rest of the group continues to play. Party Play, for example, is used on other consoles to allow players to jump in and randomly enjoy a song or two off the game's title screen. play, and no GH Tunes - some aspects are simply tweaked. While some aspects are simply removed entirely - no online means no downloadable content, no online Vs. If you're looking to get the full Guitar Hero 5 experience though, you won't find it with the PlayStation 2 version of the game. If you want to play locally with friends or just rip through the tracks, PS2 has you covered. What you don't get with Guitar Hero 5 on the PS2, though, is the unfortunate omission of true party play, online play, DLC, GH Tunes, and a stripped down Career mode with the new challenge system removed.
If you're new to the series though, you're much better off starting with Guitar Hero II or Guitar Hero III, since both of those versions have a more complete feature set. The same great gameplay is there too, so if you're a returning fan you'll get solo sections with slider bar support (should you have a newer PS2 guitar), you can now rock the full band experience with two guitar controllers, a drum set, and vocals via the Guitar Hero microphone, and the tracks themselves are a nice mix of both recent and classic songs. The music quality sounds pretty decent, and all the actual note highways are the same across all versions. Guitar Hero 5 on PS2 still comes with the impressively produced 85 song collection that you'll find on other consoles.
Nope, this one just isn't worth the cash.
You won't find any of Guitar Hero 5's huge selling points, you won't get any serious progression from what players got back in Guitar Hero II or Guitar Hero III, and the band play additions aren't nearly strong enough to warrant an upgrade if you took the plunge with World Tour last year. It's unfortunate, given how awesome the game is on other consoles, but it's true.
PS2's offering of Guitar Hero 5 can best be described as a lame, featureless shelf-stocker.