Capitalized for truth.

I tried the game for the first time last night, and loved it. My guitar experience helped me pick the game right up and rock the hell out. I was skeptical of this game after seeing the song list, but most of them are actually somewhat enjoyable while playing the game. I could do without "I Wanna Be Sedated" and that Franz Ferdinand song, but I dig. A lot.

There's something magical about drinking a large amount of alcohol and playing "Unsung" on hard.

How far does this game go to teach a novice how to properly play a guitar and read sheet music?

Fab for you, mate.  So, was last night a first-time only-time try for you?  Or do you actually have the game now?  Personally, it's something I would recommend owning, as mastering the songs -- especially on the later difficulty levels -- takes a lot of practice.   

So, I assume you did start on the Hard difficulty level?  I must admit, I had a devil of a time even trying to get used to Medium, since I was previously so used to Guitar Freaks' three-frets only.  But now I can play on all five, pulling off all the Hard songs with ease, and a fair number of Experts as well.  Perfecting hammer-ons is a crucial must later on.

My favorites?  Cream's "Crossroads", The Donnas' "Take It Off",  Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Texas Flood", Bad Religion's "Infected", and for my hell-yeah-bring-down-the-house finale, Ozzy's "Bark At The Moon."

The game is seriously the skill.

Not very.  It's a music-rhythm game, first and foremost, so it shouldn't be considered a proper outlet to formally learning the guitar.  There's no sheet music, and frets and the strum bar are plastic incarnations of the real thing.  Wikipedia's entry actually gives an accurate representation of how the gameplay works.

What it does simulate, though, is the inherent dexterity and fingerwork necessary to play the instrument, and the songs presented feel explicitly close to when you're actually playing them in the game. (Especially on the higher difficulty levels, where the fret-to-note ratio feels more natural.)  So no, while it won't get high marks for total realism, it still remains a load of fun and challenging all the same.

I remember having a conversation with Angela on this one. A VERY fun game indeed. It's even more fun to play when you have a party and watch all the guitar "professionals" try their hand at it. Funny as hell watching the mistakes. raynebc , as far as teaching you to read music, the game-play isn't very close to reading tabs. It would probably help you to play a keyboard more than guitar...but the game is LOADS of fun, and highly recommended.

Sounds like it's more like amplitude with strings instead of buttons.  Am I right?

game is fun but not as challenging as Bemani Games(namely Beatmania, Drummania on highest difficulties), though I like it a lot.

Looking at the song list, I was disappointed to see a lack of Scorpion's tunes. What I wouldn't give to rock out to "Rock You Like a Hurricane". I'd also like to see some J-rock tunes, too. Can you imagine totally jammin' to M.O.V.E.'s "Noizy Tribe"?

I'm sure licensing was an issue. There's many artists I would have loved to have seen on this game like:

Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover , When I first saw this video, I wanted his outfit: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid … ic+johnson
Joe Satriani
Steve Vai
Yngwie Malmsteen
Nitro (80's band)
Impellitteri (The solo for "I'll be Searching" would definately be the game winning moment)
White Lion (Vito Bratta was the solo master)
Dokken (only the rocking tunes like "Into the Fire")
Blue Murder
Dream Theater
Type O Negative
Marty Friedman
Jeff Beck
Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon
Van Halen - Just about anything up to 1984 some of OU812
Kansas
Def Leppard
Zepplin
Michael Schenker
Zakk Wylde - "Farm Fiddlin'" If you can find this song, you'll enjoy it. From the album "Guitars that Rule the World"
Guns N Roses

As for the current artists, I'd prefer these tracks over the current ones:

Ozzy - Diary of a Madman instead of Bark at the Moon
Boston - Hitch a Ride over More than a Feeling (Hitch a Ride has one of the smoothest solos you'll ever hear)
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody over Killer Queen.
Megadeth - either Hangar 18 or Almost Honest...two kick ass songs.

I thought you were dead or something....

Well, I've heard that there will be five to six new Guitar Hero games between now and mid-2007.  Many of these will be genre-specific (like a heavy metal game, a country game, etc.).

Guitar Hero II is on the horizon.  From Gamespot:

And yes, mr. s, Cliffs of Dover would freakin' rock.  Probably my favorite guitar song outside of VGM.

I played it for the first time on Saturday night at a friend's house, then went out yesterday and picked up my own copy because I was craving it like you wouldn't believe. I already started making my way through the game on Hard, but I haven't unlocked the last set of songs yet. I'm dying for "Texas Flood".

I played one song on Medium first ("Thunder Kiss 65"), and upped it from there. I'd rather have something challenging than hit those one-note-per-second lines on Easy. I really enjoy Hard and usually pull a 4 or 5-star rating without much trouble... although the solo on Symphony of Destruction usually puts me in the red. >_>

I can say that having experience on a real guitar enhances the game and makes the learning curve a lot less sharp. My friend has had the game for a couple of months now and is still struggling on hard (he puts in several hours a week), but I was able to step right up.

Either way... yeeeeah. Amazing game. Can't wait for V2 to see what songs will be on it!

I also forgot to mention that it is easier for me to play using a guitar pick instead of using my thumb/finger/whatever to play the strum button on the guitar. I guess it's ironic how I spent $75 on a game that makes you play a fake guitar when I have a real one sitting several feet away.

Heh, funny, because I just stumbled upon this:

http://ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20060419

Wasn't sure if it entirely warranted another thread, but here's the most up-to-date track listing for the upcoming Guitar Hero II.  "Sweet Child O' Mine" is the latest of the confirmed 55 songs.

Arterial Black / Drist
John The Fisherman / Primus
Killing in the Name Of / Rage Against the Machine
Madhouse / Anthrax
Psychobilly Freakout / The Reverend Horton Heat
Shout at the Devil / Mötley Crüe
Strutter / KISS
Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart / Stone Temple Pilots
War Pigs / Black Sabbath
Who Was in My Room Last Night? / The Butthole Surfers
You Really Got Me / The Kinks, as performed by Van Halen
YYZ / Rush

I've been playing the game at Best Buy for about three weeks I think, I'm in Hard-Expert limbo. I can play most lvl4 and down(and SCM) on EX along with Caveman Rejoice(got 100k, don't know how), Even Rats, and Fire It Up. All of the lvl5 and up on Expert kick my butt. I can't get through Frankenstein, CFH, BatM, CotC, or Texas Flood decently on hard either.