360 Xplorer Controller worth $20?

Games
1

I still just have GH1 for the PS2 that I’m playing (and ever so slowly making progress on hard… damn HOPOs :( ). I’ve avoided picking up GH2 because I wanted the 360 version with the new graphics and the more bonus songs. However, every time I’d go to buy it I’d read something about the guitar being crappy and I still hadn’t finished GH1 on the harder modes, so…

Right now, Frys.com has the GH2 bundle for 360 for $70, while the only prices I’ve seen for just the game (to go with an eventual GH3 bundle for the guitar) is $50. So the question is whether or not it’s worth the extra $20 for the explorer. Is it actually a crappy crappy controller? Or is it just a crappy controller if you’re trying to 5 star/100% on expert mode? (I’ll be happy to just get through the end of hard and do whatever I can on expert I think; though maybe that gets easier for GH2/3 since I hear the HOPOs are a bit more forgiving?)

2

It may just be a matter of getting used to it, but I fail some songs on expert with the Xplorer that I can 5-star with the Black PS2 SG.

3

I beat the Hard campaign in GHII with the Explorer, and five-starred a good number of songs on Hard. It’s not the best GH controller out there (the GHII SG is better), but it’s not terrible, either. I’d pay $20 for one, definitely.

4

Why not buy GHIII for the 360 bundled with it’s (better) wireless controller? You can pick up GH II used without the controller and use the new guitar with both. Much nicer IMHO.

Diego