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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Music Developer: Vicarious Visions Publisher: Activision |
With the momentum that the Guitar Hero franchise as gotten, some may wonder if it was really necessary for the series to make its way
onto a portable system like the Nintendo DS. Of course the name alone would ensure that sale would be high, but was it really
necessary? The answer would have to be, yes it was. Luckily, when Activision gave Vicarious Visions the okay to go ahead and created
a portable Guitar Hero game, they took the project seriously and the result is a Nintendo DS version of the series that feels like it
“Guitar Hero: On Tour” is an amazing accomplishment, mainly due to the fact that there isn’t a full-sized guitar that allows players to feel
like they are playing the instrument with the music. Also, the DS version of the game doesn’t allow for much observation by friends, so
this is definitely a game to be played alone.
The game takes all of the core components of the original Guitar Hero game and all of the sequels that have been released over the
years and compact it into a game appropriate for the Nintendo DS. The overall game play of the game remains the same, play songs
by hitting notes that slide down the guitar. Hit enough notes to get Star Power and rock out. Earn bonus score multipliers by hitting
enough notes. That is about it, exactly like previous versions of the game, only smaller.
It is at this point that the game takes a turn and becomes its own game, separate from all of the console versions of the game. On the
console, players are used to have a five fret, full-sized guitar with a strummer that recognizes when players are “strumming” the guitar.
The guitar also has a whammy bar and a motion sensor to set off Star Power when available. For the Nintendo DS, players lose the full-
sized guitar and one fret button, but everything else is still in the game, just smaller.
Included with the game is the equivalent of the Guitar Hero guitar, the Guitar Grip, a peripheral that snaps into the GameBoy Advance
slot and adds four frets that run down the bottom of the system. Players strap their hand into the grip, place a finger over each button,
take out the touch-screen guitar pick that is also included and begin rocking out like other Guitar Hero games.
The game recognizes a strumming motion in any direction which is very useful when players move onto the Expert songs. Also,
whamming notes is a simple scribble motion of the touch screen during a held note. Everything about the controls are extremely easy
and are handled well for such a small peripheral.
As usual, there are always some downfalls, mostly because of the system itself, not so much the game. Playing “Guitar Hero: On Tour”
on the same screen in which the peripheral gets fairly difficult to concentrate on everything that is going on. Also, the Guitar Grip, though
a great peripheral, can become quite uncomfortable after a long time of playing. Players can easily begin to cramp up after only two or
three songs. At one point in the game players are sure to need to readjust their hands in the grip and the peripheral may come loose,
causing the game to freeze, much like unplugging a guitar in the original game. However, with the DS has to reboot to recognize the
peripheral again. It is a little frustrating at the beginning, but for those that are willing to stick it out, comfort can be found and the payoff
is worth it.
When comparing the song list of previous games to the song list on “Guitar Hero: On Tour,” some may say that the list is a little short, in
number and genre. With more than 25 full-length songs for the DS version, it is an amazing feat considering quality of the songs.
Though the compression is slightly noticeable, the songs are in stereo and actually song pretty good coming out of the Nintendo DS
speaker. Put on some headphones and really rock out. With a list of songs including Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,”
Smashmouth’s “All-Star” and Daughtry’s “What I Want,” the game offers a little bit of variety in its lineup.
Even without a fret button, the game is very challenging with a high difficulty curve, especially for those that are new to the Guitar Hero
franchise. For those that are used to the game’s format, jumping directly into Hard of Expert mode is not recommended, they are
tougher than one may think. Again, there is a high score list for each song, with a default high score of 100,000 points, and the return of
Star Rankings, so players may want to replay songs until that reach that high score and get a five-star rating.
The game also offers a multiplayer mode which allows players to play each song cooperatively with back-up and lead guitars split
between two systems over a wireless local connection. Players can also play the exciting Guitar Duel to compete against other players
while collecting over-the-top power-ups that are made to mess up the opponent.
“Guitar Hero: On Tour” may not seem to be a member of the Guitar Hero family that can stand on its own, but for this being the first
release to a portable console, it turned out extremely well and has made a great impact on the system so far. Playing the game on the
Nintendo DS actually feels a lot like playing the original game, but for those that have grown up with the original, this may not live up to
the hype. Along with the squiggly lines for whamming and screaming to activate the Star Power, some may want to stick with the
console, but for those that just can’t get enough, this one’s for you.
onto a portable system like the Nintendo DS. Of course the name alone would ensure that sale would be high, but was it really
necessary? The answer would have to be, yes it was. Luckily, when Activision gave Vicarious Visions the okay to go ahead and created
a portable Guitar Hero game, they took the project seriously and the result is a Nintendo DS version of the series that feels like it
“Guitar Hero: On Tour” is an amazing accomplishment, mainly due to the fact that there isn’t a full-sized guitar that allows players to feel
like they are playing the instrument with the music. Also, the DS version of the game doesn’t allow for much observation by friends, so
this is definitely a game to be played alone.
The game takes all of the core components of the original Guitar Hero game and all of the sequels that have been released over the
years and compact it into a game appropriate for the Nintendo DS. The overall game play of the game remains the same, play songs
by hitting notes that slide down the guitar. Hit enough notes to get Star Power and rock out. Earn bonus score multipliers by hitting
enough notes. That is about it, exactly like previous versions of the game, only smaller.
It is at this point that the game takes a turn and becomes its own game, separate from all of the console versions of the game. On the
console, players are used to have a five fret, full-sized guitar with a strummer that recognizes when players are “strumming” the guitar.
The guitar also has a whammy bar and a motion sensor to set off Star Power when available. For the Nintendo DS, players lose the full-
sized guitar and one fret button, but everything else is still in the game, just smaller.
Included with the game is the equivalent of the Guitar Hero guitar, the Guitar Grip, a peripheral that snaps into the GameBoy Advance
slot and adds four frets that run down the bottom of the system. Players strap their hand into the grip, place a finger over each button,
take out the touch-screen guitar pick that is also included and begin rocking out like other Guitar Hero games.
The game recognizes a strumming motion in any direction which is very useful when players move onto the Expert songs. Also,
whamming notes is a simple scribble motion of the touch screen during a held note. Everything about the controls are extremely easy
and are handled well for such a small peripheral.
As usual, there are always some downfalls, mostly because of the system itself, not so much the game. Playing “Guitar Hero: On Tour”
on the same screen in which the peripheral gets fairly difficult to concentrate on everything that is going on. Also, the Guitar Grip, though
a great peripheral, can become quite uncomfortable after a long time of playing. Players can easily begin to cramp up after only two or
three songs. At one point in the game players are sure to need to readjust their hands in the grip and the peripheral may come loose,
causing the game to freeze, much like unplugging a guitar in the original game. However, with the DS has to reboot to recognize the
peripheral again. It is a little frustrating at the beginning, but for those that are willing to stick it out, comfort can be found and the payoff
is worth it.
When comparing the song list of previous games to the song list on “Guitar Hero: On Tour,” some may say that the list is a little short, in
number and genre. With more than 25 full-length songs for the DS version, it is an amazing feat considering quality of the songs.
Though the compression is slightly noticeable, the songs are in stereo and actually song pretty good coming out of the Nintendo DS
speaker. Put on some headphones and really rock out. With a list of songs including Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,”
Smashmouth’s “All-Star” and Daughtry’s “What I Want,” the game offers a little bit of variety in its lineup.
Even without a fret button, the game is very challenging with a high difficulty curve, especially for those that are new to the Guitar Hero
franchise. For those that are used to the game’s format, jumping directly into Hard of Expert mode is not recommended, they are
tougher than one may think. Again, there is a high score list for each song, with a default high score of 100,000 points, and the return of
Star Rankings, so players may want to replay songs until that reach that high score and get a five-star rating.
The game also offers a multiplayer mode which allows players to play each song cooperatively with back-up and lead guitars split
between two systems over a wireless local connection. Players can also play the exciting Guitar Duel to compete against other players
while collecting over-the-top power-ups that are made to mess up the opponent.
“Guitar Hero: On Tour” may not seem to be a member of the Guitar Hero family that can stand on its own, but for this being the first
release to a portable console, it turned out extremely well and has made a great impact on the system so far. Playing the game on the
Nintendo DS actually feels a lot like playing the original game, but for those that have grown up with the original, this may not live up to
the hype. Along with the squiggly lines for whamming and screaming to activate the Star Power, some may want to stick with the
console, but for those that just can’t get enough, this one’s for you.
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