Guitar Hero: On Tour

"Fun, Long lasting game with minor flaws and a great Multiplayer aspect"

Developed by Vicarious Visions, Guitar Hero: On Tour is a risky and new attempt to try to bring the Guitar Hero franchise everywhere. And I mean that quite literally.

But will four fret buttons and a small peripheral on a portable system work? Find out as I review Guitar Hero: On Tour for Nintendo DS.

Sound

First things first. I'm sure you're all wondering: Won't this game sound terrible on the DS's speakers? And the only answer I could give you would be this: No, it doesn‘t. In fact, it uses the full power of the Nintendo DS's speakers. So yes, the quality's good, although through the speakers, it is rather low. A solution to this problem? Headphones or earphones. However, even if you don't have headphones, the sound is great for personal listening.

Speakers: 8/10
Headphones: 10/10
Final Line: 9/10

Graphics

Let's be honest, this games graphics aren't exactly Final Fantasy 3 opening, but they're not half bad. Considering the graphical capabilities of the DS (a smidge better than a Nintendo 64 console,) the graphics serve they're purpose, but not much else. The scrolling notes are colorful and easily identifiable, while your band playing in one of the five available venues are less…Well, alive. The only fluid things on the screen are your guitarist (which you can choose between 6 different guitarists and a number of guitars and finishes for your guitarist to play on,) and the scrolling notes.

Final Line: 6/10

Replay Value

Considering the small track list (25 songs + a bonus song,) there wouldn't seem like there was much reason to play after beating career. However, the songs that are in the game are very diverse and your sure to have a favourite amongst them, not to mention the pleasure of playing a song with perfect precision. You'll be playing this game weeks from when you got it, it will almost surely stand the test of time.

Final Line: 7/10

Game Play
Now for the core heart of the review, Does this game play correctly? Although the small peripheral may give you cramps, it is usually quite comfortable, as long as you take frequent breaks (as you should all video games.) And without the usual orange fret (button,) what about the difficulty for veteran Guitar Hero players and fans? Well, the truth is, it gradually gets harder (like all GH games,) and I can almost guarantee you that by the 5th tier on your preferred play mode, you'll have failed at least 1 song.

As for strumming, the touch screen usually picks up your strokes. At first, it may seem like it's missing your strums, but you'll soon realize that it's probably your own fault, as the game's features take awhile to get used to. You may sometimes miss the odd note, but work hard add it, and you'll be Gold Starring songs in no time at all!

Multiplayer time. Surprisingly, this game's multiplayer is one of the game's strongest aspects. Although you'll need another game an peripheral, the multiplayer alone is usually worth another 50 USD. The core of the multiplayer aspect is Guitar Duel, a mode in which the game replaces Star Power segments with Battle notes. Hit all of them, and you'll get a power-up or attack. Power-Ups are things like difficulty down (which may actually give you a disadvantage,) and the attacks are items like pyrotechnics. There are many fun actions that you have to complete in order to get past these Battle items, such as sign a fish via pick stylus or blow out a fire via built in DS microphone.. There is also a mode in which you battle CPU opponents with in a single player mode. As you can see, there are many possibilities and many fun sessions to be had with this one feature, adding a lot of play time.

Final Line: 9/10

Play Time

There are many things to be bought in the virtual store, such as new guitars, guitar finishes, and new outfits for your characters. What makes this add to play time? The very large majority of these items have to be unlocked via the Career and Guitar Duel modes. As you can imagine, it will take quite some time if you want to collect everything in this game, about 20-30 hours for me, but if you only play through career, you'll only get about 3-5 hours, unless your near perfect at the Guitar Hero franchise.

Final Line: 7/10

Recommendation

If you like music, guitars, or any strange mix between the two, buy this game. The only dilemma is that it costs 50 dollars, but considering it comes with the game, guitar peripheral, and stickers for your skin (and any other skins you print off and/or purchase,) it's definitely worth the money.

Final Score: 8/10 (Not an average)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/26/08

Game Release: Guitar Hero: On Tour (US, 06/22/08)