Guitar Hero: On Tour review video (DS)

3 July 2008

Posted by:Ferry

Guitar Hero: On Tour for Nintendo DS continues to build on the franchise’s signature easy-to-play, yet difficult to master addictive gameplay, and now lets players take their experience on the road wherever they go. Players use the Guitar Hero pick-stylus on the touch screen to strum their favorite tunes and create their rock ‘n’ roll legacy in career mode. Not to forget that the game has its own peripheral to get the job done: Red Octane has developed what it’s calling the Guitar Grip to give players the ability to finger chords in similar fashion as the console version’s guitar peripheral.

Guitar Hero: On Tour will contain a wealth of licensed songs from bands as Nirvana, OK Go, and No Doubt, allowing gamers to rock out to tunes by some of their own guitar heroes. Players will be able to pick from six different guitarists to represent them in-game, with secret venues and outfits to unlock. And in addition to a full Career Mode, the game also has co-op or competitive two-player play, including special On Tour challenges exclusive to the DS game.

Fans can also join together to play co-op mode using a local wireless network, or battle each other in a Guitar Duel using new Battle Items unique to the DS platform. For example, players must blow into the microphone to extinguish a pyrotechnics effects gone wrong, or use the touch screen to autograph a crazed fan’s shirt in the middle of their set. Featuring five unlockable new venues, the game lets players personalize their experience by choosing the color of their axe of choice, selecting to play as one of six characters — two of which are all new and exclusive to Guitar Hero: On Tour – and outfitting their guitarist in numerous styles.

Is this curtain call worthy of applause? Find out in this Guitar Hero: On Tour video review.

To quote the video review: “In terms of audio, On Tour consists mostly of master tracks, but the compression used to fit all the songs on the card takes a lot of fidelity out of them. The audio output level is also entirely too low for a game like this—even with headphones on. The audio also has a tendency to dip in and out. Despite this list of quibbles, it looks and sounds like a mini Guitar Hero.

Skeptical music and rhythm fans need not fret: On Tour delivers a genuine Guitar Hero experience. The implementation of the system and peripheral is inventive, but its somewhat lackluster set list and poor audio quality strike at the core of the experience. Still, if you’re the person that imported Ouendan (when-dan) from Japan or just can’t get enough of the series, hop on the tour bus.”

Design — 7.8
Gameplay — 8.0
Presentation — 7.0
Overall — 7.7