When it was first announced that Activision was bringing Guitar Hero to the DS, there was a lot of speculation as to how it might work. Would they make a mini guitar, make it touch screen only, maybe even change the game up a bit? Well the solution that is presented in Guitar Hero On Tour is actually quite elegant and shows that the developer, Vicarious Visions, really put a lot of though into making this a faithful recreation of Guitar Hero to take with you on the go.
The game comes bundled with the aptly named "Guitar Grip" which has four fret buttons instead of the usual five found on the standard Guitar Hero controller. The grip itself is comfortable, but should only be used in about 30 minute increments with breaks in between (unless you would like your hand to cramp up.) The grip plugs into the GBA slot on the DS Lite, and is compatible with the old DS using an included adapter.
The game itself is surprisingly good. The setlist sounds a little offputting at first thanks to the inclusion of bands such as Maroon 5, Smashmouth, and OK Go. Even though they don't exactly scream Guitar Hero, the songs themselves are very fun to play thanks to so good decisions by the charting team. Thankfully there are harder songs though, my favorite being "I Don't Wanna Stop" by Ozzy, which has a crazy solo and will take even seasoned Guitar Hero players a couple of tries to pass the song.
Visually, the game is surprisingly crisp for a DS title. The characters and venues are impressive and the note highway itself is easily readable. Since sound is easily one of the most important parts of the game, it is a huge relief that the music sounds phenomenal for a DS game. It is a bit compressed, but not so much that the music is unrecognizable.
All in all, Vicarious Vision did a great job of doing the unthinkable and bringing Guitar Hero over to the DS. It captures the look and feel of playing Guitar Hero, has a good setlist, and is a technical feat on the DS. I do recommend buying some screen protectors, since the touch screen is used for stumming. Even if you are a diehard GH fan, I recommend giving this a shot. You might end up liking more than you though.
Verdict: B
by Nicolas Perez
PS: Stay tuned next week for the review of GH: On Tour's big brother, Guitar Hero Aerosmith.
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