Guitar Hero On Tour: Hit Me With Your Best Shot (Guitar Hero On Tour (DS))

Member Name: bunnie1982

Product:	Guitar Hero On Tour (DS)
Date:	05/11/08 (52 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 26 varied songs, different game play modes

Disadvantages: Can cause hand cramp

Guitar Hero: On Tour is based on the Guitar Hero franchise which appears on the major consoles (Nintendo Wii, Playstation, X Box 360)

It is a bold move by Activision to bring the game to the small screen, introducing a four button fret board which slots into the GBA (Game Boy Advance) cartridge slot and a plectrum to use on the touch screen.

The question is....did this move pay off? Lets find out

Sound

This is the question on everyones lips, won't the sound be terrible on the DS speakers? My answer on this would be no it actually sounds pretty good. It uses the full power of the speakers to ensure quality is not compromised, however the volume is quite low, this can be remedied by using earphones.

Graphics

The graphics on this game are not too bad, they serve their purpose. The scrolling notes are colourful and easy to see. The background and the band are very much static and the only moving things on the screen are the notes and the lead guitarist (which you can choose from 6 different guitarists)

Gameplay

Although the small fret board may make your hand cramp up, it is quite comfortable if you take frequent breaks.

The basic gameplay is that on the main screen are the notes you need to play on the fret board and on the touch screen is where you need to strum. There are in game tutorials which will show you all the basics.

As you play through the game it gradually gets harder and by the 5th tier there will likely be one song you have failed on. The game offers four difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert.

As for strumming, the touch screen is actually quite sensitive and picks up notes quite easily. Also as a note it took me a while to activate star power, there is a choice of tapping on the star power bar on screen or the easier method of shouting into the microphone.

There is a game duel mode on this game as well, in this mode you play against a computer guitarist and all the star power segments in the song are changed to battle notes. Hit all of them to gain a power up attack. These power ups are things like difficulty up, pyrotechnic setting the guitar on fire.

There is also a multiplayer mode where you can play against friends using the DS Local Wireless Connection.

If you're anything like me you'll be going back through the songs and trying to perfect them.

The tracklist on this game is very small (25 songs + 1 bonus) which are unlocked as you play through the career mode.

Some of my favourite songs on the game are:

Nirvana - Breed
Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl
Twister Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It
Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Daughtry - What I Want

The game works with both the DS Lite and the Original DS, there is an adapter in the box to fit to the fret board before plugging it in (depending which DS you are using)

If you are a Guitar Hero fan and own a DS, this will give you the same fun and excitement as the other games.

Summary: Fun, long lasting game with great play options