Guitar Hero: On Tour

In some ways, Guitar Hero: On Tour feels more like an experiment than a full-fledged game, as if Activision just wanted to see if it could be pulled off. Whether or not it succeeded is open to debate, as there are a number of issues that hurt the game.

Beyond that annoying [grip] inconvenience, On Tour is a surprisingly decent package - however it has to be said that the sound quality from the DS speakers is a bit weak (it gets better with headphones, though), and to complete Expert Mode you need to be Slash crossbred with Jesus.

Guitar Hero: On Tour is a heck of a surprise, it works rather well on the Nintendo DS and while the console versions are undoubtedly better, those who prefer portable gaming are getting a solid alternative with On Tour.

This game is ultimately an interesting experiment that can be a lot of fun in short bursts, so in that respect, it actually works on the DS. I would recommend it for casual fans of the series and younger players who may be less demanding.

It's not quite as well-rounded as its home console older brothers, there's certainly room for improvement, but it's a solid enough start...bring on Guitar Hero: Decades.

While Guitar Hero: On Tour is a very solid port of the franchise to the DS and the technology to get it working is brilliant - why don't more developers make use of the GBA cartridge port for DS games?

Kudos to Vicarious Visions for trying. [Issue#25, p.70]

Even with some clever adjustments, On Tour just doesn’t feel the same.

Guitar Hero On Tour is a good conversion of the console facemelter, but will not become your main source for rocking out. Best saved for when your travelling/on holiday and just can’t go without a Guitar Hero fix.

Guitar Hero: On Tour tries its best to convert an uncovertible game. The music is good and the rhythm-based playing is fun enough, but the fails at creating the illusion of rocking out. [Sept 2008]

If you're under 14, or some unfortunate pituitary disorder has rendered your hands miniscule, you can't really go wrong with Guitar Hero: On Tour. Just make sure that when you're touring, it's somewhere devoid of other people and their pitiless, judging eyes.

As a solo game, Guitar Hero On Tour is a worthy addition to the series.

Even if you can play through the pain, tapping a screen just isn't as much fun as rocking out with a fake plastic guitar.

It doesn't feel like Guitar Hero. Sure, you get to press buttons in rhythm and watch an avatar bounce around the screen...but some major components are lost because of the platform. The DS certainly doesn't look or remotely feel like a guitar, and the songs -- though high quality -- just don't sound quite as awesome popping out over the system's tiny speakers.

Personally, I enjoy the idea and most of the execution, but it doesn't live up to the previous titles (except maybe Rock the 80's), and it still has a way to go before it completely impresses me.

On Tour is sort of a mixed bag. On one hand, hey, portable Guitar Hero. But does it really need to be portable at all? The peripheral comes with a bevy of problems that can affect gameplay and enjoyment, and that’s the center of the entire gaming experience.

It's got so much potential that, when you kick into hard mode and start noticing the touch screen's inaccuracy, the awkward hand contortions needed or the ill-conceived Duel Mode controls, you'll shake your head and wonder where everything went awry.

On Tour is destined to be praised by some fans, but mocked by others.

A brave but ultimately over-ambitious waste.

It's simply not enjoyable to contort your hand around the DS and listen to 25 low-fi songs while you strum the touch screen and fight the pain in your hand.

A curiosity to be indulged and then discarded in favor of another round of full-sized guitar heroism.

Technically this is Guitar Hero, but a huge piece of the puzzle is missing. Clutching your teeny tiny DS, squinting at a teeny tiny screen, and listen to tinny audio does nothing to enhance the illusion that you're a rock god.

Outside of the lack of songs, I had one major issue with Guitar Hero On Tour: portability. I tend to buy handheld games to play on train rides, or while flying. The combination of the cumbersome Guitar Grip, the non-ergonomic angle at which you hold the DS, and gameplay interface make this a game I was actually embarrassed to play in public. And if a handheld game can only be played at home, what’s the point?

To take a page from the book of elitist musicians everywhere: "Put down that toy and go play a real plastic guitar."

You won't want to rock and roll all night with this hand-cramping game that doesn't have the right tunes to back up an inventive slate of multiplayer modes.

Complaints notwithstanding, Guitar Hero: On Tour is a successful first experiment that delivers a slice of the console experience on the go, and Activision and Vicarious Visions deserve props for making such a cool portable music game.

Great gameplay marred by poor ergonomics. [Oct 2008, p.116]

Don't be fooled by the name, this is one game that won't make you feel like a real guitar hero!

Finding a way to pump more music into the mix should have been a higher priority as well.

Even proper strumming seems to be measured inconsistently, breaking otherwise-perfect sequences and potentially losing you points or even getting you booed off if your performance dips below a certain threshold, forcing you to replay the entire song.

With a more reliable control system Guitar Hero: On Tour would have been a perfectly playable, enjoyable game, but with its problems it feels more like a novelty. Getting the game to work on the DS is admirable and technically a solid achievement, but it doesn't make for a must-own DS title.