I picked this up last week and I have to say that your review is pretty much spot on with how I feel about it.

Regardless of anything, its a pretty creative attempt by Vicarious Visions and it'll sell boatloads.

I'd love a harder 4-fret game, I've tried and tried but I can't get the hang of playing with 5 frets and medium keeps getting easier and easier, I want a challenge. I'm not paying 50 bucks for a game with that few tracks that doesn't work right, though.

I have to disagree with the review, I'm loving the game and it is an EXCELLENT handheld title. Is it as good as the main console franchise? Not sure, but then again it is created for a hand held which NEEDS to do things a bit differently.

Necessary flaws are flaws nonetheless, and 7 isn't a bad score. So what do you disagree with, exactly?

should give this game a 0 because it is guitar hero and guitar hero is trash. this is of course because i am already a real-life guitar hero and i don't need to dream or pretend that i am by playing crap vidya games.

Don't believe I said it had any flaws. I said that the two versions should not be compared because handheld gaming is a different animal from console gaming. For what it is, a portable version of Guitar Hero, it is brilliant. The controls work fine for me, yeah strumming takes practice but it is far from flawed. I guess my biggest problem with the review is that I feel it leans too heavily towards the hardcore Guitar Hero fans, while this version OBVIOUSLY tries to bring in casual gamers to the franchise who don't want to spend hours playing the console versions. It is very pick up and play with tons of fun for short bursts, which is what a quality handheld game is best at. Even the tracklist is fine.

Also who are you? Don't believe I've seen you.

It seems to me this game isn't at all for hardcore Guitar Hero fans. With only 4 buttons and a pretty pop-ish soundtrack it goes against the conventions of the GH franchise.For the more casual audience this may be great, especially for the younger crowd.

Given how toolish I would look playing this game out in public, I doubt I'd play it anywhere else but at home. At that point it doesn't even make sense because the entire appeal (GH on the go) is gone.

SO to avoid looking like a tool, you become one?

I gotta agree with GoldenPhoenix. Of course it would be preferable to play with a guitar controller through a bigass Dolby Surround system...if you own a console and have that option. But for Joe DS Owner, this thing is pure fun; it's practically the Elite Beat Agents sequel I've been waiting for.

And speaking as a guitar player of 25 years' experience, "strumming" the touch screen does feel very much like playing guitar to me, and I'm pleasantly surprised how responsive it is. I've played Rock Band with my nephew and I love it to death, but that old-time water pump handle you use to "strum" kills me every time and requires a total rethink of how I play. And the fret buttons on the DS aren't unlike a good ol' Grip Master finger trainer you'd buy at Sam Ash, so that feels right at home too.

It's a fair review (I'd rate it 8.5 or 9), but to me there's no point comparing On Tour to a console game, 'cause I'm not buying this or the console version. To me the relevant comparison is to the other DS games out there, and the fun and replay value make this a great DS title.

I have three gigantic beefs with the game:

1) Smash Mouth? Maroon 5? DAUGHTRY?

2) When you're holding a console guitar, the buttons are arranged more or less horizontally. And hey--the notes come toward you horizontally. On the DS, the buttons are arranged vertically, but the notes still appear horizontally. For me, anyway, there's a significant lag time where my brain translates GREEN doesn't mean LEFT, it means BOTTOM. Pinkie. It's not like there's a way around this problem, but it's a significant one, for my anyway.

3) Strumming sucks. How am I supposed to play "All the Small Things" on Hard without giving myself carpal-tunnel syndrome?

GregLover (LOL), makes a good point, it should be compared to other DS games and how well it accomplishes creating a solid HANDHELD rhythm game experience.

Halbred, I personally had no trouble with finding the notes, so it appears to be a person by person thing. Interesting complaint though, I never thought of it like that. One thing I do find odd is how concerned you guys are about how others perceive you in public if you play it, unless you are walking around playing your DS (which looks goofy regardless of the game you have in it) I don't think anyone is going to care.

Strumming is perhaps the only semi-complaint I have about the game, but it doesn't ruin the fun for me.

Quite right; it's perfect in every way. I don't know how I didn't see that.

What is this supposed to mean? I am the internets.

So you have a problem? You appear to be quite, how should I put it, smart aliky. I didn't insult you nor Johnny and yet you feel the need to be a smart alik. I was only replying to your comment that made it sound like I stated the game had "necessary flaws" when I didn't mention any in my post, I was responding to that comment. And my question about who you are was curiosity because I hadn't seen you on the boards.

How are these bad things? ^_^

I got to play this game about a week before it came out. Managers at gamestop (which I am not, but my manager) got demo copies of Guitar Hero: On Tour to show to customers to enhance reservations and upcoming retail sales of course about a week early. He handed it to me and All The Small Things was the exact song I first picked to play and I immediately went to hard after he said playing it on Easy was boring. I have to say I didn't find strumming all that bad. In fact, I scored hitting 97% of all the notes. What we did compliment about the strumming was that you couldn't strum just anywhere on the touch screen, but it had to be where you would normally strum on a guitar.

Simple, three of the worst bands in the history of "rock".

Simple, they

They aren't my favorite either, but given the crowd they are trying to reach with the title they are pretty excellent choices.

Did I miss the boat when everybody started hating Smash Mouth and Maroon 5? They're mediocre bands, but they aren't raping your ears.

Smash Mouth is like Sugar Ray, they both became different bands once radio airplay came their way.

Ehh. I've always hated them. But it isn't my genre anyway.

OK, here's what I want with the console version: a 3/4-size guitar controller (an Explorer body would be nice) with the standard fret buttons, but rather than the clicky lightswitch, inset a nice touch screen in the body and let me use a DS-type pick/stylus to strum.

If you build this and it sells, please send bags of money to my profile address.

Funny thing is, controlling your electronics with a guitar goes back to when the Atari 2600 was new, when Roland started building guitar synths. The technology certainly exists to read strums on actual strings (and even string bends); don't know how cheaply it could be done, though.

Well I put a couple more hours into it and I'm love it even more. I even enjoy the vast majority of the songs. This is easily becoming one of my favorite DS games.

GP, don't be so serious.

I hate to nitpick, but do you mean anaemic?

That's one of those (sorry, thouse) American vs. British spelling things.

It's funny that with GH4's "touch sensitive" controller, they didn't think of that. Wouldn't even have to be a screen, just a little touch pad, and using it for strumming would be a thousand times better than whatever they actually plan to use their touch pad for.

General response to several posts above:

I made some comparisons to the console GH games because this is a franchise game.  Those comparisons bring context to the review just as those games bring context to this game's potential buyers.  Of course it's fair to compare them.  Regardless, my complaints about strumming recognition, inappropriate songs (due to lack of interesting guitar parts), and poor bass mixing would all be valid even if this was the only GH game ever made.

Yes, this review is based on a pretty serious GH player's point of view, because that's what I am.  I'm not an obsessed tournament player, but I do like to improve my scores, and I do enjoy the added technique of dealing with the fifth fret.  I can't write my review from the perspective of a 12-year-old casual fan because that's not who I am.

Wow, talk about an insult to those of us who actually really enjoy the game (which includes other reviewers that enjoyed the game who are most likely not 12 year olds). Way to generalize and take respectful criticism of your review and openly insult (at least that is how it came across). I can understand if I was getting nasty like some have in the past but to make such a disparaging remark to my comments (and others) in this context seems a bit below you. Did you honestly have to include the 12 year old remark? I could understand if you said you can't write it from a casual fan/players perspective but to pigeon hole them into an age group reminds me of all the "only kiddys like Nintendo games", except in this context it is  seems to mean, whether you meant it or not, to insult people who think Guitar Hero On Tour is a great rhythm game for the DS.

Now in regards to comparing console with handheld, I would say if you are talking about PS2 vs PSP you may have a valid point. When you are comparing a franchise that HAS to do things differently on a handheld, seems weak to me. You need to judge the game solely on its own merits and what it was trying to achieve. Better yet compare it with similar experiences on the DS itself, how does it compare with Elite Beat Agents? That seems to be a more accurate comparison than trying to compare it to franchise iterations whose focuses were on big peripherals with a large screen, and audience friendly design. It is virtually impossible to replicate that experience on a handheld so you are forced to take the game in another direction, while still maintaining the "heart" of the franchise.

Now the sound track is fair but there again it all depends on personal taste, I personally love the soundtrack and what it offers in the way of guitar playing (well most of it!). Bass mixing is an area I'm going to default to you on, though I will say that it could possibly be because of technical restraint then a flaw with the game all I can say I've been able to keep to the rhythm quite well. In regards to the strumming, I am improving and finding it to be less of a problem, and I know I’m not the only one. It is the Okami Wii Syndrome, it seems, and some find it works fine while others don't, so once again I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that for you personally it didn't work well.

My main problem with the review is I felt you downplayed how well it achieved being a handheld Guitar Hero experience, and relegate some of the really neat features like the dual mode to more footnotes. I'll admit it is only my perception (see how I don't generalize), but it seemed like you overemphasized which appear to be more personal issues with the game (like sound track taste). What is most confusing though is your statement regarding most issues being minor when compared to the strumming and the “sometimes uncomfortable” grip yet you say early on it does a good job of replicating the buttons, yet it becomes more than a minor issue at the end? I guess I am bit confused about what caused the game to fall into 7/10 territory. I guess I’m trying to understand more about how you approached your final score and the review as a whole. Did you put more emphasis on, imo, a flawed comparison to its console brothers (or sisters) or did you put that emphasis on how it compared to other rhythm games on DS?

P.S. Even with your seemingly rude 12 year old remark I still can't hate someone who loves Wall-E!

Geez, man, I hope you're not saying I suggested you do. I'm 40, and I started playing games when my dad brought home a used Magnavox Odyssey (with screen overlays)!

My only point, again, was that to me personally the choice isn't whether to buy Guitar Hero On Tour ($50) or an Xbox 360 and the console version ($370 at least); it's whether to buy Guitar Hero On Tour or not buy Guitar Hero On Tour. I bought it for my son and we're both having a blast. We're playing the hell out of that thing: it's fun, it works, and the depth of play is amazing (Wi-Fi co-op?) considering the limitations of the DS.


NWR gives it a 7.0, which is fine. I'm giving it the coveted NWR Forum n00b 9/10.

lol @ the guitar zero's kicking up a fuss about a horrible game's generous review score.

You guys and gals are taking that comment too seriously.  I wasn't quoting anyone for a reason.  12-year-olds are the target demographic for this game... anyone want to dispute that?  That's not to say that other people can't enjoy it too (I did, to some extent), and I certainly wasn't calling anyone here a child.  For that matter, we probably have 12-year-old forum posters who contribute regularly.  And while I can speculate that they may enjoy the game, I have to review the game from my own perspective.

For what it's worth, I wrote a review of my own (more for practice than anything else) and also gave it a 7. But I was much harder on the gameplay than Jonny. I applauded the tech and innovation of the Guitar Grip, but simultaneously condemned the impracticality of it. My hand just cramps up in there, and my poor stylus hand cramps up MORE, especially on the Hard songs (All the Small Things sucks). I think the song selection is terrible for three reasons:

1) I heard enough of those songs on the radio yesteryear to be sick of them today.
2) A few songs, like "Heaven" and "Spiderwebs" do not fit the Guitar Hero vibe.
3) Why are we getting ports of GH3 songs in here? That's inexcusable.

And I would argue that On Tour is NOT aimed at the casual gaming crowd, even though it's clearly found a home there. I think it's aimed directly at people who've played Guitar Hero in the past...which is a LOT of people! And even if Jonny had somehow NOT compared the DS game to the PS2 games, which would be ridiculous anyway, I'll bet the score would've been the same. There are gameplay hurdles here that would probably NOT pass muster were it not for the franchise name. It's way too easy to accidentally engage Star Power, for example. And I'm sorry, but any tracklist that includes "Rock Star" is an instant phail.

First, let me clarify that I have immense love and respect for Mr. Metts and my user ID would have been JonathanMettsRespecter10000 if only I'd had enough characters.

I think this perfectly sums up why I bothered posting in the first place; I claim ignorance here and fully confess to having zero clue what the "Guitar Hero vibe" is. There's a whole Guitar Hero rocks/sucks zeitgeist-shift that I slept through, and when I woke up I found On Tour in my DS and liked it a lot.

I do think there's a lot of baggage keeping this game where it is on metacritic, et al. I mean, I bought Space Invaders Extreme as well, and for all the love it's gotten from the critics, I'm a lot more likely to reach for On Tour when I have a free half-hour. Both games do what they do very well, in my opinion.

I fully agree with the premature starpowerization problem, though.

That's all. Much love to everyone.

I disagree with Zach on a couple of points in that post.  First, I think "Heaven" is a brilliant choice for Guitar Hero because it is very much a guitar-centric song with multiple solos, fills, and rhythm sections.  I'm not in the camp that thinks GH should be all metal and classic rock.  Any song that has interesting guitar parts should be considered.  That's why I think other songs in On Tour, like "This Love", are not appropriate even though I may like hearing them on the radio.  Initially I had the same complaint with "Spiderwebs" and "All Star", but they prove to be surprisingly challenging and engaging on Hard, if less so on Easy.  One of the interesting effects of playing a familiar song in GH is that you start to hear and understand the guitar parts more than you ever did before.

As for this casual argument, it's really a moot point because GH has had a rare crossover appeal for both casual and hardcore players, ever since the series began.  The difficulty levels and song choices mean you can play the game at either extreme or, more likely, some blend in the middle.  That's where I am... I play through the games on Medium and then attempt to play through again on Hard, usually hitting some roadblocks on certain songs.  I enjoy trying to get five stars on the songs, but I know that I'll never get them all.  I think I'm a fairly typical fan of the series, or at least I represent a significant portion of the fanbase.

I'm curious, what makes you think the target demographic is 12 year olds? If anything the target demographic appears to be the wide diversity of NDS owners, many of which are casual gamers. The game seems to be created more for people who were either turned off by Guitar Hero on the consoles or those who were more casual fans of the series. It is odd about the star power thing because I haven't accidentally activated it yet (also there are different mic sensitivity settings though I'm not sure how well they work), but as I play more of the game perhaps I'll run into that problem.

P.S. Thanks for taking the time to respond Johnny!

I'm not entirely sure about that. I would think that the game is geared more towards younger fans of the series. Why if you were turned off by the GH games on the console would you bother with this incarnation of it?

I will admit that my opinion of the "Guitar Hero vibe" is very strong and was shaped by the first two games. I think GH3 went in a different direction but still had a gigantic roster of great songs. It's really hard to complain about a tracklist that includes "Knights of Cydonia." I also sort of miss the indie bands which make up a huge portion of the unlockable content in all three console games. I almost wish that On Tour had a shorter main tracklist in favor of a few unlockable indie songs. Or, you know, throw an indie song into each of the venues.

I used to be really frighteningly hardcore about GH. I 5-starred everything in GH1 and 2 on Hard mode (not so much on Expert), but now I don't really have the time. I'm pretty much with Jonny on how I play On Tour, though. I "perfected" my techniques on Medium, and I'm just playing through Hard now to see how well I can do. Expert? Yeah, we'll see.

I'd also like to say that there is no "perfect" technique to the strumming. :-(

Let me clarify what I meant. There may be some people who were intimidated by the 5 stret guitar and perhaps even the perception of Guitar Hero itself. But with a more private version of the game with a simplified controller is more inviting and more "laid" back. Perhaps turned off is the wrong word and instead I'll use intimidated.

You're only saying that 'cause I modded an old Pianosaurus to use as a controller.

You have the greatest forum name ever.  Welcome, sir or madam!

ARGH! I got an empty, blank DS case from GameStop (4 free!) but the Cover Project (or whatever it's called) doesn't seem to have an On Tour insert cover that's just "Save As"-able. Am I wrong? Did I just miss it? Does anybody know where I can get one?

Click here Zach, it should start downloading upon click. The cover project doesn't link things that way, it all goes through their php script, presumably for keeping track of downloads. If you have problems with it for some reason I can get it to you via email.

SWEET. Thanks a million!