Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades (DS)
© 2008 RedOctane/Activision
This second Guitar Hero title for the Nintendo DS is a lot like the first, and according to our Guitar Hero seasoned testers, the new songs and features are well worth the $50. You start by inserting the included Guitar Hero Guitar Grip into your Nintendo DS game port (the large one, for Game Boy Advance cartridges). Like the Guitar Hero guitar peripherals, the grip has four color-coded buttons. Once the game is started, you turn the DS long-wise and strum on the touch screen using either the stylus or an included pick. Content includes a more diverse playlist with 28 songs from the past 40 years, with bands such as Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lenny Kravitz, Blondie, Linkin Park and Fall Out Boy. Players of Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades and Guitar Hero: On Tour can now share songs and play together in multiplayer modes playing songs from either version of the game. There are three different career paths you can choose to play through -- Lead Guitar, Bass Guitar, and Guitar Duel -- each with their own story line. Other features include the ability to customize outfits throughout the decades of rock, blow into the microphone to extinguish a pyrotechnics fire, use the stylus to autograph a fan's shirt, and play with friends in co-op mode or challenge to a Guitar Duel via local wireless network. Note the $50 price includes the game and Guitar Grip. If you already own Guitar Hero: On Tour, you can purchase the game alone for $35. Novice players were able to do the easy level with no problem, while seasoned players topped out quickly, although they liked the new music. If you like Guitar Hero, you'll like this portable rock concert. Note that headphones or external speakers greatly enhance the experience. The game is an excellent exercise in fine motor coordination. Developed by Vicarious Visions.
$50, Nintendo DS
Teaches: fine motor coordination, rock music
CTR Rating: 88%