A good translation of the franchise's console counterpart. *NICK'S PICK*
At first thought of many would be, how would you play Guitar Hero on the DS? Well Activision have created a new periphal, that snaps onto your GBA slot. included is a strap, and a guitar pick shaped stylus. There are also 4 buttons this time around instead of 5, but do not worry, the difficulty of the songs do not loosen. One issue i had was configuring the way you play, as it can make your hand or wrist really sore, it can take time to get use to it. I found that using the strap, can sometimes make the periphal pop out of the GBA slot, making you restart the game.
You hold the DS on it's side, like a book a la Hotel Dusk, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. You strum, and whammy on the right side, and the note highway and concert stage is on the left. The controls at first, doesn't feel that responsive, and takes time to get use to. But when you do, you'll be rockin' on the go, in no time.
The soundtrack this time around is decent, you get 25 songs, less than the consoles', and you get mostly mainstream songs, just like in Guitar Hero III. There are some good songs such as "Youth Gone Wild" by Skid Row, "Anna Molly" by Incubus, "Jessie's Girl" by Rick SpringField, and "Breed" by Nirvana, just to name a few. Some songs from Guitar Hero II have made it's way on the portable such as "Black Magic Woman" by Satatna, and "Helicopter" by Bloc Party. The soundtrack, even on Expert can be a little easy, with most songs having you strum the same notes over and over again.
The graphics are excellent, I'd say a good competitor to the LEGO brand of Video Games, with a full venue with crowds and the band playing in the background just like on the consoles, running smoothly.
The audio is good, but no excellent, coming from the DS speakers, some songs on the full volume can be distorted, but still audible.
The game also includes multiplayer, which you can play against friends locally. In addition, there is also a Guitar Duel mode, where you play through Career Mode against a computer oppenent, on any difficulty you choose, battle items are also included, this mode is a nice addition, increasing the game's longevity. The game only contains 25 songs, and no more, wished that there was more. And also cheats such as hyperspeed, and performance mode are no where to be found.
Guitar Hero: On Tour is an excellent addition to the Nintendo DS library, an awesome translation of its predecessor. There is no other portable system that fits this franchise more than the DS