Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits

Posted 3 years ago By - Zach R.

It’s hard to believe, but Guitar Hero is making its third appearance on the Nintendo DS since its debut in June of 2008. The formula for Guitar Hero on a portable was met with a bit of skepticism, but in the long run, the excellent gameplay proved to lend itself to whatever gaming device it appears on. Does Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits live up to the previous outing, or is it time for this rocker to call it quits and find a respectable job?

Gameplay

Vicarious Visions haven’t really shaken up the Guitar Hero formula here, as you’ll be playing the exact same way the previous versions have. You’re still using the Guitar Grip, which unfortunately means if you’ve just upgraded to a DSi, unfortunately, there will be no rocking out for you.

Unfortunately there will be no rocking out if you’ve upgraded to a DSi.

Once your Guitar Grip is attached to the DS, you strap it around your hand so you can press the four coloured fret buttons when prompted on the left side of the vertically positioned touch screen while the other hand holds the pick-shaped stylus and uses it to strum virtual guitar strings on the right side of the touch screen. Whammy effects can be applied by moving the stylus across it, and "pushing" it up and down. As you build up your "Star Power", you can either blow or yell into the DS mic, or touch the on screen mic with the stylus to unleash wicked style and earn extra points.

For those of you new to the GH experience on a portable, you should know that it will take some time getting used to having the "Grip" strapped to your hand. Eventually, you’ll find the best way to play comfortably, but the initial feeling is always awkward. Just don’t give up on the experience, as the Grip makes a lousy first impression, but once you’ve grown accustomed to it, and you find your play style, it’s quite a nifty little device that’s a joy to play with. As with our previous review, however, those who suffer from arthritis, or other ailments that make holding your hands at an angle for any period of time painful or uncomfortable, you should probably keep in mind that this is a game best played in small doses, if at all.

Playing the actual game, you’ll notice that it’s fundamentally, the exact same game as the previous versions. You play sets of songs, which unlock the next venue, rinse, and repeat. The one change here is the addition of fan requests. Instead of just completing a setlist and moving on, this time, you’re given tasks that need to be completed in order to unlock the next venue. Once you’ve completed a song, you unlock Fan Requests, that require you to play the song again with objective that include hitting a certain note streak, gaining a certain number of multipliers, or completing a song without hitting bomb notes. The idea is a fairly neat one, but the constant repetition is off-putting. Having the fan requests unlocked from the get-go would have been much more suitable, as it would have cut down the amount of replaying that you’ll inevitably have to do. Don’t get me wrong, the idea and execution can be fun, but it can be a bit tedious to have to go through a song that you’ve already played through a couple of times, just to unlock the next setlist.

Unlock Fan Requests then play the song again with an objective.

The touch-screen sensitivity seems to have been improved overall here from the previous versions, though there are still times when you’ll hit a note dead on, and it won’t register. It doesn’t seem to happen nearly as often, which is great, but it’s still something you may notice, especially the higher difficulties. 

As the title implies, this is all about Modern Hits, and that’s exactly what you’ll find here. Ranging from Tenacious D to Fallout Boy and Coldplay, there’s a fair number of recent tracks here, and for the most part, it’s a well picked list, though how you feel about it is really all down to a personal preference. Overall, there are 28 songs included, but if you happen to have someone nearby with a DS and a copy of the previous 2 games, you can up the list to over 75 songs, as the game enables you to wirelessly import songs from the other versions for multiplayer play.

Graphics & Sound

Modern Hits looks fairly similar to the previous games, with minor improvements here and there. Really, you’ll know what you’re getting if you’ve seen either of the previous games, and for the most part, it’s a fitting look. The band is still out of sync with the music, as it was in the previous games, which is disappointing, though most won’t really notice while playing, at all.

The audio is still great. It’s best with headphones on, as the DS isn’t really suited for blaring rock music, which without headphones sounds weak, though still serviceable. The compression is still the best on the system, but the experience without headphones is a little underwhelming. 

Value

If you’ve played through the other games, you know what you’re getting. The game still features an excellent multiplayer system, which is easily recommendable, especially if you or your friend has the other Guitar Hero games for the system.

Conclusion

Essentially, it’s the setlist that will sell you on Modern Hits. The new features don’t add much to the experience, but it’s still a fun game that gives you that dose of Guitar Hero on the run you crave. That said, Activision really need to switch up the formula here, as one more game that doesn’t shake things up will be a much harder sell, regardless of a person’s Guitar Hero addiction.

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