|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friday, January 02, 2009 |
 |
Guitar Rock Tour for DS
By Sheep @ 2:38 PM :: 2126 Views ::  :: DS
|
 |
Guitar Rock Tour for the DS is yet another music rhythm game hoping to cash in on the current "let's pretend I know how to play a musical instrument" craze gripping the nation. The creators were at least clever enough to title their game Guitar Rock Tour, which is simply an amalgamation of the two most popular titles in this genre: Guitar Hero and Rock Band; coincidentally Guitar Hero’s DS incarnation is called “On Tour” so this may help confuse people even more. Although, the game’s name, box art, and graphics keep reminding you this is a simple music rhythm clone, there are redeeming qualities to be found. Whether these qualities are enough to differentiate this title from the sea of competitors is the real question.
Yes, the graphics and presentation try their best to look just like a Guitar Hero game. The top screen shows your band (the venues get larger as you progress) and the bottom screen shows the now classic train tracks with multi-colored dots traveling down the screen. Using the stylus, you tap the dots to the beat; you are judged by how close to the rhythm you can remain. Screw up enough times, and the crowd will maul you to death or at least it says the gig was canceled. You can practice on different difficulty levels or start a career mode that will send you through all the songs playing either the guitar or drums. I’m pretty sure they added the drums in hopes of stretching out the replay value because while playing a fake guitar with a stylus isn’t exactly deep, playing fake drums with a stylus is just monotonous and could induce a Cobain-style end to your rock star days. As you play, achievements are unlocked which the game keeps track of. Just like their Xbox Live counterpart, there is no real reason for these, but it’s a nice touch that kids might enjoy. I unlocked one for sitting through the credits.
As with any music rhythm game, song choice is a huge factor when considering a purchase. People looking to pretend they are playing a guitar on their DS definitely want to pretend they are playing songs they actually enjoy. I picked up Donkey Konga on the Game Cube for basically pocket change a few months ago, and I will admit it was not much fun pretending to play the bongos to covers of Hoobastank songs. That might be a bad example since playing fake bongos is not exactly the stuff rock stars are made of. Of course, my point would be that crap songs make for a crap game experience, while better song choice could help make even a game about playing plastic bongos fun. Guitar Rock Tour features many popular tunes covered by bands that are just trying to feed their families and none of the songs are performed by the original artists. Personally, cover songs don’t bother me and the versions in this game seem to stay very true to the original sound. However, the fact this game only contains fifteen songs is probably disappointing to most people wishing to rock out with their hand held systems out. Message in a Bottle, Rock You like a Hurricane, and Smoke on the Water are in there, while I was not familiar with some newer songs such as In the Shadow, Underclass Hero, and Girlfriend. A complete song list can be found at the Guitar Rock Tour home page.
Remember when I said there were redeeming qualities to this game? Well, the game turned on and did not brick my DS. Another very redeeming quality that many parents will enjoy is the price. You can find Guitar Rock Tour for purchase at the low price of fifteen to twenty dollars. This game doesn’t include an add-on device (like Guitar Hero does) so you are forced to either use the stylus or buttons, but the lower price is reason enough for parents to choose Guitar Rock Tour when looking for a music rhythm game for the children. This game is another adequate, generic budget game that will probably entertain kids for a while, but everyone else is safe to leave it alone. Unless, of course, you feel the need to collect every music rhythm game, have twenty dollars burning a hole in your pocket, or enjoy oily man wrestling. Guitar Rock Tour is available on other mobile platforms as well.
5/10
|
|
|
|
|
| Comments |
 By
NutMan @
Friday, January 02, 2009 5:50 PM
|
Will this help me pick up chicks or does that only work with Guitar Hero On tour?
|
|
|
|
By
Dude @
Saturday, January 03, 2009 3:25 PM
|
|
No, neither of them will.
|
|
|
|
By
Sheep @
Saturday, January 03, 2009 10:30 PM
|
|
Actually, I was letting my friend play Guitar Rock Tour after I posted the review and he is now engaged. Was it because he was playing this game? I like to think so.
|
|
|
|
By
philadelphia eagle fan girl @
Tuesday, February 24, 2009 9:40 PM
|
|
no my coz and i have the game and my coz has never had a chick so this smart girl in GT in school she thinks it is stupid but likes him. oh GT is for only smart people. oh yeah my coz is a nerd.
|
|
|
|
By
eq2 plat @
Friday, March 27, 2009 2:01 AM
|
|
Great review. Yeah, this game is just some sort of a break from the guitar but I wouldn't mind giving this one a try.
|
|
|
|
By
abhi @
Monday, January 25, 2010 7:05 AM
|
|
|
|
By
soha @
Monday, January 25, 2010 7:34 AM
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|