Guitar Hero: On Tour

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Guitar Hero: On Tour
Developer(s)	Vicarious Visions
Publisher(s)	RedOctane, Activision
Distributor(s)	Activision Blizzard
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Release date	NA June 22, 2008[1] EU July 17, 2008[2] AUS June 26, 2008
Genre(s)	Music
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E10+ OFLC: G
Media	Nintendo DS Game Card
Input methods	Touchscreen, microphone, Guitar Grip

Guitar Hero: On Tour is an upcoming music video game for the Nintendo DS system, based on the Guitar Hero series of video games. The game is being developed by Vicarious Visions and published by RedOctane and Activision, and will be released in North America on June 22, 2008^[1]. The game simulates the use of the guitar-shaped controller used in other games in the series by providing a "Guitar Grip", a unique four-fret adapter that fits into the Game Boy Advance slot on the DS unit. The game will feature more than 25 licensed songs. GameSpot has stated that the game will work with both the Nintendo DS Lite and the original Nintendo DS.^[3]

[edit] Development

The "Guitar Grip" fits into the GBA slot on the Nintendo DS Lite to simulate the guitar controller.

Work on a Nintendo DS version was started in early 2007 according to Vicarious Visions CEO, Karthik Bala,^[4] though the game was not officially announced until September 7, 2007 at the Austin GDC '07.^[5] Bala stated that the inspiration for the game was to "see if it was even possible to do a really good music rhythm game on a handheld".^[6] The first six months of development were "touch and go", according to Bala, and it took nearly a year to figure out the best strumming mechanism for the game.^[6] Bala claimed that they had gone through more than 20 combinations of software and hardware peripherals until they "hit upon the idea of creating a peripheral that would have the fret buttons plugging into the GBA slot of the DS".^[4] This also gave the advantage of making the peripheral compact, allowing it to be easily taken on the road.^[4] Other designs that were tested but dropped included a larger guitar-shaped unit that the DS was attached to (dubbed "Ukelele Hero" by the design team), different grips with three to six to twelve buttons, and gameplay that was built only around using the stylus.^[6][7] Not until the initial prototype was done did Vicarious Visions approach Nintendo and RedOctane; both companies were skeptical of the game but helped to support the team, Nintendo by assisting in the hardware interaction with the DS, and RedOctane by helping with the ergonomics of the Guitar Grip.^[6]

While some tracks were brought over from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Vicarious Visions recreated all the note tracks for the game, aiming to keep the same difference in difficulty from Easy to Expert as in the console versions.^[6] Each song has been divided into three separate compressed tracks that play back simultaneously during gameplay.^[6]

Vicarious Visions developed a method to overcome the 2,000-polygon drawing limit imposed by the Nintendo DS hardware in order to allow the characters, each composed of about 2,000 polygons, still be recognizable.^[6] They also developed a method of allowing input through the GBA port of the DS.^[6]

During a conference call on May 8, 2008, Activision revealed that the game would both be sold as an individual game (along with the "Guitar Grip") as well as bundled with the DS hardware itself.^[8]

[edit] Gameplay

A screenshot of the two DS screens during gameplay of Guitar Hero: On Tour. The right screen is presented on the touchscreen side of the DS.

See also: Gameplay in the Guitar Hero series

The core gameplay, remains unchanged from the other games in the series.^[4] To adapt the gameplay to the Nintendo DS, the game will ship with a special peripheral, the "Guitar Grip", that is slightly smaller than the Nintendo DS Lite and fits into the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot on the unit. The unit is designed for the DS Lite, but features a small adapter that can be removed for use in the older Nintendo DS models.^[3] Four fret buttons are located on the side of the unit near the cartridge slot. A wriststrap is attached to the underside to provide support while playing. The player holds the unit in a vertical book orientation (similar to Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword or Hotel Dusk: Room 215), and uses a special guitar pick-shaped stylus to strum on the touchscreen of the DS with their free hand. Notes and the performance of the chosen character in the band are shown on the opposite screen. As notes scroll down on the "note highway", the player must press the correct fret button and strum the touchscreen at the same time using a shipecial pick shaped stylus to successfully score points. While holding a long note, the player can also use the touch screen to apply a whammy effect by moving the stylus across the on-screen whammy bar. After the player has successfully hit a selected series of notes, they will gain 'star power' which doubles their score until the meter has run out. This is activated by yelling or blowing into the DS microphone, by pressing any of the face buttons on the DS, or tapping the Star Power meter on the touch screen.

There will be a single player Career Mode, allowing the player to select from six different characters, four that return from the other games in the series and two unique to On Tour. Completing Career Mode will unlock more venues and options for the selected character's appearance. The game will utilize the local wireless abilities of the Nintendo DS to support both 2-player co-operative play and competitive play. The competitive play introduces concepts found in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock's "Battle Mode" which is called "Guitar Duel". In Guitar Duel, one player can create a temporary distraction for the other player by successfully completing certain sections of the song. In On Tour, these distractions will require the affected player to utilize features of the DS to remove the distraction, including having to blow in the microphone to put out virtual flames on their guitar,having to rapidly sign autographs on the touchscreen if rushed by a group of in-game fans, or to fix a broken string by dragging the broken ends together. ^[4]

[edit] Promotion

When pre-ordered in certain stores, the consumer will receive either a special Guitar Hero: On Tour set of headphones, or an exclusive guitar pick stylus, both of which have the Guitar Hero: On Tour logo.

On June 14, Toys "R" Us stores across the US will host a "First to Play" event, where players may try out the game more than a week before it's release. Also at the event, anyone who attends will receive a free Guitar Hero sticker, a temporary tattoo, and a special dog tag. ^[9]

[edit] Soundtrack

According to the June issue of Nintendo Power, Guitar Hero: On Tour will include more than 25 licensed tracks, with more than 85% of them being master recordings.^[6] Twenty will be exclusive to this version, while the remaining songs will be pulled from previous games in the series. This includes such songs as:^[10][11][6]

Song title	Artist	Master recording	Tier
All Star	Smash Mouth	yes	2. Rooftop
All the Small Things	Blink-182	yes	1. Subway
Are You Gonna Be My Girl	Jet	yes	1. Subway
Black Magic Woman	Santana		4. Greek Arena
Breed	Nirvana	yes	2. Rooftop
China Grove	Doobie BrothersThe Doobie Brothers	yes	3. Parade
Do What You Want	OK Go	yes	1. Subway
Heaven	Los Lonely Boys	yes	3. Parade
Helicopter	Bloc Party	yes	3. Parade
Hit Me with Your Best Shot	Pat Benatar	yes	2. Rooftop
Jessie's Girl	Rick Springfield	yes	2. Rooftop
Jet Airliner	Steve Miller Band		4. Greek Arena
La Grange	ZZ Top		4. Greek Arena
Rock and Roll All Nite	Kiss		3. Parade
Spiderwebs	No Doubt	yes	1. Subway
Stray Cat Strut	Stray Cats	yes	4. Greek Arena
This Love	Maroon 5	yes	2. Rooftop
We're Not Gonna Take It	Twisted Sister	yes	1. Subway
What I Want	Daughtry	yes	3. Parade
Youth Gone Wild	Skid Row		4. Greek Arena

[edit] See also

• Jam Sessions

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official game site