Guitar Hero: On Tour - Modern Hits Review for Nintendo DS

Guitar Hero: On Tour - Modern Hits box art

System: DS	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Vicarious Visions	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Red Octane / Activision	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: June 9, 2009	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-2	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

This branching path to stardom is a good idea, but I don't think it necessarily keeps the Career mode from feeling stale. Fan Requests are indeed challenging and I applaud their incorporation, but in the end they don't significantly change gameplay. Also, just because I've hopped back into an old venue for a new song doesn't mean I've been reinvigorated. At the end of the day, you'll still just be jamming out with your DS and a pair of headphones, regardless of how the game progresses. As such, make sure you're getting Modern Hits because you're interested in the song list, not because you're looking for a fresh gameplay experience.

Guitar Hero: On Tour - Modern Hits screenshot

The multiplayer glory of the previous titles is still fully intact. As previously mentioned, the developers didn't add anything new to it because of compatibility issues; the ability to stream songs from DS to DS is a feature they simply couldn't afford to lose. Pulling of duets and duels is still great fun. Furthermore, the addition of new battle items or game modes perhaps wouldn't have been particularly substantive anyway. So, I don't feel as if an opportunity was missed.

The visual presentation, while nearly identical, has indeed been boosted a bit. The character models are sharper, the stages are more vibrant, and the items for purchase in the store are worth browsing for. Likewise, the set list is a strong mix of modern tunes that sound perhaps a bit better than they ever have. (A complete list of the songs found in the game can be seen after the feature.)

Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits is yet another solid addition to the franchise. Players looking for a new experience will have an improved Career mode to look forward to, but the changes aren't significant enough to be considered game-changing. Really what you're getting with this latest entry is improved input recognition, better song compression, and 28 new master tracks to jam to while on the go. In other words, it's a tight package you've likely been longing for.

By Jonathan Marx
CCC Editor / News Director

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.8

Graphics
The visuals have been improved, though only mildly so.

4.7

Control
The Guitar Grip and touch screen are nearly flawless.

4.2

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The solid mix of 28 master tracks are appealing. Also, they're well compressed to fit on the DS cartridge without suffering too much in terms of quality.

4.0

Play Value
The revamped Career mode is nice, but it's by no means revolutionary. In fact, this game is about as fun as the other excellent titles in the series, only more polished and refined.

4.2

Overall Rating - Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Rock out to today's hottest tracks: Shred along to 28 master tracks, all modern rock hits from some of the hottest bands including Coldplay, Fall Out Boy, Tenacious D, Weezer, The Strokes and more. Players will tour through five all-new venues that are as extreme as the tunes played in them.

Choose your path to stardom: For the first time ever, players can choose how they take their band from the underground music scene to worldwide rock stardom with the exciting non-linear gameplay progression in Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits.

Do it for the fans: Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits delivers an all-new gameplay experience with Fan Requests. By completing Fan Requests players build their fan base and open up new challenges to rock-out like never before including jamming to an entire song in Hyperspeed, battling it out in a Guitar Duel with active Bomb Notes or whammying every single hold note in a song.

Rock out anytime, anywhere: Fans can take the Guitar Hero experience wherever they go with Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits. The Guitar Hero™ Guitar Grip™ mimics a guitar fret board and fits seamlessly in people's hands to deliver the same core gameplay that defines Guitar Hero.

The party never stops: Song streaming features allow players of Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits and its predecessors, Guitar Hero: On Tour and Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades, to share songs via local wireless connectivity. Players can rock out together in multiplayer modes, jamming to tracks from all three versions of the game.