Get the Guitar Hero: On Tour [NDS] Trailer off WP (150mb)

The game will be packaged with a revolutionary Guitar Hero Guitar Grip peripheral that fits snugly into the DS and a unique Guitar Hero pick-stylus that brings a new dimension to handheld gaming and the core gameplay that defines Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero: On Tour has been designed specifically for the DS platform and will offer the DS audience an all-new compelling music experience.

Guitar Hero: On Tour continues to build on the franchise's signature easy-to-play, yet difficult to master addictive gameplay, and now lets players take their experience on the road wherever they go. Players use the Guitar Hero pick-stylus on the touch screen to strum their favorite tunes and create their rock 'n' roll legacy in career mode.

Vicarious Visions Developer Diary #1

Hi folks,

My name is Karthik Bala, CEO of Vicarious Visions. We're the development team behind the upcoming release of "Guitar Hero: On Tour" - the first ever Guitar Hero game for Nintendo DS. Over the next few weeks, we're going to be talking about the rollercoaster ride we've been on this past year in the development of the game. It was a very unusual project to work on and we wanted to share some of our experiences with you.

The game actually started out over a year ago as an idea that some of our handheld guys were batting. The question was, "would it even be possible to bring the Guitar Hero experience to portable form?" That question quickly led to the major aesthetic challenge we needed to solve, “How do you recreate the essence of Guitar Hero for a portable without making everyone carry around a full size plastic guitar?”

We all thought it was crazy... and so did the guys at Activision and Red Octane. But we wanted to give it a try as a research project. Worst case, it wouldn’t work and we would learn a bunch of stuff and we move on. :)

To Activision/Red Octane's credit, they gave us the breathing room to experiment for a few months. The team built a *lot* of prototypes. Some were ridiculous... others a total disaster. But a few were promising. We'll be taking you through the prototype process in the next couple of weeks.

What became evident was that we were NOT going to recreate the exact same Guitar Hero game as console in portable form. Why bother? Having a full size guitar for a handheld makes no sense. So we weren't going to do that. Maybe we wouldn’t even have a guitar at all…

I still remember the day when some of the guys were standing in front of my office with giant grins on their faces. I knew these guys were up to no good. :) That's when they showed me a “Frankensteined” GBA cartridge with exposed wiring, switches and electronics plugged into a DS. The game prototype had a note highway, with the peripheral activating the gems on screen.

It was a breakthrough. We've never released a picture of the original device we built. Here it is:

Yes, it had 3 buttons. But it proved the idea. We took it to Red Octane and their hardware guys (who are really friggin’ smart) went forward fleshing out the design.

There were a lot of challenges on the project – the user interface, peripheral design, graphical fidelity, audio compression and quality, storage space, multiplayer and more. In the coming weeks, you'll meet the team and how they tackled these problems. It was rough sailing on this project, but we had a determined team of core gamers/developers who had their minds set on one goal: Creating a unique portable music/rhythm game that uses the Guitar Hero mechanics and aesthetics.

CEO of Vicarious Visions

Karthik Bala

Fans can also join together to play co-op mode using a local wireless network, or battle each other in a Guitar Duel using new Battle Items unique to the DS platform. For example, players must blow into the microphone to extinguish a pyrotechnics effects gone wrong, or use the touch screen to autograph a crazed fan's shirt in the middle of their set.

Featuring five unlockable new venues, the game lets players personalize their experience by choosing the color of their axe of choice, selecting to play as one of six characters - two of which are all new and exclusive to Guitar Hero: On Tour - and outfitting their guitarist in numerous styles.

Partial track list :

1. All Star - Smash Mouth
2. All The Small Things - Blink 182
3. Are You Gona Be My Girl - Jet
4. Breed - Nirvana
5. China Grove - The Doobie Brothers
6. Do What You Want - OK Go
7. Heaven - Los Lonely Boys
8. Helicopter - Bloc Party
9. Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
10. Jessie’s Girl - Rick Springfield
11. Rock and Roll All Nite - KISS (covered by Line 6)
12. Spiderwebs - No Doubt
13. This Love - Maroon 5
14. We’re Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
15. What I Want - Daughtry

Features :

• Fans can now take the Guitar Hero experience wherever they go with Guitar Hero: On Tour. The Guitar Hero Guitar Grip is an ergonomic extension that mimics a guitar fret board and fits seamlessly in people’s hands t deliver the same core gameplay that defines Guitar Hero.
• Included with the game is a new Guitar Hero pick stylus that allows gamers to strum away in style on the touch activated screen of the DS.
• On a local wireless network, friends can join together to play in coop mode, or challenge one another in a Guitar Duel using new battle items unique to the DS platform.
• Players can blow into the microphone to extinguish a pyrotechnics effects gone wrong, or use the touch screen to autograph a fan’s shirt in the middle of their set.
• With a vast collection of Gibson guitars, five unlockable venues and six characters to choose from – including two new rockers exclusive to Guitar Hero: On Tour – gamers can personalize their Guitar Hero experience to their heart’s desire.
• Fans can prove their shredding skills on the most diverse set list of master tracks ever offered on a Guitar Hero game, including classic rock, pop and alternative favorites such as Nirvana, OK Go and No Doubt.

Guitar Hero: On Tour, rated "E 10+", is being developed by Vicarious Visions for the NDS, and is scheduled for release in North America on June 22, Australia on June 26, and in Europe on July 17, 2008.