Guitar Hero Aerosmith rocks a bit, On Tour feels utterly pointless

Activision is in full "Guitar Hero" mode now, continuing to "exploit" the franchise (as Bobby Kotick puts it) with two new spin-offs. Neither is a great success, though our writer Leigh Alexander found that the "Aerosmith" edition is at least "accessible to newbies and a good intro to the band." I had plenty of nice things to say about "On Tour" as well, but I couldn't honestly give it a good review. It's an impressive adaptation of the franchise to the DS, but never gives a good reason as to why you'd want to play "Guitar Hero" on the DS when it's inescapably a non-rocking experience.

Leigh admired the way "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" takes players through many of the greatest venues the band played and uses video interviews to "personalize the experience and get the uninitiated better acquainted." But she was disappointed by the song list (where's "Crazy," "Dude Looks Like a Lady" and "Janie's Got a Gun?"). And she's a little annoyed at the inclusion of non-Aerosmith songs and the fact that they're out of chronological order, so that the player doesn't really go through the arc of the band's career. "It feels a bit like the developers were aiming to avoid making a title solely for Aerosmith fans," she observes, "but since players who dislike Aerosmith will surely skip this title regardless, why not go all-out?" Without a lot of challenge, and with only 41 songs for the $60, Leigh says this probably won't appeal to those who have blistered their fingers on "Guitar Hero III." It's more for Aerosmith fans or  casual players who want toget  into the band. You can read her entire review here.

While "Aerosmith" is essentially "Guitar Hero III" with some new art and music, "On Tour" is a new experience. And I think you'd be crazy not to be impressed at how developer Vicarious Visions managed to maintain the fundamental "Guitar Hero" gameplay on the DS with the fret button attachment and the pick used on the touch screen.

But besides $$$$, why? Especially when played in public (as it often is), the DS is just not a device that encourages rocking out. And that's what "Guitar Hero," even more than those falling colored notes, is all about. Fundamentally, "Guitar Hero: On Tour" is just not a "Guitar Hero" experience. It's a spin-off without a good reason to exist.

Not to mention the fact that, inevitably for the DS, the audio quality is significantly lower, the graphics are choppy, the track list is short (just 25 for $50), and finger cramps are frequent. The only thing that works better on the DS is the "guitar duels," since it's easier to launch attacks with the touch screen and there are a few cool challenges designed for the DS, like having to sign an autograph while playing or re-connect a broken string. Of course it's probably notable that the only thing that works better in "On Tour" is the most annoying feature from "Guitar Hero III" and the one that had nothing to do with  music. My whole review is right here.

PS To the person who immediately put a comment on my "On Tour" review calling it "again another shoddy article from Variety," yes, I did accidentally write Axl Rose when I meant Slash and that was online a few hours until an editor caught it. I, ummm, appreciate your high standards.