Goozex Value Search: Guitar Hero: On Tour

Written by Ryan Johnson (RyanDJ) Saturday, 15 October 2011 11:00

GoozerNation author Ryan Johnson loves delving into the Value Bin and Available Now sections of Goozex to find a game that perhaps was wanted back in the day, but wasn't purchased because it was just too much of a risk. Last time in, he found Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades for a mere 100 Goozex points. While it was a bit pricey back in the day, this was an unpassable deal. Is the game worth searching out? Click in and learn!

For a while, Guitar Hero had it all. More popular than Angry Birds is now, GH had no problem selling tons of copies. Now, you can find a set of plastic drums between the Beanie Babies and Tickle Me Elmo at your local Goodwill. The series is on permanent hiatus, and boxes upon boxes clutter up Gamestops nationwide. At the height of the craze, a strange artifact was created that I never tried: the DS Guitar Grip. 

I found it on Goozex for an amazing price and the seller shone through with a stellar trade. There was even an unexpected hiccup on both sides that the trader bent over backwards to make right: Goozex really has a great community, and I highly recommend it.

The Guitar Hero games are known for making you have fun while looking like a fool with plastic accessories, and the DS version was no exception. The grip wraps around your DS, doubling its thickness and awkwardness while adding four buttons to the side. It was a bit small for my big hands, which made my palm press on the back of the top screen. The screen would then partially close from time to time, messing up my viewing angle. This was a major gripe at first, as watching the screen is pretty integral when playing a game involving timing. Adjusting my hands helped, but the new position fatigued my grip faster. I did appreciate the drop to four frets, though. It would have been very difficult to shift fingers on that pad.

The gameplay is very familiar to veterans of the music gaming craze. One side of the Ds had scenery and the fret bar, while the other showed the guitar. To play notes, you had to strum on the guitar. They added the ability to yell to activate star power, but that consistently threw me off. I'd either tap the star power or just blow on the mic. Also, don't get excited about unlocks: one run through the storyline, and you have all the songs. After that, you can use money to buy different clothes for the characters.

Overall though, they hit the GH experience as best they could with a handheld. While I would feel like a fool on the bus with this, it's nice to share with friends, take camping, or use when the TV is occupied. You can get it cheap, too. I got it On Tour Decades from Goozex for 100 points. I saw it used at GameStop for $7.99 with frets, and Amazon has the different versions of the game on sale from $6 to $9. If you ever enjoyed the console games, but really need to get all that plastic clutter out of your living room, give the Ds entries a try. They'll let you remember your years as a Living Room Rock God AND give you that corner of your living room back.

Note: if you are interested in trying these games, you must have an original Ds or Ds Lite. Newer models do not support GBA cartridges, and therefore expansion units such as the Guitar Grip. Also, if you buy used, make sure that you have whichever adapter you need. There is a screw-off extension for either the Ds or the Ds Lite, and it will not operate properly without the appropriate link.