The Guitar Hero: On Tour series is an expansion of the Guitar Hero series for the Nintendo DS portable console. The series is developed by Vicarious Visions and published by RedOctane and Activision. The game uses a "Guitar Grip" hardware unit that fits into the Game Boy Advance slot on the DS or DS Lite to recreate the experience of the console-based guitar controllers normally used with the game; this unit is incompatible with the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo 3DS due to the lack of the slot on the DSi hardware. The player uses fret buttons on the Grip while "strumming" using a stylus across the DS touchscreen to try to match notes as they scroll on the second screen in order to score points and complete each song.
There are three titles in the series: Guitar Hero: On Tour, Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades, and Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits. Each game features a setlist with more than 25 songs, most based on master recordings. The games utilize the DS's local wireless features to allow two players to compete against each other. Players can compete using different versions of the games, allowing the songs of each game to be shared during play. The songs chosen in the setlists of all three games have significantly less objectionable content than the ones in mainstream console Guitar Hero titles, making the On Tour series the first and only games in the series to be rated Everyone 10+ by the ESRB.[1][2][3]
Guitar Hero: On Tour setlist
editGuitar Hero: On Tour features two different setlists, one for primarily English-speaking regions including North America, the British Isles, and Australia, in addition to Japan and the Netherlands,[4] and another for other non-English-speaking European countries, with five replacement songs;[5] songs not in the game for that region are marked as "N/A" in the table below. Both setlists include 26 licensed tracks including five bonus tracks, with about 85% of them being master recordings; all other songs are cover versions recreated for the game.[6] Twenty songs from the North American setlist were exclusive to this version of Guitar Hero upon release while the remaining six songs have been used throughout the series. Freezepop's "I Am Not Your Gameboy" is a bonus song that is unlocked by completing all the Guitar Duels on any difficulty in the game. Years in the table below reflect the year the song was recorded. Song in the game are presented as a series of tiers of increasing difficulty, requiring the player to complete the songs in each tier before the next tier is unlocked.[7]
The setlist received a lukewarm reception. Game Informer stated that, compared to the setlists for other Guitar Hero games, the songs "skew away from great guitar rock and into the territory of pop/rock", and "just aren't as exciting to play".[8] IGN commented that the setlist was "a little debatable" and "clearly being aimed at a friendlier, mainstream, pop-friendly crowd".[7]
| Year | Song title | Artist | Master recording | NA/UK/AUS/JPN/NL tier | European tier | Mainline game(s) featured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "All Star" | Smash Mouth | Yes | 2. Rooftop | 2. Rooftop | — |
| 1999 | "All the Small Things" | Blink-182 | Yes | 1. Subway | 1. Subway | Guitar Hero 5 (DLC) |
| 2006 | "Anna Molly" | Incubus | Yes | 5. Battleship | 5. Battleship | — |
| 2003 | "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" | Jet | Yes | 1. Subway | 1. Subway | — |
| 1995 | "Avalancha" | Héroes del Silencio | Yes | — | 4. Greek Arena | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Bonus) |
| 1970 | "Black Magic Woman" | Santana | No | 4. Greek Arena | 3. Parade (encore) | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock |
| 1991 | "Breed" | Nirvana | Yes | 2. Rooftop | 2. Rooftop | — |
| 2006 | "Ça Me Vexe" | Mademoiselle K | Yes | — | 3. Parade | — |
| 1973 | "China Grove" | The Doobie Brothers | Yes | 3. Parade | — | — |
| 2005 | "Do What You Want" | OK Go | Yes | 1. Subway | 1. Subway | Guitar Hero 5 (DLC) |
| 2004 | "Heaven" | Los Lonely Boys | Yes | 3. Parade | — | — |
| 2005 | "Helicopter" | Bloc Party | Yes | 3. Parade | 3. Parade | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock |
| 1980 | "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" | Pat Benatar | Yes | 2. Rooftop | 2. Rooftop | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock |
| 2004 | "I Am Not Your Game Boy" | Freezepop | Yes | Bonus | Bonus | — |
| 2007 | "I Don't Wanna Stop" | Ozzy Osbourne | Yes | 5. Battleship | 5. Battleship | — |
| 1977 | "I Know a Little" | Lynyrd Skynyrd | No | 5. Battleship (encore) | 5. Battleship (encore) | — |
| 1981 | "Jessie's Girl" | Rick Springfield | Yes | 2. Rooftop | — | Guitar Hero World Tour (DLC) |
| 1977 | "Jet Airliner" | Steve Miller Band | No | 4. Greek Arena | — | — |
| 1989 | "Knock Me Down" | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Yes | 5. Battleship | 5. Battleship | — |
| 1973 | "La Grange" | ZZ Top | No | 4. Greek Arena | 4. Greek Arena | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock |
| 2004 | "Monster" | Beatsteaks | Yes | — | 2. Rooftop | — |
| 2007 | "Monsoon" | Tokio Hotel | Yes | — | 3. Parade | Guitar Hero World Tour |
| 1983 | "Pride and Joy" | Stevie Ray Vaughan | Yes | 5. Battleship | 5. Battleship | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock |
| 1975 | "Rock and Roll All Nite" | Kiss | No | 3. Parade | 3. Parade | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Guitar Hero: Smash Hits |
| 1986 | "Rock the Night" | Europe | Yes | — | 4. Greek Arena | — |
| 1995 | "Spiderwebs" | No Doubt | Yes | 1. Subway | 1. Subway | Guitar Hero World Tour |
| 1981 | "Stray Cat Strut" | Stray Cats | Yes | 4. Greek Arena | 4. Greek Arena | — |
| 2002 | "This Love" | Maroon 5 | Yes | 2. Rooftop (encore) | 2. Rooftop (encore) | Guitar Hero 5 (DLC) |
| 1984 | "We're Not Gonna Take It" | Twisted Sister | Yes | 1. Subway (encore) | 1. Subway (encore) | Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock |
| 2006 | "What I Want" | Daughtry featuring Slash | Yes | 3. Parade (encore) | — | — |
| 1989 | "Youth Gone Wild" | Skid Row | No | 4. Greek Arena (encore) | 4. Greek Arena (encore) | — |
Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades setlist
editDecades's setlist is considered "a trek through time" by IGN, featuring sets of five songs out of a total of twenty-eight tracks. Each set focuses on a specific era of rock music, including two called "2000s" and "Modern".[9] Each set has a specialized venue for the era.[9] Once all the songs in the set are completed, the player is presented with a final encore song for that set while also unlocking the next set.[9] Additional bonus tracks are unlocked for completing specific requirements in the game.[9] All songs are master recordings as opposed to cover versions used in the previous game.[10] The full setlist for the game is listed below. The setlists are different for the North American,[11] UK,[12] and European releases.[13] Seven songs in each are exclusive to the respective versions, and are listed as "N/A" when not available for that region's release.[10]
The Decades setlist was considered to be an improvement over the original On Tour, with more songs that would be "much more appealing to fans" of the console versions of Guitar Hero".[14] IGN felt that the setlist "starts out bad but starts getting more enjoyable as you unlock the earlier decades".[15]
Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits setlist
editModern Hits's setlist features songs released since 2000. The full setlist features 28 songs, all based on master recordings.[16][17][18][19] Like the previous game in the series, On Tour: Decades, the set list is different for the North American,[20] UK,[21] and European releases[22] with twelve exclusive tracks in each of the respective versions (the European release has eight exclusive tracks that are the same as the UK version and four other tracks from Europe).
The Modern Hits setlist is said to cover "guitar-heavy hits from the past five years"[23] with "plenty of noteworthy songs",[24] and considered to be a "compelling blend of tracks".[25]
| Year | Song title | Artist | North American venues |
European venues |
UK venues |
Mainline game(s) featured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "'54, '74, '90, 2010" | Sportfreunde Stiller | — | 04. Laser Lights - Opening Act | — | Guitar Hero World Tour (DLC) |
| 2008 | "Adrenaline" | 12 Stones | 09. Casino Vicarious - Headline Act | — | — | — |
| 2002 | "All My Life" | Foo Fighters | 08. Shanghai - Opening Act | 10. Shanghai - Headline Act | 09. Casino Vicarious - Headline Act | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (DLC) |
| 2008 | "Always Where I Need to Be" | The Kooks | 08. Shanghai - Opening Act | 09. Casino Vicarious - Headline Act | 09. Casino Vicarious - Headline Act | — |
| 2003 | "The Bitter End" | Placebo | — | 06. Casino Vicarious - Opening Act | 05. County Fair - Headline Act | Guitar Hero World Tour (DLC) |
| 2000 | "Bohemian Like You" | The Dandy Warhols | — | 03. Rusty Rocco's - Headline Act | 03. Rusty Rocco's - Headline Act | — |
| 2007 | "Call to Arms" | Angels & Airwaves | 05. County Fair - Headline Act | — | 07. Laser Lights - Headline Act | — |
| 2006 | "Chelsea Dagger" | The Fratellis | 02. County Fair - Opening Act | 05. County Fair - Headline Act | 05. County Fair - Headline Act | — |
| 2007 | "Dashboard" | Modest Mouse | 05. County Fair - Headline Act | — | — | — |
| 2006 | "Dimension" | Wolfmother | 01. Rusty Rocco's - Opening Act | 01. Rusty Rocco's - Opening Act | 01. Rusty Rocco's - Opening Act | Guitar Hero World Tour (DLC) |
| 2008 | "Do the Panic" | Phantom Planet | 02. County Fair - Opening Act | — | 04. Laser Lights - Opening Act | — |
| 2008 | "Everybody Get Dangerous" | Weezer | 06. Casino Vicarious - Opening Act | 08. Shanghai - Opening Act | 08. Shanghai - Opening Act | — |
| 2005 | "The Fallen" | Franz Ferdinand | 04. Laser Lights - Opening Act | 07. Laser Lights - Headline Act | 06. Casino Vicarious - Opening Act | — |
| 2008 | "Falling Down" | Atreyu | 09. Casino Vicarious - Headline Act | — | 10. Shanghai - Headline Act | — |
| 2007 | "Golden Skans" | Klaxons | — | 01. Rusty Rocco's - Opening Act | 01. Rusty Rocco's - Opening Act | — |
| 2008 | "Half-Truism" | The Offspring | 04. Laser Lights - Opening Act | 07. Laser Lights - Headline Act | 06. Casino Vicarious - Opening Act | — |
| 2007 | "I Wanna Be Your Man" | Endeverafter | 10. Shanghai - Headline Act | — | — | — |
| 2003 | "In the Shadows" | The Rasmus | — | 02. County Fair - Opening Act | 02. County Fair - Opening Act | Guitar Hero World Tour (DLC) |
| 2008 | "Lassoo" | The Duke Spirit | 05. County Fair - Headline Act | — | 07. Laser Lights - Headline Act | — |
| 2005 | "Lights and Sounds" | Yellowcard | 07. Laser Lights - Headline Act | — | — | — |
| 2006 | "The Metal" | Tenacious D | 09. Casino Vicarious - Headline Act | 10. Shanghai - Headline Act | 10. Shanghai - Headline Act | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock |
| 2005 | "Miss Murder" | AFI | 07. Laser Lights - Headline Act | 09. Casino Vicarious - Headline Act | 08. Shanghai - Opening Act | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Guitar Hero: Smash Hits |
| 2006 | "Napoleon Says" | Phoenix | — | 05. County Fair - Headline Act | — | — |
| 2007 | "On Call" | Kings of Leon | — | 03. Rusty Rocco's - Headline Act | 03. Rusty Rocco's - Headline Act | — |
| 2007 | "Our Velocity" | Maxïmo Park | — | 05. County Fair - Headline Act | 04. Laser Lights - Opening Act | — |
| 2007 | "Paralyzer" | Finger Eleven | 10. Shanghai - Headline Act | — | — | Band Hero |
| 2004 | "Que No" | Deluxe | — | 03. Rusty Rocco's - Headline Act | — | — |
| 2003 | "Reptilia" | The Strokes | 03. Rusty Rocco's - Headline Act | 06. Casino Vicarious - Opening Act | 06. Casino Vicarious - Opening Act | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock |
| 2007 | "Ruby" | Kaiser Chiefs | 06. Casino Vicarious - Opening Act | 08. Shanghai - Opening Act | 08. Shanghai - Opening Act | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Bonus) |
| 2008 | "Scream Aim Fire" | Bullet For My Valentine | — | 10. Shanghai - Headline Act | 10. Shanghai - Headline Act | Guitar Hero World Tour |
| 2008 | "Shockwave" | Black Tide | 10. Shanghai - Headline Act | — | — | — |
| 2002 | "Still Waiting" | Sum 41 | 07. Laser Lights - Headline Act | 09. Casino Vicarious - Headline Act | 09. Casino Vicarious - Headline Act | Guitar Hero 5 (DLC) |
| 2007 | "Sweet Sacrifice" | Evanescence | 03. Rusty Rocco's - Headline Act | 06. Casino Vicarious - Opening Act | 05. County Fair - Headline Act | — |
| 2006 | "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" | Fall Out Boy | 06. Casino Vicarious - Opening Act | 08. Shanghai - Opening Act | 07. Laser Lights - Headline Act | Guitar Hero 5 (DLC) |
| 2005 | "Unconditional" | The Bravery | 03. Rusty Rocco's - Headline Act | — | — | — |
| 2008 | "Via Le Mani Dagli Occhi" | Negramaro | — | 07. Laser Lights - Headline Act | — | — |
| 2008 | "Violet Hill" | Coldplay | 01. Rusty Rocco's - Opening Act | 02. County Fair - Opening Act | 02. County Fair - Opening Act | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (DLC) |
| 2007 | "What Do I Have to Do" | The Donnas | 08. Shanghai - Opening Act | — | — | — |
| 2007 | "When You're Gone" | Avril Lavigne | — | 01. Rusty Rocco's - Opening Act | 01. Rusty Rocco's - Opening Act | — |
| 2004 | "Where Are We Runnin'?" | Lenny Kravitz | 01. Rusty Rocco's - Opening Act | 04. Laser Lights - Opening Act | 03. Rusty Rocco's - Headline Act | — |
References
edit- ^ "Guitar Hero: On Tour Rating". ESRB. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades Rating". ESRB. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Guitar Hero On Tour Modern Hits". ESRB. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ Ryan, Tommy (2008-06-26). "Guitar Hero: On Tour Modern Hits". Activision. Archived from the original on 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
- ^ Bramwell, Tom (2008-06-26). "Guitar Hero: On Tour European track list". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ Faylor, Chris (2008-05-30). "How Guitar Hero Came to DS When Nobody Asked: Shack's Hands-on Preview and Interview". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- ^ a b Harris, Craig (2008-06-22). "Guitar Hero: On Tour Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- ^ Miller, Matt. "Guitar Hero: On Tour review". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2009-08-01. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- ^ a b c d Harris, Craig (2008-08-14). "Guitar Hero: On Tour -- Decades Preview". IGN. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ a b Fahey, Mike (2008-10-29). "Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades Full Track List". Kotaku. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ "Guitar Hero On Tour Decades Tracks (NA)". Activision. Archived from the original on 2009-07-23. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
- ^ "Guitar Hero On Tour Decades Tracks (UK)". Activision. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
- ^ "Guitar Hero On Tour Decades Tracks (EU)" (in French). Activision. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
- ^ Helgeson, Matt. "Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades review". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- ^ Harris, Craig (2008-11-17). "Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- ^ Faylor, Chris (2008-12-26). "ESRB Leaks Guitar Hero Modern Hits Details". Shacknews. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
- ^ Harris, Craig (2009-04-16). "Guitar Hero On Tour Modern Hits Hands-on". IGN. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
- ^ Bramwell, Tom (2009-03-05). "Guitar Hero: Modern Hits DS confirmed". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
- ^ Haywald, Justin (2009-05-13). "First Look at Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits' Track List". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
- ^ "Guitar Hero On Tour Modern Hits Tracks (NA)". Activision. Archived from the original on 2009-07-23. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
- ^ "Guitar Hero On Tour Modern Hits Tracks (UK)". Activision. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
- ^ "Guitar Hero On Tour Modern Hits Tracks (EU)" (in French). Activision. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
- ^ Harris, Craig (2009-06-16). "Guitar Hero On Tour Modern Hits Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ Herring, Will (2009-06-22). "Guitar Hero: Modern Hits". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2009-06-29. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ Hopper, Steven (2009-06-09). "Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2009-07-06.