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Guitar Hero: On Tour huge hit, sells 300K in its first week

Looks like Activision struck gold yet again with its Guitar Hero franchise, as word hits that the DS title Guitar Hero: On Tour has sold more than 300,000 units in its first week in North America. It set all kind of company precedents, telling us that it probably won't be the only Guitar Hero game to release on the DS.

So, what about those precedents? Well, for one, it's the single most successful game launch on the DS for the company. Not only that, but Guitar Hero: On Tour is also "one of Activision's top five best-selling launches of any title on any platform in the company's history." Now that's impressive.

Did you pick up On Tour? What do you think of the game?



[Via Joystiq]

Rhythm Tengoku screenshots, boxart are Gold

It won't be long before you'll have to break open your piggy bank -- Rhythm Tengoku Gold will be out in Japan as soon as July 31st! If you never had a chance to play the original critically-acclaimed rhythm game for the GBA, consider it your mission to import this DS remake later this month.

Hit our gallery below for a handful of screenshots from Rhythm Tengoku Gold! They're mostly larger versions of the images shown on Nintendo's fact sheet, but they're still a good preview of how the touchscreen-enabled title will play on the system, book-style. Besides, as this upcoming release shows, the world needs more Rhythm Tengoku.


[Thanks, Peter!]

WRUP: Rocking out edition

Holy cow, DS gamers! There's a bunch of new games available this week! Guitar Hero: On Tour? Check. Mega Man Star Force 2? Check. My Weight Loss Coach? Check. Too many games to choose from? Check.

With the wide assortment of new games available, what will you be enjoying on your DS this weekend? Planning on playing something new? Something old? Something blue? Wait, that doesn't sound right ...

What are you playing?

Dancing with the Stars cha-cha slides over to the DS

It seems that Dancing with the Stars was such a hit that Activision decided to bring the sequel to Nintendo's other current-gen system, the DS. The games developer and publisher decided to nix the PS2 and PC versions in this iteration, and focus on what Nintendo has to offer (massive casual audiences) instead.

Will Dancing with the Stars: Get Your Dance On! (DS) have the same Samba de Amigo-like "charm" as its predecessor did on the Wii? Maybe, but probably not (especially since it won't include maraca-esque motions). Not only do we cringe a little at the license, but Activision also has yet to prove themselves as worthy DS rhythm game developers. (If you plan to cite Guitar Hero: On Tour as a counter example, keep in mind that it was developed by Vicarious Visions.) Even though we're skeptical and cynical by nature, we'll wait and see how this Q4 release moves along. We wouldn't want to miss the next Ouendan or Elite Beat Agents because we were too busy scoffing, after all.

Metareview: Guitar Hero: On Tour

Whether you plan to base your Guitar Hero: On Tour purchasing plans on the track list or reviews, you're likely to be confused. The reviews seem to be as schizophrenic as the compiled tracks themselves, with some outlets loving the game and others hating it.

IGN (90/100) thinks the game really works on Nintendo's handheld: "For the Nintendo DS version, you lose the full-sized guitar, but that's pretty much all you're losing because everything else, with the exception of a single fret button, has been placed in rather intuitive locations on the Nintendo DS thanks to a well-constructed peripheral and incredibly tight programming."

GameSpot (60/100) hated the peripheral, and believes that On Tour takes the fun out of Guitar Hero: "While the size of your hands is certainly a consideration, the attachment is functional at best. Given that the game actually begins with two screens that instruct you to keep your wrist straight, take frequent breaks to avoid cramping, try different play styles to find one that's comfortable, and even visit the game's Web site 'for more play comfort suggestions,' it's apparent that someone was aware that the game could present physical problems for people. It would have been nice to be able to play the game with some sort of alternate control scheme, but such an option isn't available."

GameSpy (70/100) was on the fence, finding both negative and redeeming qualities in Vicarious Visions' attempt: "The guitar peripheral doesn't work as well as we had hoped, something that could prove to be a major sticking point (after all, who wants to keep playing a game that hurts you?). Still, it's a solid entry in the franchise and gets points for innovation, so we're hopeful that this won't be the series' last foray into the handheld domain."

Guitar Hero goes On Tour with a complete track list


Guitar Hero: On Tour released this week, but those of you interested in buying it might want to know the full track list first (including an unlockable song). Yesterday we revealed the venues and songs for On Tour's sister game, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, so it's interesting to compare the two. Aside from one of the games being predominantly full of Aerosmith songs (we'll let you guess which), the style and essence of the two lists are very different. On Tour takes a much more poppy approach than Aerosmith and all the previous Guitar Heroes, as we've seen, but throws in some classics as well to appeal to the core audience.

We're not sure how we feel about some of the nausea-inducing tracks (read: Maroon 5 and kin), but we were able to stomach a few terrible tracks in Elite Beat Agents and enjoy it regardless. Now that the final track list is here (with a total of 26 songs), where do you stand on the game?

Continue reading Guitar Hero goes On Tour with a complete track list

Imagine Figure Skater could be good, might not be


This could really, totally be a good game. Last time we checked, figure skating is a sport accompanied by music. It requires rhythmic motions and impeccable timing. All of these features are perfect for adapting to the touch screen on the DS. Tracing skating lines, tapping at the appropriate times, using smooth stylus skills -- yep, sounds like a winner.

Imagine Figure Skater is marketed towards young girls, what with the absence of any male characters and the emphasis on hair and accessory customization. Sure, some of us might not have considered playing a figure skating game in any form, but we probably said the same thing about lawyers. In any case, the first screenies are in the gallery to start you down the long, complex road of "Should I buy this game when it comes out in August?" The answer is ...

Gallery: Imagine Figure Skating


[Via press release]

Bust ghosts and wish upon stars with Band Brothers DX



As we've previously noted, there's a lot more to Band Brothers DX than J-pop. Nintendo just updated the list of the game's downloadable content, and there are several tracks (most of which tick the "shamelessly camp" and "80s" boxes) that will be recognizable to western eyes. These include cheesy power rock anthem "The Final Countdown," "Last Christmas," "Y.M.C.A.," and ... the Ghostbusters theme?! Man, you better believe that we're just one Thundercats theme away from getting our import on right this second, Nintendo! Here's what being offered up, complete with YouTube linkage:
As if choosing what to download wasn't already difficult enough! Hit the gallery for a dozen fresh shots of the title.

Gallery: Band Brothers DX


[Via Siliconera]

Are you gonna watch this Guitar Hero: On Tour video?


The Patrick Fugit lookalike returns! Publisher Activision is ushering in this week's release of Guitar Hero: On Tour with a new trailer for the rhythm game, giving you a preview of its euphonic allure -- cool kids everywhere will gather around you at the park, dancing and losing their damn minds as if you were Elvis reincarnated.

Because On Tour has an optional system bundle, retailers should have the game on their shelves starting today instead of later this week. Make sure to drop your impressions in our comments if you pick up On Tour!

Band Brothers DX: choose your DLC carefully

It feels churlish to complain about the expansive range of DLC offered up by Band Brothers DX. In case you forgot, the game will allow users to download up to 100 extra songs from a choice of 200 (far outstripping the amount of tracks offered by any other DS music game), yet posters on NeoGAF have now discovered that once you've downloaded one of your 100 tracks, that's it -- there's no way to delete tracks, or replace them with new songs.

Curious about this limiting feature, N-Sider's Matt Behrens checked out the official site for the game, which seemed to confirm the findings. On the site, Nintendo explains that this is due to rights restrictions that prevent the erasing or replacement of the music, and urges players to use "Audition Mode," a feature that plays songs before you elect to download them. Sounds like solid advice!

[Via N-Sider]

Band Brothers DX Speaker Channel in action

When we heard about the Speaker Channel that would allow Band Brothers DX players to share tracks with one another, we were immediately smitten with the title, even if we knew in the back of our mind that we'd probably never get to play it. Regardless of the end product's quality, strives such as this set precedents for others to utilize the DS and Wii together in interesting fashions.

Now, we can view the Channel in action, courtesy of the video uploaded over at the Touch DS site. We'd like to embed it, but, alas, we cannot. So, head on over and give it a look.

On Tour finds a home ... page

If you want a simultaneous injection of cheese and rock, head over to the official website for Guitar Hero: On Tour. Even with all the stuff now located in one handy site, it's still hard to tell whether On Tour is meant to be taken seriously, or if it's all just a big funny party.

It's probably the most heavily-promoted DS game to come around in a long while, with its own bundle and everything. If you can handle a bit more On Tour media (and an immediate onslaught of rockin' 90s Blink 182) then the website should be pretty enjoyable. Either way, fans will be using the almighty dollar to show their support (or lack thereof) when the game hits stores on June 22.


[Via videogamng247]

Detroit Metal City makes for awesome action figures

Upon first seeing Detroit Metal City: Death Shout, we came to a conclusion: the game was the perfect amount of crazy for us. It's no secret that we enjoy odd things here at DS Fanboy, so we'd like to point out that the game is now getting action figures, allowing you to act out scenarios you might not find in the Japanese title.

As you can see to the right, Johannes Krauser II came out wonderfully in his action figure. He's not only available as you see him there, but also in another costume. Joining him for this run of action figures is also the band's drummer.

So, anybody want to pick these up for us? Our birthday is, uh, soon or something.

DS Daily: A band in your hands

With Guitar Hero: On Tour allowing you to turn your DS into an axe for shredding, we were wondering if the DS could be turned into other instruments. Like drums, or even a bass to back up that guitar.

There's already Taiko Drum Master, which allows you to wail on the touch-screen like you would a Taiko drum, but what about a good piano-based title? How about a karaoke game? What other rhythm-based times would you like to enjoy on your DS? If you could have any major console title in the genre on the DS, which title would that be?

Guitar Hero DS bundle Tours Europe in July



The force of totally rocking out knows no limits, and cannot be contained by mere geographical boundaries. We like to think that that's why Europe will also be receiving the limited edition Guitar Hero: On Tour DS bundle that we're so on the fence about. It'll come with everything that's the U.S. bundle carries -- silver/black DS Lite with horrible transfer, Guitar Grip, and the game -- and is due out in the region on July 18th.

No idea on price yet, but surely anything above £130 would be too much, right? Besides, it's not like we're suffering from a lack of awesome options when it comes to DS hardware.


[Via press release]

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