REVIEW: Guitar Rock Tour DS

When I saw this game was done by GameLoft, that should have been my first red flag.

But Guitar Rock Tour is the polar opposite of Rock Revolution for the DS.

Unlike Rock Revolution, the game actually has 3D characters on the top screen playing on stage. The DS HAS seen much better, but it's a step in the right direction.

However, the songlist: Echh... Bad enough I have to put up with Top 40 radio in my gym, now I have to put up with it on my DS? "Who Knew" by Pink, "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne, some emo songs from bands I've never heard of, and for the love of God, NICKELBACK. There are some good songs, like "Message In A Bottle", "What's My Age Again?" and "You Really Got Me" (Van Halen version). Still, the songlist isn't up to par with Rock Revolution. However, the quality of the covers are much better.

The game does play significantly better than RR. The guitar requires you to strum across strings on the touch screen, which can get hectic on higher levels, and songs with arpeggios (like "What's My Age Again?") make you tap furiously across the screen. Drums are much simpler, boiling it down to only a cymbal, bass drum, and snare.

However, the game is, as far as I know, IMPOSSIBLE to beat for drums on Hard difficulty. "Message In A Bottle" starting acting weird, giving me just the drum track and playing no other sound.

BOTTOM LINE: Skip. For the love of God, skip. There are some good songs, but you have to play through the crappy ones several times over to get to the higher levels. Just get GH: On Tour. You'll look dumber, but you won't feel dumber.