House Party
I'll start with a confession: I really haven't played much Guitar Hero, and perhaps that's why Guitar Hero: On Tour has been such a hit in our house. My son picked it up last week (it's just come out here in the UK) and he's been steady at it since purchase. He's got smaller hands than I do, and maybe that goes someway to explaining why it's taken me a bit longer to get used to the thing. But, I have to say, having found a comfortable grip (which generally involves me holding the DS snug up against my thigh and using the extra leverage to hold it securely in place) the game plays remarkably well. Perhaps too well, as I seem to have developed a bit of an obsession.
Fans of the regular game have no doubt already worked through their own "just one more song" phase, but I find it difficult to put the thing down, once I've got going (even to the point of practicing sections of certain songs over and over again). It's addictive, it's fun, and the songs are catchy (and surprisingly, I've found something to like about all the tunes on the cartridige); it's the most fun I've had with a video game in quite some time.
The lack of social element is the game's biggest drawback (watching over my son's shoulder as he plays is nowhere near the fun of jamming it out with a couple of proper Guitar Hero controllers), but for whiling away the hours trying to perfect a maddening hook, this game totally rocks.
