OK, I just bought this game today. I bought the game, and my brother bought the Guitar Hero DS Lite with it in a bundle (Which actually looks really nice for those of you still on the Phatty). I have only gotten through the first tier (on expert), and I'm halfway on the second, so don't ask me much about the setlist.
Peripheral: "Guitar Grip"
Nice, sturdy plastic. Fits nicely around the DS Lite (I have not tried it with the DS Phat yet, bit I know it works). Adds about 1" of thickness on the bottom and front. Frets are slightly smaller, but are still spaced out enough to not hit 2 buttons with one finger by accident. It was actually a good Idea to only use 4 fret buttons. I could not really imagine sliding my hand up and down the side of the DS (as it is strapped to it). It comes with an adapter so that you can play on the DS Phat, but you have to unscrew part of it and replace the piece for the Lite with the piece for the Phat. Basically, you're probably going to want to pick a DS (Lite or Phat) and stick with it. It has a Velcro strap attached that can be adjusted in size. The Strap is perfect for most kids to adults, and unless you have monstrous "1st XBOX controller-size" hands, it should be fine. If you really can't fit them under the strap, you can actually de-thread the un-hooked side of the Velcro through the loop. It will still be fine, with the only hazard being that you have nothing keeping you from dropping it (which in that ase, you should just go get a wrist strap attached to your DS). Even without the Guitar Grip strap, it feels fine, and my fingers feel equally as comfortable. Before you strap it on though, you should take out the "Pick" stylus, because, even though it's not really a hassle, it will make it easier to get it out, because it is directly underneath the Slot 1 spot, and you hand usually covers it. After a while (about 20 - 30 minutes of gameplay straight), your hands may begin to feel uncomfortable (cramping, ect.) These things are actually lessened by loosening up the guitar grip, and sliding out and stretching out hands between songs. Overall, it's a high-quality peripheral that seems to have had a lot of time spent on it.
Graphics:
Yeah, yeah, I know it's not really that important, but the graphics in this game are actually really good (especially for a DS game). You could easily compare it to an early PS1 game. An interesting move though is that in this game the vocalist from Guitar Hero III also plays bass (or maybe just a second/backup guitar) as well as sing.
Difficulty
I know this is a big one for all of the big hardcore guitar hero fans out there. Let's just say that, so far, evn though it's not quite as hard as the console versions of the game, it's not easy, and if you underestimate it, it'll give you a run for your money. Even though there is one less frets, don't underestimate it. sometimes, it even makes it harder (on songs that have already been on Guitar Hero III), even though there is no orange fret. strumming is flawless. I have yet for my DS to miss one of my strums.
Sound:
The sound quality isn't perfect. It's actually pretty close to MP3 quality, with a slightly noticeable compression (I could only notice the compression when I plugged it into speakers). The setlist is unfortunately more mainstream, but still, you're going to have a blast with a lot of the songs (I personally liked Blink182 and JET's songs in the first tier, but "We're not gonna take it" (1st tier), and "All star" (2nd Tier) seemed slightly out of place. ).
Multiplayer:
Just tried this out. Features the standard Guitar Battle,Co-Op, Face-Off, Pro Face-Off. It's really fun when you're in a quiet room and you can hear it going back and forth. It also does mess-up sounds individually, like
Other New Odds and Ends:
Well, some cool new features in this game include new power-ups (the poweup that sets your opponent's guitar aflame is hilarious to watch), in-game distractions ("sign my T-shirt"), and alternating on who plays bass and lead guitar on co-op.
Anything missing?
Hm... The only thing I wish was added into this game (so far) was online NWFC play, but it's not really a big deal and I can live without it, considering I'm most likely going to be on the go when I'm playing this (No Wi-Fi), and I have the console version at home to play online.
Some might complain about the lack of co-op career, but it's not really necessary on the handheld, and I'm personally just fine without it. Also, of course people may complain about it having a lack of an orange fret button but, as I stated before(see difficulty), It's nothing to get you all worried about.
The other thing that I have heard complaints about is that there are "only 25 26 songs". But seriously, it's a handheld, and 20 of the songs are new to the franchise. The DS probably couldn't support very many more songs without a reduction in quality, so I don't see anything wrong with the number of songs.
Overall:
Great Peripheral, great portable re-creational spinoff to an already huge franchise. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm looking foward to a sequel in the future, a while after GH:OT... maybe with online play.
