droolicious : guitar hero on tour

5 Kid-Friendly Music Games That Aren't Rock Band or Guitar Hero

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:04:00 GMT

Kicking out the kid-friendly jams with Wii Music.

I'd probably heard the Donnas' "New Kid In School" 500 times before my kids decided it was their new favorite track in Rock Band 2. It wasn't until my 5-year-old started belting out the song's lyrics, though, that I realized there was a naughty word in the second verse. Now, I'm hardly a prude when it comes to T-rated games, but there's something about hearing a kindergartener sing, "Better start kissing some ass!" that makes you understand why ESRB ratings exist.

While such moments are rare, they prove why edgier music games like Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour aren't always appropriate for family game night. So, for any parent looking for a safe-but-fun alternative this holiday season, here's a round-up of some of the more kid-friendly music titles out there -- at least one of which may surprise you.

Wii Music (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E
System: Wii
Unlike most music games, which force you to hit notes (or just hit, period) at precise moments in order to get ahead, Wii Music is almost totally free-form: Using the Wii Remote, Nunchuk and Balance Board, you can tweak tempos, add flourishes or otherwise alter the arrangements of up to 50 different songs using a veritable orchestra's worth of instruments. And unlike, well, every other game featured in this post, there's no such thing as a mistake in Wii Music -- in fact, the more you can improvise to create happy accidents, the more enjoyable the game becomes. It's easy enough that a 3-year-old could start jamming, but the possibilities (you can create and share your own improvs over Wi-Fi, for instance) are big enough that Mom and Dad will never get bored.

Rock University Presents: The Naked Brothers Band The Video Game (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E
Systems: Wii, DS, PS2, PC
The Naked Brothers Band's first music-rhythm game was built on a good idea (join Nickelodeon's flagship kid rockers on a world tour) and a fan-enticing soundtrack, but for anyone used to Rock Band-style gameplay, the game can feel lacking: The Wii version has you gesturing in thin air to play the band's six different instruments, while the PS2 version requires various joystick combos. (Unlike the DS version, those two editions also include an external mic.) That said, my Naked Brothers-obsessed 5-year-old amazingly had less trouble adjusting to this game than he did figuring out Guitar Hero or any other title requiring "real" fake instruments. That may be because, given the target audience's age, the room for error on The Naked Brothers Band The Video Game is unusually wide.

Boogie SuperStar (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E10+
System: Wii
What teen pop sensation worth his or her weight in gold albums can't dance and sing at the same time? In Boogie SuperStar -- the follow-up to last year's Boogie -- kids can release their inner Fergie, Maroon 5, Fall Out Boy or Natasha Bedingfield (just some of the stars who've lent tracks to the game), singing into the included microphone while using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to bust their best dance moves. Though it's a great game to play solo, the competition gets a lot more fun as you add up to four friends to compete for pop-star bragging rights in the American Idol-style "Boogie Star Show." Oh, and budget-minded parents, take note: If you have a mic, you can save $10 on the bundle pictured here and just get the core game.

Disney Sing It (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E
Systems: Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3
With a true karaoke-style experience that lets kids sing along to actual music videos from Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers, Aly and AJ, and other Disney stars, Disney Sing It offers kids eye candy to match its ear candy. The game packs 35 songs in all -- including tunes from Camp Rock and High School Musical -- and kids can compete solo as well as in duet, head-to-head, and team modes. The game also stresses hitting the right notes, with High School Musical star Olesya Rulin popping up as a personal vocal coach. As with Boogie SuperStar, you can buy the bundle (which includes a Logitech mic) or save a few bucks and use your existing microphone with the core game.

Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades (buy it at Amazon)
Rated: E10+
System: DS
OK, I lied about not including Guitar Hero in this roundup, but it makes sense that handheld gaming's most kid-friendly console would get the most kid-friendly entry in the Guitar Hero series. Decades follows up last year's Guitar Hero On Tour, which reduced the axe-slinging experience to a pick stylus and a fist-sized "fretboard" that plugs into your DS Lite's Game Boy Advance slot. Although there are some cool features (you blow into the DS' mic to extinguish pyro blasts, for instance) and a welcome sharing mode that lets you stream tunes across both versions of On Tour, the game's core mechanics haven't changed much. The experience, however, has: You can customize your character based on its era and shred along to 28 songs from the '70s to today (hence the "Decades"), with artists ranging from Queen to R.E.M. to Paramore. The E10+ rating is for lyrical content, but there are no truly naughty words to be found.

Toys"R"Us Previewing Guitar Hero On Tour in Stores This Saturday

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:04:00 GMT

We tipped you off to Guitar Hero On Tour, the upcoming portable Guitar Hero entry for Nintendo DS, a few months back, but if the kids are feeling restless this Saturday and you're looking for a way to kill some time, head to your local Toys"R"Us for a free, hands-on sneak preview of the game.

From noon to 4 p.m. local time on June 14, gamers will get to rock out with the new Guitar Hero On Tour a week in advance of the game's June 22 ship date. A refresher, for those who missed our earlier post: Unlike the console versions of the game, the fully portable, all-in-one On Tour features a unique grip controller that plugs into your DS to allow you to fret virtually, as well as a pick-style stylus for your strumming (because after all, outside of Sonic Youth, who strums a guitar with a pen?).

Besides a jones for the new controller, gamers who try out Guitar Hero On Tour during the preview will walk away with some freebies (a Guitar Hero sticker, dog tag and temporary tattoo, while supplies last), while those who preorder the game during the event will also get a limited-edition Guitar Hero pick-stylus. If you can't make it out to Toys"R"Us, no need to worry: Just hit up the preorder link to secure your own (regular-edition-stylus) copy of the game.

Preorder Guitar Hero: On Tour for Nintendo DS (Ships June 29)

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:03:00 GMT

Despite the awesome-looking images (such as the one above -- thanks, Uncrate) that've been leaking since it was announced, it's still hard to comprehend how smoothly the new Guitar Hero: On Tour is going to translate to the Nintendo DS. That said, we're still excited as all get-out to road-test it when the game hits stores on June 29.

The new controller sticks onto the back of the DS, and you use the included pick-stylus to "strum" the touchscreen with your right hand while working the four colored frets with your left. (Which technically makes it Bass Hero, but we'll let that slide...) There's a strap to prevent you from dropping the whole mess, and if you're a lefty, well... surely there's a flip mode, right?

Basic controls aside, the developers have taken good advantage of some of the DS' functional quirks: For instance, when a pyrotechnic effect goes awry, you blow into the microphone to extinguish it. And if you're within range of a wireless network, you can also shred against a competitor via the game's co-op mode.

$50 gets you the game and the peripherals you need to get rockin': Start your warm-up exercises now and get to the official Guitar Hero: On Tour site to preorder.