Justin Joyner, Lead Audio Designer from Vicarious Visions writes:
"The audio team here at Vicarious Visions had to face their toughest task yet on a game: How do we make one of the most successful and recognizable games of all time work on a handheld console? From the hi-fi stereo audio to the top-notch playability, we had a mission: deliver the Guitar Hero experience on the Nintendo DS… without compromise. While the design team was busy prototyping different iterations of the peripheral, we stayed busy with making this mission a reality.
Our first obstacle: How do we cram all this high quality music into this little DS? Seemingly an impossible task, we got to work with experimentation. Through weeks of trial-and-error, we tried every audio production trick in the book. At first we did not succeed. But then something clicked. A little EQ'ing here, a little filtering there, a little sweetening on top, and we were onto something. Using a very intricate proprietary process, we were able to succeed in making Guitar Hero: On Tour sound like it does on the console… so much so that employees around the studio considered it the best sounding DS game they've ever heard."
Alex S. from Link Cable Gaming writes: "So as the Sun sets on Vicarious Visions as an independent studio within Activision|Blizzard, let’s take a look at the top 10 best games they have ever put together."
Ryan Johnson | GoozerNation
GoozerNation author Ryan Johnson loves delving into the Value Bin and Available Now sections of Goozex to find a game that perhaps was wanted back in the day, but wasn't purchased because it was just too much of a risk. Last time in, he found Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades for a mere 100 Goozex points. While it was a bit pricey back in the day, this was an unpassable deal. Is the game worth searching out? Click in and learn!
Chris Buffa (Modojo): For the most part, the video game industry is fairly predictable and disinterested in taking risks. That explains the glut of sequels and copycat titles collecting dust in stores and warehouses.
That said, a handful of companies and designers occasionally do something different. Results have been mixed, but by and large, these games stand out for offering a unique experience you can't find anyplace else.
