Band Hero coming to DS too

By Ellie Gibson Published 23 July, 2009

Complete with Drum Grip peripheral.

Activision has announced Band Hero will be coming to the DS, and will be playable with a new Drum Grip peripheral.

The game had previously only been announced for PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360. Like those games, the DS version will let you combine lead guitar, bass, drums and vocals to perform songs.

And just as the Guitar Hero On Tour games come with a special finger-activated peripheral, Band Hero will come with a Drum Grip add-on. Presumably it'll also slip into the DS Lite's GBA cartridge slot, though that's yet to be confirmed.

The game will feature 30 master recordings from the likes of Blink-182, Avril Lavigne, The Killers, KT Tunstall and Fall Out Boy. A Rockstar Editor will let you customise band members, and there will be Stage Stunts plus a No Fail mode.

The Band Hero games are due to launch this autumn.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (18) Latest comment 3 years ago

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  • speedjack #1 3 years ago

    Don't see many sales to DSi users then.

  • DFawkes #2 3 years ago

    A Drum Grip? I'd very much like to see pictures of this, I'd have thought if you're drumming on a DS the touch screen would be fine.
    Edited by 1 at 23/07/09 @ 14:49

  • alasdairm #3 3 years ago

    Might be because (i think) the DS can only recognise one point of contact on the screen and not, say, two simultaneously

  • kangarootoo #4 3 years ago

    Why do Activision seem to keep completely missing the target when it comes to portable versions of these games. They always make the conversion process far too literal. They need to be asking some better questions when it comes to defining the portable experience.


    What people don't want = plastic add-ons that make them look a proper tit when playing Guitar Hero et al on the bus, as well as missing utterly what makes the expereince fun (like Guitar Hero: On Tour).

    What people do want = a well thought out reinterpretation of the title that defines its OWN core game experience, suitable for both the physicality and usage of a portable system (such Rock Band Unplugged).


    A little more imagination Activision. Drum Grip indeed.

  • Raz76 #5 3 years ago

    So are we going to see people on the bus crowded around a DS, with three of them poking at it from different directions and a fourth singing into the mic like a loon? That sounds highly entertaining.

  • andywilkie35 #6 3 years ago

    What's the difference between Guitar Hero and Band Hero?

  • varsas #7 3 years ago

    As far as the main console versions go Band Hero has more mainstream music i.e. pop bands while Guitar Hero is more hard rock/metal.

  • Toothball #8 3 years ago

    Cool, this is the best reason I can think of to own a DSi. Rock Band Unplugged was a much better move for portable Rhythm Action. That would have been excellent even if they hadn't stuck a Rock Band sticker on the box too.

  • kangarootoo #9 3 years ago

    @andywilkie35

    Haircuts and the presence of cute girls, if the trailer is anything to go by.
    Edited by 1 at 23/07/09 @ 14:40

  • Canyarion #10 3 years ago

    You can see a picture of the drum grip here: http://www.cubed3.co m/news/12764

    That looks so ridiculous and awesome at the same time. :-P

  • DFawkes #11 3 years ago

    Cheers for the picture Canyarion :)

    As you say, so naff, yet I need it! The button positioning makies it look like it'll play a bit like Rock Band Unplugged, which I think is a pretty good game.

  • wizlon #12 3 years ago

    And I'm supposed to lug that around with me all the time, the lid won't close either.... and where is my kick pedal!

  • Toothball #13 3 years ago

    @wizlon:

    If they included a pedal you'd almost certainly end up drop-kicking your DS across the room. That'd be funny to watch actually.

  • kangarootoo #14 3 years ago

    @Canyarion

    Not as bad as I thought I guess. It does look rather more like RB: Unplugged thasn GH:oT. Maybe they HAVE learned a lesson.

  • SpaceMonkey77 #15 3 years ago

    Interesting, but this is like fitting a square peg into a round whole.

    Nice but sorry, too many plastic bits being sold by them now.

    I'll stick to Ouendan, EBA, etc.

  • kangarootoo #16 3 years ago

    I would imagine the cost of this drum grip thing will be included in the normal price of the game. If they added to the price just to cover four button that press the existing buttons of your DS I can imagine many people rolling their eyes. If the price stays the same, I could at least view the gameplay with an even critical eyc.

  • smelly #17 3 years ago

    looks shit.

    And i dont like how activision screwed over harmonix.. i'll stick with rock band.

  • smelly #18 3 years ago

    >What's the difference between Guitar Hero and Band Hero?

    One is trying to confuse the market of over rockband/guitar hero.. the other isnt