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Great game; Wii version limitations well known pre-release

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 62 / 78
Date: June 24, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I first bought Rock Band for my PS2, knowing that it didn't support player customization, custom setlists, DLC, or online play. Didn't matter... the core of the game is so strong that you quickly forget the smaller feature set. I bought a PS3 just so I could enjoy the "full" Rock Band experience. Tonight I played Wii Rock Band at a friend's house and guess what? It's still a GREAT GAME. Anyone who did a modicum of research knew well in advance that the Wii version was more or less a port of the PS2 version. Don't penalize the game for your lack of research. Do you spend $[...] on other items before researching your purchase?

Rock On Wii!!!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 65 / 107
Date: June 15, 2008
Author: Amazon User

It has nearly been a year since Rock band had finally made its debut for the video game market. While so many people have claimed it to be a knockoff of the Guitar Hero franchise, it has made its own as the next wave of music games. Sadly, though out of all the systems on the market, the only one that hasn't seen the light of the Rock Band day is the Nintendo Wii. It has highlighted on the other systems including the PS2, Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360. But, with a new system comes a new challenge for die hard Rock Band fans. Is this new version going to do enough to make it better than it was for the PS3, and others. Here is the reason you can Rock out loud!!

Rock Band for the Nintendo Wii, doesn't do enough to make it completely different from the PS3, or any of the other editions that are out right now. Still, the game remains as addictive as you culd imagine, if you haven't played it yet. The game features over 40 songs for your pleasure of jamming to from R.E.M. with Orange Crush, the Red Hot Chili Peppers mega-hit Dani California, the Bon Jovi standard Wanted Dead Or Alive, Kiss's Detroit Rock City, as well as surprising new guilty pleasures like O.K. Go's Here It Goes Again, which I still love the video with the treadmills. The gameplay also works beautifully as you can jam your way with others on the drums, guitar, or flexing you pipes and rocking to your favorite hits. The graphics look stunning, and make you believe you're really a Rock Supernova.

Sadly though, there are a few disadvantages to the game. The first disadvantage is that if you've bought the guitars made for Guitar Hero, you can't use them here on Rock Band, just like the other versions. But what makes this game have the biggest problem is the lack of online addictions. Not only can you not compete against other wannabe Rock gods, but you also cannot download new tracks to jam your way to the hearts to millions unlike the Xbox 360 and PS3 editions. Instead, there will be seperate track discs that will be coming out for the Wii soon that you can buy from your local video game shop at around $29.99 instead. That unfortunately will dissapoint some die hard fans of the Rock Band madness.

Despite a few flaws with Rock Band, it still is a great game to bring your friends over and try to conquer the music world with. If you haven't played it before for the PS3, Xbox 360, and your only next-gen system is the Wii, then it is still a pleaser for jamming to. While it doesn't have as as much rock hard fan have eagerly awaited, it still has a lot of promise for the Nintendo Wii.

Graphics: B

Sound: B+

Control: B+

Fun & Enjoyment: C for Solo Players; C for Multiplayers and Online gaming

Overall: C+

Good Game, Poor Support and Instructions

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 26 / 34
Date: June 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I waited for the Wii version of Rock Band, and frankly, I'm a bit disappointed. The kids were excited, so we hooked things up as quickly as we could.

First of all there's nothing in the instruction booklet or assembly instructions that state that you must have one wii controller hooked up as player 1. So, initially, the wii would not recognize the disk, so I ended up calling EA support, which was a bit of disaster. The first tech support person told me we were hosed, and call the store (another long story), but on the second call to EA support, she did manage to inform me of the controller requirement, and things went better after that.

Next, the wii required a system update before it would recognize the Rock Band disc. That is in the instruction booklet, but it's in fine print on the 2nd page of the inside cover - see System Menu Update. After that was completed, the wii read the disc, recognized the guitar, drums and mic, and the kids were in business. Well, sort of. The drum pedal (bass drum) is not working...which means I'll probably have to deal with EA support again.

As other reviewers are noting, the guitar is wireless, but the drums and mic are not...a big disappointment. I tried to find that out before I bought but EA, online web sites, and stores, simply did not know whether all controllers were wireless or not. I was thinking that having everything wireless was worth the $70 premium over the PS2 product, but sadly, they are not.

As for the ability to customize bands, players, etc, I'm also sad to learn that ability is not in the wii game. Not sure my kids really care that much, but we were hoping that maybe the mii's were somehow available in the game, but sadly that's not there either.

As far as playability, my younger kids find the game frustrating, they don't like the big learning curve on using the drums, mic, guitar. Admittedly, this game is rated Teen, which I suspect is probably more a reflection of the players age, than the game content. Not trying to trash this game, but I think kids 12 and up will have more fun with it. Families with younger kids need to have realistic expectations.

Finally, this is fun game to play, but frankly, I'm not sure it's worth the steep price tag.

NOT like other Rockband Editions - Very disappointed

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 45 / 75
Date: June 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

After falling in love with the Xbox version of Rockband we waited for the Wii version to come out. Bought it this morning, set it up, and now we're going to try to return it. You are not able to choose your person, dress him/her up, and make money playing gigs to buy new cool things for your guy. This personalization is what made us fall in love with Rockband. How disappointing! The Wii version just doesn't cut it.

This is the Best Music Game on Wii

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 17
Date: June 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

If you're looking for an excellent pick up and play solo experience that gets even better with friends, look no further than Rock Band. You don't have to have any prior experience with any of the instruments to be able to rock out to a very strong and varied set list for hours on end. From 70s garage punk to contemporary industrial, this game will let you sing, drum, or strum your way to the top. And trust me, the experience gets exponentially better the more people you have playing along.

While my rating for this game looks at it as simply the game itself, there are some drastic differences from the other versions of Rock Band that a potential buyer should be aware of to make an informed decision on which version to get:

1) This game comes with the newer, updated, and more sturdy instruments than the other versions originally shipped with. The best part about this is that the Wii drums have softer pads and end up playing much quieter than the XBOX 360 version I've played this game on. It can still create some good noise if you hit it hard enough, but it's not going to cause any noise complaints.
2) This version is more similar to the stripped down PS2 version. That means no online play. That means no songs to be downloaded. That means no tour the world career mode (progression is instead done linearly much like Guitar Hero). You also will not be able to customize what your band looks like, but instead will see FMVs in the background while you play songs (much like DDR).

If point #2 is a concern, and you have a PS3 or a 360 as well as a Wii, I would high suggest that you pick up one of those versions. However, point #2 does not cut into the greatest strength of the game: the core gameplay:

Playing Guitar: If you have played any Guitar Hero game, you will be right at home. The Rock Band guitar feels sturdy when in hand, and has two different sets of keys for you to play on (the smaller ones towards the bottom of the neck are meant for solos). Personally, I find these keys fine, though people who prefer the Guitar Hero III controller will be disappointed to learn that it doesn't work with this game. However, it is truly wireless and comes with three AAA batteries right out of the box. After playing Guitar Hero III through Hard, I had no problem picking this up and going right to it, though I will say that Guitar Hero is far more forgiving on the timing of when you strum notes. However, if you're just starting out, easy mode is far more forgiving, or you can take it a step further...

Playing Bass: In earlier levels and with newcomers to the game, I would suggest that they take up playing bass. As it focuses more on sticking with the rhythm, it tends not to be as complex. Just so you know, the bass is played with the same guitar as the guitar itself, so if you want to have 4 people playing you'll need to either pick up another Rock Band guitar or have a friend bring one over. Later in the game, bass gets far more complicated and interesting, but it is a great lead in for beginners or non-gamers if they're too shy to...

Sing Along: Nothing quite says "Great for a party" like being able to watch someone make a fool out of him or herself by blaring along to a familiar or famous tune. This game will work with any USB mic that works for another Wii game (as of this writing), but keep in mind that it does come with one in the box. On easier difficulties, it focuses on you just being able to keep up with the rhythm of the words, but in later difficulties it requires you to hold onto the pitch as well (Boston still makes my throat hurt!). You can't be shy or timid though...if you don't project your voice into the mic it will not pick it up and you will fail.

Laying the Beat: To be honest, this is the portion of the game that I was most excited about (and if you get the special edition, the part that requires the most assembly and takes up most of the box space). The drumming tutorial was very helpful for getting started, and while the included sticks may be too small for some people, any set of drumsticks will work. The pads are very sensitive, and as long as you keep your foot down on the foot pedal instead of raising it back up between uses, your ankle will be fine. Most songs give you moments to beat into the drum like crazy, which is a bonus for when the rest of your band is trying to be as precise as possible in the middle of a song.

In the end, I would recommend this product tremendously if you only have a Wii. If you have a PS3 or a 360, the other features and single player mode are worth having, but if you don't you won't be totally missing out; the game play is incredibly satisfying. The cooperative modes clearly demonstrate that Harmonix thought out what would go into each different instrument for each song, and will also be the major draw for if you have other people over to play the game. Furthermore, you get the same songs as the PS3 and 360 plus five bonus track that those systems would have to download. And if you really like the game? In July the first track pack will be released for the Wii and PS2 and it will include 20 of the most popular songs from the downloadable content.

Yes, there are some features missing. Yes, this version could be considered stripped down. Even so, it is still one of the best single player and multiplayer experiences to be had on the Wii, and it is easily the best music, rhythm, karaoke, etc (sorry if I'm missing a genre!) game on the Wii. Rock Band is well worth the price of admission.

Still fun, but a big disappointment compared to other versions

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 15 / 19
Date: June 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is the first review I have written for Amazon, and I wanted to write this to help ensure that people who buy Rock Band for Wii, know that they are getting something that is still fun to play, but something that is vastly inferior to other versions of Rock Band.

My husband and I loved playing Rock Band at our friend's house; even our 4 year old daughter got into it, creating a character with her name that looked frighteningly like a teenage version of her to jam on the screen while she danced and sang along. Needless to say, were very excited to hear that Rock Band was coming out for Wii, and we even pre-ordered a copy.

However, once we got the game set up, we were disheartened to discover that one of the most fun aspects for us, the character creation portion, was not a part of this version of the game. We had done some research prior to our purchase, so we were not expecting on-line play and knew that (at least for now) there would be no songs to download, and we were ok with that. However, the lack of character creation and individualization in game play was a shock--it seems like something that would play very well to the Wii audience, and was an exciting and fun part of the game that will be sorely missed.

The game itself is still fun to play, but if you have played on another system, you WILL be disappointed, even if you don't care about the on-line features.

I would wait for a bit to buy this...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: June 26, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Our family hasn't played rock band on any other platform than the Wii, so we really don't have anything other platform to compare it to. Now, having said that, we are having a blast with it. However, we wish we would have waited for a few months for the Guitar Hero World Tour - Band Kit to come out and compared the two. We like the music scores better for Guitar Hero than the ones that came with Rock Band. It would also be nice to see if multiple guitars can be used with the new Guitar Hero Band Kit that is coming out, as it doesn't seem like multiple guitars can be used with Rock Band... or at least we haven't figured out a way to do this yet. Don't get me wrong... Rock Band is a lot of fun. But, after seeing the previews for the other, I wish we would have waited a few months.

Highly recommended

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: June 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

My first exposure to Rock Band was on the PS3, at a large party with friends. I ended up hogging the drums all evening. Having just got the Wii version today, I was sucked in again, and played for hours. Although the Wii version admittedly has fewer features than the PS3 version (see reviews above), I frankly don't care that much. It's so easy to get immersed in the gameplay anyway, and it's multiplied greatly if you are playing with friends or family to back you up on the other instruments and vocals. My only complaint is that it seemed more difficult to get the timing exactly on the money on the Wii than on the PS3. I'm not sure if this is an issue with my specific TV and receiver as yet, so I reserve judgment. (There is an option in the game to adjust the delay between video and audio based on your TV time, but it's not very fine grained). That being said, I HIGHLY recommend Rock Band.

A bit disappointed...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 20 / 33
Date: June 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

After playing Guitar Hero on my Wii station and Rock Band on XBox at my neighbor, my family and I were a bit disappointed in Wii's version of Rock Band. I believe we were expecting more. There are no character creations, which my kids enjoyed; there are no internet downloadable extra songs, like on the XBox, and the Guitar Hero guitar doesn't interface with the Wii's Rock Band, which means you have to purchase an additional wireless guitar for the base on Rock Band; vice versa the Rock Band guitar won't work on Guitar Hero. Additionally, the drums are not wireless nor is the microphone. Wii really blew it with this game. They could have really had a really great product, but they half stepped it producing a cheesy product for consumers. Not really happy, but the other option is to buy a different game system, XBox.

Great game on its own!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: July 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Although I've been a heavy shopper of Amazon for years, I've written very few reviews - mostly due to laziness. But after playing with Rock Band for just over a week, and noticing a lot of the negative reviews, mostly due to comparisons to versions of the same game on other platforms, i felt i really ought to provide some of my feedback.

I don't own an XBOX or a PS3. I wish i did - but.. i'm too cheap, and my kids are still too young (3 and 7) for the type of games that are popular on those systems. I've settled for the Wii. Although we've been quite happy with Wii Sports, none of the other games have really kept our interest beyond a couple of days. (granted, i've only attempted to purchase games that would appeal to both my 7 year old and all the adults around - that's pretty hard to do)... until now. Rock Band has to be one of the best "team" oriented games I've played in a long time. Its a game that has kept friends of ours over very late trying to pass the various songs. More importantly, its a game that both my 7 year old and I can play together at the same time. (she sings, and i'd play the drums..).. And to be able to complete a song together is really cool.. Its "team" oriented because you're only as good as your weakest band member.. and when the weak band member falls behind, the best band member has the ability to "save" him/her..otherwise, the team falls..

Since I've never played the Xbox or ps3 version, i have no idea what i'm missing.. but what i do get, i absolutely love! So, if you are a single console owner like myself, i think this game is a must have - its the best party game since Wii Sports.

I only hope that the equipment stays functioning for a long time as we've given it a good workout so far..

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