Wii Rock Band Special Edition Reviews

• Rock On Wii!!!

  
  By A3W4D8XOGLWUN5 on 2008-06-15
  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+
  
  

• Great game on its own!!!

  
  By A1VBYVT1T1UG7U on 2008-07-13
  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..
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Great game; Wii version limitations well known pre-release

  
  By AJ92DU5T9WUJ3 on 2008-06-24
  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 Band is FUN!

  
  By A1ECHF5SFRRVWB on 2008-09-08
  I'm a musician in my early 40's, so Rock Band for the Wii was a no-brainer... when my daughter asked for it for her birthday, I couldn't help but get it for her (despite the somewhat daunting price for a "video game"). She'd been playing Guitar Hero every since she got the Wii for Christmas and I knew she'd get our money's worth out of it, regardless, with the guitar-playing aspect alone.
  
  First, the equipment is top-notch and the reason for the price, thus, becomes obvious. We had no problems with the equipment whatsoever... everything just worked. The strum-bar on the guitar is the only thing that feels a bit "fragile", but it seems to work fine and seems to be holding up. The Guitar Hero strum-bar seems more rugged but also works a bit differently, with a noticable "click" when you use it... so this is potentially just paranoia on my part. If you're used to the Guitar Hero (Wii) guitar, you'll know what I mean when you try the Rock Band guitar.
  
  The gameplay is excellent. I've played real-live guitar, bass and sang in bands for over 25 years now (geezzz, I'm not really THAT old) and I've actually played real drums before. The Rock Band drums, although different in size and placement than an actual drum set, feel very good and respond nicely to being played correctly to the beat/notes of the song, etc. I was suprised at how well playing the drums matches up with the song correctly in the game as you play right on the beat... and it certainly gives me my "drum fix" without getting too hard if I don't want it to be. Playing the drums in Rock Band definitely give you a good feel of what it is really like to sit behind a drum set and play an actual drum beat... mechanically (the coordination of your hands and kick drum foot) and spatially (the movement between drums). As a result, you'll find that playing the drums feels a lot more "real" than playing the guitar does. However, there's nothing wrong with the guitar play in Rock Band, and it is almost identical to Guitar Hero gameplay. The singing via the mic is great... everyone wants to be a singer! You have to try to sing on pitch and articulate the lyrics correctly to get the best scores, but you don't have to be very close to perfect except in the harder difficulty modes. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the mic and singing part of the game works. The mic also doubles as a tambourine or cowbell during non-vocal parts of the songs - which you have to tap along on the mic according to the beats that come up where the singers words are usually displayed (i.e. in most cases, you don't sit around doing nothing while the rest of the band is jamming through a solo part or whatever - you have to keep on jamming too!).
  
  The difficulty is very well done... "Easy" mode is truly easy regardless of instrument. The "Medium" mode is good for those who've played this kind of game... I played the entire game on Medium (guitar) from the get-go and did pretty well, despite my limited knowledge of many of the songs and lack of any extended practice with Guitar Hero. My daughter has been working on guitar parts in "Hard" mode (she's already surpassed me) and it's definitely "hard", using all 5 buttons on the guitar with only 4 fingers to press them, and there are some fast phrases with multiple simultaneous notes and tricky patterns. This is true of Hard mode for guitar, bass and drums. I've been playing the drums on Hard difficulty... it can be really tough, just like the real songs, which have some incredible drum parts and can be truly difficult. "Expert" mode is just that... it's EXTREMEMLY hard. You'll have to practice extensively to have any chance of completely a song on "Expert". For singing, the difficulty setting controls how accurate you have to be with articulation and pitch. If you can sing, and you know the song well, it's actually going to be easy for you to score well even at Hard difficulty.
  
  The difficulty makes sense for the drums and vocals. At the harder difficulty settings, you have to play/sing more of what the real band plays/sings in the real songs. For the guitar parts, it really just gets into trickier patterns of button presses (with two or three-button simultaneous presses being more common), with strumming rhythms that tend to match more closely to the song. But that's not a limitation of Rock Band in particular, it's a limitation of playing guitar with 5 buttons - it's just doesn't capture the feel of a true guitar with 20+ frets and 6 strings. Despite that fact, the guitar/bass gameplay in Rock Band is still a lot of fun.
  
  The best thing about the game difficulty: each player in a band can choose their own difficulty independently of the rest of the players (in multiplayer mode). I can play drums on Hard mode while my wife sings on Easy mode and my daughter plays Bass on Medium. We can do well TOGETHER, at our own maximum skill level for each song to test ourselves. If one player has trouble and fails, the other players can "save" the failed player and bring them back in. It's a very ingenious feature to keep with the "having fun together" spirit of the game! And that's what you'd expect for a Wii game in general - keep everyone playing together and having fun.
  
  Also, I feel that these games, in general, are a good learning tool for music skills. They require different levels of coordination and rhythm, and a keen sense of rhythm and timing. If your kids like these games and excel at them, it's quite possible that they could have the mentality, endurance and basic skill set needed to take on a real instrument and take their musicianship to the next level.
  
  So that's the good stuff... the game is definitely FUN, the hardware works well, and you can feel like a real drummer and singer if you get into it on the harder modes. It's a blast playing it with the whole family, going on a simulated "rock and roll tour" together.
  
  The main let-down for me is the song selection. I'm not sure why some of the songs were chosen... they're either somewhat obscure, or B-sides, or just downright off the wall. I can say that I've *heard* many of them on the radio or whatever, but for a game with a limited song list (63 in this game), they should be choosing songs from the "cream of the crop" of rock and roll which have undisputed popularity. There's no Led Zepellin, Beatles, Doors, AC/DC, Cream, Def Leppard, Santana, ZZ Top, Allman Brothers, Journey... instead there's some pretty obscure stuff like Nine Inch Nails, Maps, Radiohead, Weezer, The Killers, etc. Also, the song choices for the bands that are popular is lacking in particular cases. I realize they can't please everyone, but there should be a base-line that is "popular classic rock hits" in my opinion. Get a list of "Top 100 Rock Songs Of All Time" or similar and use that as a basis. Save the other genres for add-on packs for the specific genres... different "flavors" of "rock and roll", etc.
  
  Don't get me wrong, it can still be a lot of fun to play the songs you don't know on the various instruments, and likely, the kids aren't quite as "biased" as their parents might be about the song content, but it's not very fun to sing songs you don't know. If you just plain don't LIKE a song, you still have to play through it successfully to unlock the rest of the songs. Some of the obscure ones can contain some "raw" lyrics that you might not know about because you've never heard the songs... so keep that in mind when evaluating the game for the kids. They might have added a feature to "lock out" songs so you don't have to play them (or if you wanted to censor them for your kids), but they probably figured the ones they chose are pretty "tame"... and they are for the most-part.
  
  Another let-down is the omission of the capability to buy the songs you WANT online with the Wii version.
  
  Maybe that will change eventually, but the game is so fun, it's really only the song selection that's holding it back from being truly GREAT for me, which is why I only gave it 4 stars overall.
  
  The "Track Pack 1" product is also somewhat of a let-down for the same reason. There are 20 songs for $30, and many are just "obscure" (Who cares about another obscure "Weezer" song anyway?). Also, for some reason, it's a separate disc that is essentially a new game with only 20 songs to play, completely separate from the original game, rather than what you'd expect - 20 new tracks to add into the original game so that you can perform from a repertoire of 83 songs instead of 63.
  
  

• NOT like other Rockband Editions - Very disappointed

  
  By A3FAAE9TD2082Q on 2008-06-22
  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.
  
  
• Good Game, Poor Support and Instructions
  By A38BDP0SIDCOGS on 2008-06-23
  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.
  
  
  
• I would wait for a bit to buy this...
  By A3L1BNBV4SS1H8 on 2008-06-26
  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.
  
  
• This game is crap. Don't buy it
  By A1Z9MFUMO7EISE on 2008-06-29
  Even though we knew in advance that Rock Band on the Wii was going to be missing integral features found in the PS3 and 360 versions of the game, it was never considered acceptable. Not having some silly character customization is one thing, but a lack of ame modes and, most glaringly, a lack of DLC (which Harmonix insisted couldn't be done until Guitar Hero 4 humiliated them) are only two reasons why this game deserves to be shunned.
  
  Also note that your Guitar Hero guitars will not work in Rock Band. THEY WILL NOT WORK. This is also unacceptable.
  
  Rock Band on the Wii is exactly the kind of game that Wii owners, whether you've been playing games since the Atari days or just started on the Wii, should roundly reject due to it's utter lack of quality.
  
  
• Still fun, but a big disappointment compared to other versions
  By A28E4AGGB0MDGC on 2008-06-23
  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.
  
  
  
  
• A bit disappointed...
  By A2456T9MD48WJV on 2008-06-22
  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.
  
  
• dont waste your money
  By A139KT7I2KN2M4 on 2008-06-23
  If you have seen gameplay, or played the 360/ps3 versions, you will be sorely disappointed when you plug this in.
  
  There is NO backwards compatability with the guitars. You have to have ones made specifically for rock band (at least thats what the warrenty with the game states).
  
  There is NO online content. You cannot compete on leaderboards, cannot buy new songs online, absolutely no online content whatsoever.
  
  There is NO character customization. You pick a band name. Thats IT! You cant name your own character. You cant unlock outfits or instruments. You cant even choose if you are male or female.
  
  What happens when you have mastered the small amount of songs that come with the game? Buy another DISK. You dont get to select songs you want. You have to buy a whole disk and hope they have something good.
  
  Basically, if you really really really want to play rock band and wii is all you have, good luck to you. Even guitar hero let you decide if you wanted to play a male/female. I'm sticking to that.
  
  We are returning our copy. Yes, its that much of a let down.
  
  
• This is the Best Music Game on Wii
  By A3CB9H6A8EH4IK on 2008-06-22
  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.
  
  
• Bait & Switch...Not truly "Rockband"
  By A19HVSZ3EQMKDJ on 2008-06-23
  My young son researched this game for months and has played it at his friends' houses. Got it today. It's not the same game he's played. There is no character creation, graduating levels, concert venues, or earning of cash. You cannot form your own band and gain success and fame. It does not resemble its counterparts on other platforms in the least.
  I happened to enjoy playing the drums. When the red line flashed by, I hit the red drum! I'm 45, that's exciting to me. But that thrill does not last for long, especially not for a rocker who's dying to get on the road and gain fans and new songs.
  I give this product a big thumbs down. It should not have the same name as the other platforms since it does not have the same features. Maybe Rockband Lite or Rockband for the PS2 ported to the WII.
  Buyer beware, if you expect real Rockband, you will be greatly disappointed. What a shame...a great product brought down by shortsided management.
  
  
• Disappointing
  By A1Q9NCKNTC373B on 2008-06-29
  Rock Band was out a while for PS3, PS2, and Xbox 360. I was very excited to hear they were bringing this game to Wii. They had time to think about and maybe improve the title. Unfortunately, what we get is probably the worst version of Rock Band - a poor port of the PS2 original. It is very similar to PS2, except the video seems to be even a lower fidelity, with no other improvements other than 5 unmemorable new songs.
  
  Regardless of the fact that we knew about these limitations for months, they still suck and are unacceptable. In my opinion, this is a quick cash out that has no business being on the market. Guitar Hero World Tour is promising all of the stuff that Rock Band Wii lacks. DLC, an awesome online mode, and a world tour mode with character customization. I have heard that it also will have about 85 songs and a create your own music option. Stay away from Rock Band Wii and wait for Guitar Hero, so hopefully Harmonix will release a more competitive product next time.
  
  
• DO NOT BUY THIS!!!!!!!
  By A12GOEJ3I96NLX on 2008-07-01
  This game is great fun. For some reason though, harmonix had the nerve to release this product and yesterday announced plans for rock band 2. The gameplay itself is fun, but with no DLC, character customization, or world tour mode, it is really stripped down. With bigger an better things coming in the fall, this is not worth it. As for me I am outraged that harmonix announced rock band 2 right after releasing this game.
  
  
• Wii is a great family gaming console, how about some family music!
  By A17UNMURMLX0ZE on 2008-07-03
  Instead of Rock Band, how about Pop Band?
  The Wii audience is generally younger and families, how about some tunes for families?
  
  I would much rather have my 9 year old son and 5 year daughter play a game that has Phil Collins songs from Disney movies instead of these harder rock songs.
  
  The platform has been developed, how hard could it be to make sets of songs for other music tastes?
  
  
• Freaking [...]
  By A2XWJBSWY591OU on 2008-06-24
  We LOVED Rock Band on our friends XBox 360 and waited and waited for it to come out on Wii and were so absolutely heart broken to discover what a piece of absolute crap it was. There is no character customization like on 360, the guitar from Guitar Hero is not compatible with this system and there are no online downloads.
  
  Buyer beware - this game freaking sucks!!!!
  
  
• Hit and Miss
  By ANDX38TCCGMK2 on 2008-06-24
  Rock Band for wii is on some levels great and on others very disappointing. The game play itself is great, looks great, lots of fun, the ultimate party game. I know some people are really turned off by the inability to customize the characters, but to me this is really not a big deal. I'm also a big fan of the Guitar Hero franchise where you can customize, but honestly, I never see my "character" while playing, so why count that as a negative of gameplay? Its not, and really has no effect on the fun factor. The lack of online gaming is disappointing, but again, I wasn't that big on it anyway.
  
  Now, the lack of downloadable content is very disappointed given the fact that it should be possible. Its understandable that the PS2 didn't have it, it doesn't have the built-in ability. The wii does, and its just plain developer laziness that no attempt was made to get it done. This is somewhat offset by the song pack concept, provide you can get most of the popular download songs. Its nice too that the song packs end up slightly cheaper than downloading each song individually.
  
  But... I find it downright criminal that the Guitar Hero and Nyko after-market guitars are incompatible. Its never been a secret that the GH and Frontman guitars act like custom nunchuck attached to the wii-mote. Heck, people have made their own by taking a nunchuck apart and building their own guitar shell. No, for this to occur, the Rock Band developers had to specifically disable the ability to use a wii-mote for anything but use along side the microphone. This wasn't a clash with Activision like with the PS3 incompatibility, this is directed straight at the consumer to force people who want to play a full "band" to buy yet another item from them. Thats unforgivable.
  
  
• Wii Rock Band is being underrated
  By A2DEV2OFR408RY on 2008-06-25
  Lots of reviewers keep slamming Rock Band for the Wii, but if you read their reviews, they're really slamming the Wii itself. OK, everyone who owns the Wii console knows that it doesn't have the graphics capabilities of the PS3, doesn't have a hard drive, etc., etc. If you don't like the Wii, except for the few games that are designed to take special advantage of its motion sensitive controls (Wii Sports, for example), and have limitless funds to keep buying consoles, then yes, you'd probably rather own Rock Band for the PS3. However, I can say that if Wii is your console, this game is tons of fun. I also have Guitar Hero III for the PC, along with a modern and souped up enough PC to play it adequately, so that's my main comparison. I can say that I like Rock Band for the Wii better. That's irrespective of the fact that my PC (obviously) has a huge hard drive, the PC game can play online - at least after I downloaded the latest patch - and the PC game has superior graphics. So why do I prefer Rock Band? First and foremost, the Fender guitar control doesn't just look a whole lot better than the lame X-Box controller the PC game uses, it also feels and responds far better. First try on one of the songs at medium, I got 100%, which I still haven't managed in GH III. Second, the drums and vocals are a neat addition. The vocals work far better than I would have expected, in fact.
  
  The other main complaint is that there is no DLC (that's "downloadable content" for the uninitiated) for the Wii, but get over it. The game comes with 5 bonus tracks that were only available as DLC for other platforms, and the additional track packs you can buy (actually extra stand alone games) work out being more economical than downloading the number of songs they contain. (OK, as of this writing, there's only 1 volume, but I used the plural since they call it "Volume 1," figuring sales will be good enough that they'll add more volumes.)
  
  
• Okay, so here's why all the bad reviews are wrong... sort of...
  By A24J780JILXHHC on 2008-06-27
  First off, this is a great game. Addictive play, that's easy to catch on to, even if you are not a kid and not a gamer. The rating suffer considerably due to comparison to the XBox and PS3 versions. Sadly, the Wii just doesn't have the power or hard drive to allow for all the features of the PS3/XBox versions (shortcomings are well described in other reviews). That having been said, the core gameplay is intact and is a blast. If you own a PS3/XBox, by all means, buy this game for that platform, its a better deal since the price is the same. If you only own a Wii, however, don't hesitate to buy this. You will love it.
  
  
• Don't Bother with the Wii
  By A3G0Q5WNZI3T8G on 2008-07-04
  Rock Band is the best music/rythm game out there, no question about that. But only for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The PS2 version of the game took all the extra fun outside of playing songs and stripped it away. Thats what you get with the Wii version. A shell of what Rock Band truly is. Wii owners, wait until Rock Band 2 comes out this year, it will have updated instruments, and a full Rock Band experience.
  
  
• Wii Rock Band ROCKS HARD
  By AO9DI9XIIMY5A on 2008-06-23
  Ok, granted, this version may seem gimped when compared to other versions (PS3 and Xbox 360). Sure, they probably could have incorporated online play and character customization... ok...those are my gripes. I am not disappointed about the lack of downloadable content, since they are putting out track packs in the near future, so we will still get fresh content. In the meantime, the *63* songs included on the disc will keep me and my friends busy for quite some time!
  
  I really dont miss the online play portion, as this game really shines when you have your friends over and you rock out as a band in your living room. I owned GH3 on wii, and the online was nothing to write home about... it is all about playing local multiplayer! This game is ADDICTING when played in this fashion. I literally have callouses on my fingers...haven't felt that since some of the old skool genesis and snes titles! The graphics are awesome (especially for a wii game... I was actually impressed), and the songs that they selected rock hard! Even my wife, who doesn't like rock music, was compelled to sing along! I also love the fact that each player/instrument can play their respective part at varying difficulty levels... so the drum can be on med, the guitar on easy, and the mic on hard, etc... it makes it so that just about anyone can pick up and play, no problem.
  
  All in all, I am quite impressed. Many are choosing to skip rock band and wait for GH4. However, I was very disappointed with GH3 (not a big fan of their choice to have SATAN as an unlockable character), so I will stick with the RB franchise. And I would assume that once GH4 comes and goes, Harmonix will come back and set the bar even higher!
  
  
• For Music Lovers- lots of fun
  By AHFQYM9MUCHNB on 2008-06-24
  I got Rockband today and I totally love it! If you like music, you'll love rockband! It allows you to unlock your inner rockstar wannabe. Plus, you can play with friends...You can play with several people, which is the fun of it! The music is pretty good too. Some people are whining because it doesn't have the customizable characters, but if you are more into music and having fun, then the fact that you can't give your singer a mohawk doesn't really matter. I played guitar hero for the music and for the fun of it and I never wasted my time giving my character new bra-tops.
  Bottom line: Rockband is a ton of fun..If you are more into music than playing Barbie with a character, then you'll enjoy Rockband!
  
  
• Great Game!!
  By AHZ7ODAB82FTT on 2008-06-29
  This is my first experience with Rockband and I must say, it's awesome!! The core of the game is the ability to play instruments to a song track. This part of the game is intact and perfect. I'm not sure why not having features such as XBOX graphics, customizable characters, etc is such a problem since 99.9% of the game is playing the instruments. The tracks and sound quality is stellar. I highly recommend this game.
  
  
• Fun game but a little disappointed
  By A1HWDGAPZ1NNRO on 2008-07-02
  Like many others who have purchased Rock Band for Wii, I am very disappointed that the Wii version does not offer 'Character Customization' and song downloads. This was a big surprise considering the Wii is a system that takes pride in customization. I'm not saying that the Rock Band for Wii is not fun, because it certainly is. However, if I would have known what I know now in advance, I would not have purchased the game and would have waited for a full featured version to come out.
  
  
• Wii rock band su-diddly-ucks.
  By A2G3D769N7RILK on 2008-08-16
  The guitar? Awful.
  The fact that GH3 guitars don't work with it? Awful.
  The fact that the stupid guitar USB wireless dongle has that bright flashing blue light ALL THE TIME? Awful.
  The fact that the stand on the drum set collapses when the drums are played enthusiastically? Awful.
  The fact that the easy mode play list doesn't include all the songs? Awful.
  The way-too-long load times? Awful.
  The fact that the splash screens can't be skipped? Awful.
  The lack of player customization? Awful.
  The playlist? Okay, pretty good. But not enough to make up for all the other shortcomings.
  
  EA will never get another dime from me, and I'm seriously considering boxing this thing back up, and mailing it to them with a letter that says "I'd rather be out the $160 plus shipping than ever have to clap eyes on this again."
  
  
• Rock Band is incredible, but on Wii I'd wait for Rock Band 2
  By A8HO1WW5XAG1L on 2008-11-14
  I've spent hundreds, maybe thousands of hours playing Rock Band on Xbox 360. It's possibly the most fun and addictive video game ever made. However, I know of at least one person who, after playing with me on my Xbox, bought the Wii version and was bitterly disappointed. There's no character creation, no Band World Tour Mode, and no ability to download additional songs, which almost everyone agrees are among the very best parts of the game. Wii Rock Band 2 Special Edition is coming out within the next couple of months, and while none of us will really know for sure exactly what features it has until it's actually out, the developers have promised that it will be a much more full-featured game.
  
  Downloadable songs at least will be available. It is unknown how this will work exactly, but at best you would be limited at any one time to what can fit on a 2GB SD card (the biggest size the Wii can handle). This is probably more than adequate for a lot of people, but if you end up really getting into it...my song collection on Xbox is starting to push 8GB and is going to continue to grow.
  
  My primary recommendation is, if at all possible, to buy Rock Band or Rock Band 2 for the Xbox 360 or PS3. Not to start a console war (I have all three and they all have their pros and cons), but the Wii is just not powerful enough and doesn't have the necessary storage and online infrastructure to get the most out of this game.
  
  But if that is just not an option, well, definitely better to have some Rock Band than no Rock Band at all. Again, though, in that case I do strongly recommend waiting for Wii Rock Band 2 Special Edition.
  
  
• Highly recommended
  By A2TW9ZZQVN4R4J on 2008-06-23
  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.
  
  
• Great
  By A2YUS6QEDNHW9A on 2008-06-30
  This is a great title.
  People have been giving bad reviews because of what it lacks.
  GO DO RESEARCH AND STOP CRYING ABOUT IT. ITS YOUR FAULT NO ONE RIPPED YOU OFF OR LIED TO YOU. You should know what you are buying before you spend your money
  
  
• Buy for Xbox 360 or Play Station instead.
  By A2A8XM52IYN8EB on 2008-11-17
  Rock Band for Wii overall is a fun game, but if you also own one of the other consoles this game comes out on, I would recommend getting it for that system. It's not that the one for Wii isn't fun, but it doesn't include some things that the other console releases have. Here are some of the pros and cons.
  
  PROS:
  *Rock Band has a great variety of songs
  *It has four instruments, allowing for the whole family to play.
  *It has a great variety of old and newer songs, so some older people might enjoy the selection.
  *The guitar is wireless, giving you more room to "rock"
  *The instruments are very durable
  *The guitar's strumming bar is smoother and makes much less noise than the Guitar Hero guitar.
  
  CONS:
  *The game is very hard to calibrate with your TV, so the picture is usually very delayed which can be very annoying
  *The tour (campaign) mode is very dull, unlike the other console releases where you choose your venue and tour the world.
  *You cannot buy guitars, songs, characters, costumes, or anything else in this game. There is not even a Guitar Shop, nor do you earn money in Tour mode (unlike the Xbox 360 and Playstation versions).
  *You cannot change your guitars or characters, and you cannot change between different venues in any modes (unlike the Xbox 360 and Playstation versions).
  *The drum set is very loud and annoying, causing it to drown out the music (can be changed if you buy the drum dampers which apparently make the drums softer when you hit them).
  *You cannot download songs online, unlike the other releases.
  
  Overall, Rock Band for Wii is recommended if you don't own an Xbox 360 or Playstation, but if you do, I would recommend not buying the Wii version.
  
  
  

• AK Rock Box Gaming and Storage Ottoman with Drum Lift
• Gene Simmons Axe Guitar

• Rock Band Track Pack: Vol. 1
• Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel
• Official Nintendo Wii Wheel
• Rock Band 2