Rock Band Wii - June 22 (Don't Bother)

[jbanes]

Rock Band for the Wii will be released on June 22!

 

 

Joystiq did an in-depth interview with Harmonix and found out that we have the following features to look forward to:

 

• A straight PS2 port!
  
• No online play!
  
• No downloadable content!
  
• No character creator or Mii support!
  
• No support for the Guitar Hero III guitar!
  
• The drums are white!
  
• 5 bonus songs that are already available for download on the 360 & PS3!
  

 

How much would you pay for such an incredibly nerfed product? $100? $120? $150? NOOO!!! Only $170 if you buy immediately on June 22nd! What a deal!

 

 

 

 

In case you didn't catch the sarcasm flying over the inter-tubes, this product sucks. Activision may have screwed up on the Guitar Hero III release, but they didn't screw up this badly. There *is* online play in GHIII, Activision *is* replacing the mono discs on request, and Activision *is* going to release downloadable songs for GHIII. (If they don't after all their promises, they can expect a proper tar and feathering by the fan-base.)

 

Meanwhile, Harmonix seems to think this stuff is just okay. Wii players don't care if you do a crappy port of a PS2 game and charge lots of money for it, right? Right? Never mind that they're asking us to pay One Hundred and Seventy Dollars for the game. We obviously wish we all had PS2s because they're sooooo expensive.

 

Am I the only one who's royally peeved about this? I mean, PS2 conversions have been a part of the Wii's library since the beginning. We've gritted our teeth and beared it. But this? This is just outright hostility toward customers. I don't care if Harmonix doesn't think online play is ready on the Wii. (Which seems like a thin excuse given that GH3 does it just fine.) Work with Nintendo to get it fixed. And what do they need permission from Activision for? They obviously went ahead and made the XBox guitar compatible. The Wii guitar is even easier. It's just a Classic Controller from a software perspective.

 

I don't know about anyone else, but I refuse to purchase this pile of garbage. If all I wanted was a nerfed copy of Rock Band, I would have bought a PS2. Given that I'd be spending $160 anyway, the extra $90 for the console isn't exactly going to break the bank. I hope Harmonix realizes their mistake and corrects this crap in their next game.

Edited April 16, 2008 by jbanes

[moycon]

It'll still sell a million copies.

(I however won't be one of the million)

[Shawn]

I already have rock band for the sony and I would have bought it for the nintendo also but not being able to use the GH3 controller means I'm not gonna buy it. Save the money for GH:Aerosmith instead.

[mimo]

think yourself lucky, it will probably cost £170 GBP when it arrives over this side of the pond.

And I will pass, even if it retails at £70

[Atari5200]

alot of that has to do with the Wii not having a hard drive.

 

Which, btw, isn't Nintendo due to rehash a new Wii version?

Edited April 16, 2008 by Atari5200

[minorleagueguy]

ok....a few questions...

 

How long will Harmonix support the PS2 version of Rock Band?

When will a 2nd RB game come out?

 

The Mrs. and I ave been waiting for this for the Wii, as we are not hardcore gamers, we have less than 1 hour a day to play anything on our Wii, and don't care about online play,anything missing, ect.. just looking for something cool that the 3 of us can do as a family...just my 2 cents

 

minorleagueguy

[HammR25]

The Wii is a party game console so this game fits in perfectly without online support.

[Lord Helmet]

I already have the 360 version, so I won't be picking this up. They should really have DLC for this. You can get a 2gb memory stick for like $20.

[jbanes]

alot of that has to do with the Wii not having a hard drive.

That's a cop-out answer. Activision is supposed to release downloadable content for GH3 soon, and the SD Card slot provides more than enough storage for new songs, characters, and guitars.

 

 

The Mrs. and I ave been waiting for this for the Wii, as we are not hardcore gamers, we have less than 1 hour a day to play anything on our Wii, and don't care about online play,anything missing, ect.. just looking for something cool that the 3 of us can do as a family...just my 2 cents

Here's the problem. One of the party features of Rock Band was the ability to create a band, create your own avatars, then take your band on a world tour. This is completely without worrying about online support.

 

Harmonix removed it.

 

I'm sorry, I just won't support a company that shoves substandard products on the market as a way of "cashing in" on the latest craze. The Wii is not the GameCube. We don't have to feel lucky that "at least we got something". It's the most popular console of this generation, and the ONLY console to be supply-limited over a year and a half after release. It's currently on track to be the most popular console EVER.

 

Treating that market like crap is a great way to put your company out of business.

[minorleagueguy]

alot of that has to do with the Wii not having a hard drive.

That's a cop-out answer. Activision is supposed to release downloadable content for GH3 soon, and the SD Card slot provides more than enough storage for new songs, characters, and guitars.

 

 

The Mrs. and I ave been waiting for this for the Wii, as we are not hardcore gamers, we have less than 1 hour a day to play anything on our Wii, and don't care about online play,anything missing, ect.. just looking for something cool that the 3 of us can do as a family...just my 2 cents

Here's the problem. One of the party features of Rock Band was the ability to create a band, create your own avatars, then take your band on a world tour. This is completely without worrying about online support.

 

Harmonix removed it.

 

I'm sorry, I just won't support a company that shoves substandard products on the market as a way of "cashing in" on the latest craze. The Wii is not the GameCube. We don't have to feel lucky that "at least we got something". It's the most popular console of this generation, and the ONLY console to be supply-limited over a year and a half after release. It's currently on track to be the most popular console EVER.

 

Treating that market like crap is a great way to put your company out of business.

 

...what if the typical family dosen't want, or care for those particular fetures? We just want to be able to play...nice and simple, again, we don't have several hours in a day/weekend to devote to playing games, we wanted something special to do as a trio, and the Wii fits the bill.

....We have all the GH games, heck, even bought a used PS2 for these that the Wii didn't have. For us, it's all about fun...not spending hours trying to create things we don't need....again...2 cents

 

minorleagueguy

[jbanes]

...what if the typical family dosen't want, or care for those particular fetures? We just want to be able to play...nice and simple

There's no reason why you can't do that. But purchasing Rock Band Wii will only encourage substandard products for the Wii.

 

even bought a used PS2 for these that the Wii didn't have.

Then why are you wasting your time waiting for Rock Band Wii? Rock Band PS2 is the exact same game, but with an MSRP that's $10 cheaper. (And a street price that actually goes quite a bit lower.) What is your reason for waiting for the Wii version? Heck, the PS2 Guitar Hero guitar works with Rock Band PS2, so you'd actually be getting more features for less money on the PS2.

[minorleagueguy]

...what if the typical family dosen't want, or care for those particular fetures? We just want to be able to play...nice and simple

There's no reason why you can't do that. But purchasing Rock Band Wii will only encourage substandard products for the Wii.

 

even bought a used PS2 for these that the Wii didn't have.

Then why are you wasting your time waiting for Rock Band Wii? Rock Band PS2 is the exact same game, but with an MSRP that's $10 cheaper. (And a street price that actually goes quite a bit lower.) What is your reason for waiting for the Wii version? Heck, the PS2 Guitar Hero guitar works with Rock Band PS2, so you'd actually be getting more features for less money on the PS2.

 

....I didn't know that you could use a different wireless guitar on the PS2. We have a Nyko Frontman wireless, and it works great. We also have the original guitar that came with it. Not trying to start a war, just adding an opinion...

 

...also, the Mrs. wondered how long Harmonix would support the PS2, I think she just wanted to make sure we had the version for the newer console. Knowing our luck, after we buy RB for the PS2, they won't make the follow up sequels for that system..

 

 

minorleagueguy

Edited April 16, 2008 by minorleagueguy

[+DamonicFury]

As someone who owns both a PS2 and a Wii, and bought the PS2 Rock Band months ago, I'm glad I didn't bother waiting for the Wii version. The fact that you can use your old Guitar Hero guitars with PS2 Rock Band is a HUGE reason to choose the PS2 version, as you can have two people playing guitar and bass without the need to buy a second expenisve Rock Band guitar, as you will absolutely have to do on the Wii (since the GHII guitar won't work with it.)

 

Wii Rock Band seems to be clearly aimed at those who own a Wii and only a Wii. Anyone who owns another Rock Band compatible console should avoid this.

[n8littlefield]

As a Wii only gamer, I'll be buying Rock Band Wii. The downloadable content would have been nice, but not really a dealbreaker for me. I'd assume we'll see a few addon discs released after the initial game - they'd be stupid not to frankly.

 

It's been pointed out before, but I don't understand why they can't support the GH3 guitar considering it's just a Classic Controller that looks like a guitar...

 

EDIT: Should add, I love the white drums.

Edited April 21, 2008 by n8littlefield

[Astrosmash]

I also love the white drums, but for me, no online play IS a dealbreaker. Lame - guess I've gotta keep saving up for that PS3 now.