Game Review: Ultimate Band (Wii)
So your family wants a game with all the fun and music of Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but you can’t afford the high price tag or don’t have enough room in the house for all those instrument controllers. Ultimate Band on the Wii only requires the remote and nunchuck to play guitars and drums. But will it rock your world without rocking your budget? Read on to find out:
First, design avatars for your four band members, and give them a band name and logo. Then you can practice or go on tour in story mode. The more songs you play and get accolades for, the more tunes you can unlock and venues you can perform at. Use money from successful performances to buy new gear and accessories for your band members.
Each instrument only needs the remote and nunchuck to play. For lead guitar and bass, perform strumming motions with the remote in time to the music. Guide the frontman around the stage and perform hand gestures and other cool moves to the beat. And hammer the nunchuck and remote like drumsticks when playing the drums. Sometimes the game will prompt you to do other movements with the Wii controller, like hand claps or windmill strums. Play successfully to fill up a performance meter to do grandstand moves with the remote to rack up your score.
Play control is responsive but sometimes the remote doesn’t sense your motions every now and then. Up to four players can play each instrument at the same time, and if you have a DS and a copy of that version of Ultimate Band, you can even connect to this version and be the band’s lighting and effects director. Use Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Internet connection to upload your scores to the Ultimate Band leaderboards. The only problem with Ultimate Band (and it’s a big one) is the rock song covers are terrible and the game just doesn’t have the ‘coolness’ popularity that Guitar Hero and Rock Band have.
Kid Factor:
Ultimate Band is rated E-10 for Everyone 10 and Up with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Lyrics. But the songs are nothing worse than what you would hear in the car, even on Radio Disney. Reading skill is helpful for some of the game’s instructions, but there are also picture cues to let you know how to move the Wii remote. Multiple difficulty levels for each instrument ensure that little rockers of all skill levels can enjoy playing together and be challenged without getting frustrated. Only problem is that if your kids have already played Rock Band or Guitar Hero, they’ll probably think this game is lame.
March 21st, 2009 at 2:45 pm
What do you think of Rock Band, Gamerdad?
March 21st, 2009 at 3:29 pm
I’m not THE GamerDad, but I did write this game review so I’ll chime in on my opinions of Rock Band. I’m sure the GamerDad himself will give his opinions on Rock Band, too, if he reads this. I’m pretty sure he loves it, though.
I think Rock Band is great, too. I don’t own it because it’s very expensive and takes up a lot of space, but I think it’s a fantastic idea and a great game for a group of people to play. I also think Rock Band is pretty challenging, though, and younger players and less experienced gamers might have a little trouble with it at first. I love playing the drums on it, but I can’t do the guitars or singing very well.
Since my tastes in games run a little on the weird side, I actually prefer more under the radar music games like Taiko Drum Master, Mad Maestro, and Space Channel 5. And I’m really looking forward to a new Wii game called Major Minor’s Majestic March. It’s a marching band game! And coming soon on the DS is Rhythm Heaven, which is made by the same folks who did Wario Ware. So yeah, my tastes in games are a little off sometimes. It’s a wonder why the GamerDad still keeps me around! –Cary
March 22nd, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I adore Rock Band and Guitar Hero. If you’ll search, you’ll find a topic or two about it.
March 22nd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
That is awesome that a DS owner can do lighting and effects… nice little touch…
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:01 am
RB2 is fun.