Platform:Nintendo Wii .com Rock and roll comes in all shapes, sizes, flavors and colors, but there is one truism. All great bands don't just play their music, they live it. And now you can do the same as you play and perform moves just like a rock star with Ultimate Band for Wii. Ultimate Band puts players on the track to Rock n' Roll stardom by advancing their music careers and popularity from playing in a neighborhood garage to performing in front of an international audience at a world famous venue. But this isn't your typical rhythm game. Unlike other games in the music genre, Ultimate Band utilizes the innovative Wii Remote and Nunchuk that players already have to provide the ability to play the drums, bass guitar, lead guitar, or take on the role of the front man, without the extra cost of music-mimicking peripherals. Players also use the familiar, intuitive controls of their Wii Remote and Nunchucks to create and customize characters that reflect their own unique personalities and attributes. Along the way, players unlock new songs, venues, and accessories that can be used to customize their band members as they experience a new type of musical gaming experience that will take them where they have never been before. Gameplay: Out of the Garage and on to 'Stage Breaks' Although there are many ways to play Ultimate Band, one of the most exciting is through its compelling storyline, told via cutscenes. Players begin by choosing the gender of their character, crafting their image with a wide variety of clothing accessories and choosing a band name. Once the other members are added in a similar way, the touring cycle begins that will lift player's bands out of the garage, into the clubs and possibly on to the biggest stages in the world; but the story doesn't end there. Once players have hit the big-time there is the challenge of 'Stage Breaks.' These are special events that only happen when musicians are in their groove and are in context with the theme of each game environment. For example, in 'Jamhalla,' a Viking-themed Rock n' Roll fortress, a dragon punctuates the performance of your song. Just make it through the song, and he just makes an appearance. But rock the house and he blasts flames. Now that Rocks! Nintendo Wii/DS Connectivity If you have Ultimate Band for the Nintendo DS you can sit in with players on the Wii version. Simply set your DS to search Wii versions of Ultimate Band in range and you can join in the fun. While the Wii gamers roam from gig to gig and in and out of the studio, you have the ability to play VJ by altering the color of the lights, as well as turning on and off stage effects among other things.
J**P
Simple Controls but Still Fun
I mainly bought Ultimate Band because of the price and because there was nothing extra needed to play the game. As much as I'm intrigued by all the Guitar Hero/Rock Band games, I've never really desired them because of the space the peripherals take up plus the extra cost, so when I saw Ultimate Band and read a little more about it, I thought it was worth a shot. Turns out I was right.I beat the game on Easy in a couple of hours, but doing so on Normal and Hard is taking a bit longer because I'm a bit of a perfectionist and the controls can be a little finicky, especially when having to tilt the nunchuck just so to catch the right note. Also, the repetition can be a bit on the mundane side now and then, especially when a song is not to your tastes. But that aside, the game is realistic enough and certainly family friendly.As for gameplay, I do miss having a bass drum pedal and find my foot going with the bass beat for the drums out of instinct (as I have played drums for the last 10 years of my life). However, the guitar strumming can be both fun and tiring, especially when really getting into a song. The harder the difficulty, the more of a challenge with the lead guitar in particular and the bass control of tilting the nunchuk is a bit annoying when you're trying to do a flourish and it reads the movement wrong. The tutorials only seem to go so far and the quickest way to learn is to just practice or jump in and play the songs.The cut scenes are pretty short and super kid friendly, which basically describes the game, but in terms of family fun, you can't go wrong. Younger kids will still get a challenge on some of the songs on easy and older ones (including adults) will find plenty to do with the harder difficulties. And the song list is pretty fun and well rounded too spanning some classic rock entries to current pop faves. I give a four out of five because of the simplicity/repetition of the game.
"**"
Great games for all ages
This game is worth the full retail price but I got it for less on amazon. My 9 year old son and I have had a lot of fun playing this together. Finally a co-op game where you don't get in each other's way at any point! Woo-hoo! The game could use a longer track list but other than that I have no complaints. This game lets you adjust the difficulty for each individual player so all ages can play together. My son likes being able to change the appearance of the band members and buying them new clothes and instruments with the points we earn. One thing we noticed while playing was that disney not only changed the lyrics to some songs to make them more kid friendly, they also made it so that you can't name your band anything questionable, for example my son wanted to call our band "The Smelly Farts" and it wouldn't accept that as a name. I think we'll get a lot of playing time out of this game but eventually playing the same songs over and over will get old for me, perhaps not for my son though. Overall it's a good game and worth buying. You can have up to 4 players but each person needs a wiimote and nunchuk in order to play.
L**B
Okay but not Great
I was curious when I ordered because it didn't say a microphone, guitar or any other add-on was needed to play. Plus, when I saw the song "Helena" by My Chemical Romance was on there, it closed the deal for me.However... the singing is not by the original artists and the people singing are not very good at all. "Ouch" in some cases.You need to hold the nunchuck and the regular Wii controller, and fling your arms and hands in all sorts of confusing directions to match the beat and actions you are directed to.Perhaps this is a game best suited for young children, but I felt incredibly silly and going by the reactions of the people in the room when I played, they thought so too.I had the idea this was a Guitar Hero / Rock Band sort of game but it really isn't. You only have to jump around and must be pretty coordinated - you are asked to do circular motions with one hand while doing a totally different set of motions with the other hand, at pretty fast intervals or else you start to lose the crowd.It was just okay. I am planning on giving this to my 5 year old neice, as I don't plan to play it again anytime soon.
N**Y
A little bit of a workout...
This game is pretty cool. I originally got it for my 3 and 5 year old sons, but I play it more than they do. It is extremely addictive and also a little tough. I can only play all of the instruments in easy mode and get at least 96%. I still have not mastered Frontman in easy mode. I can somewhat do the drums in normal mode, but I'll just stick to easy so I can continue to do well. When I really get into it I start to sweat. I'm usually having so much fun that I ignore the little workout that I am getting. Well worth the price and shipping was quick too.
C**G
Great for the price
This is an okay cd for me, but the song selection is not my preference. I gave it a 5 star because I'm sure there are people out there who are going to LOVE the song selections. I used it for karaoke, so it didn't quite fit what I was using it for.
R**O
Fun for the family
I appreciate having a "band" style game that doesn't require any additional controllers and the music is pretty good. It's fun for adults and kids. My five-year-old son has some trouble with the moves, but he still loves it. I'm sure he'll like it even more as he develops his coordination.
S**Y
9yr old daughter loves it!
Bought this from Amazon at a great price and gotta say, my 9yr old daughter loves it! We have Rock Band, but she has never been able to get the drums on that game. This game is totally different than Rock Band, but for kids who find that too hard, this is perfect. I personally haven't played it but the kid loves it.
Y**K
Too much fun!
I decided to purchase this because I have 2 young children and thought it would be a good choice for them. Not only do they love playing it, but so do their mom and dad. It's addictive! We have hours of fun together when we play this. Only drawback is that we all think we can really play guitar, bass, and drums now!
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