Catch some concepts at the New York Auto Show!
Posts with tag rhythm

Samba de Amigo features some kind of pay-to-play online content

The boxart for the Wii version of Samba de Amigo has now been revealed in tiny form on Gamestop's site. It is, as far as we know, the first game to feature the new red Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay-to-Play logo, which was first shown at GDC this year.

Either this means that you'll have to pay a subscription fee to play Samba online, or (infinitely more likely) that downloadable songs will be available over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Which, if true, makes the Wii version of Rock Band (with its new lineup of expansion discs!) just that much more insulting.


[Via NeoGAF]

Rock Band Track Pack no replacement for DLC, available July

Rock Band for Wii isn't even screwing you over out yet, and already the downloadable content problem has been solved! All you have to do is buy an additional disc with a whopping twenty tracks for $29.99! No, you don't get to choose which ones you want and spend only a little money. You want extras? Pony up, suckers!

It's one thing -- and an acceptable thing -- to milk customers for a few bucks at a time for additional songs they really want. It's another thing altogether to offer up a full expansion for thirty dollars less than a month after the game is released. That's right: Rock Band isn't scheduled for the Wii until June 22, and this Track Pack is due July 15. And it's labeled Volume 1, naturally ... expect another round not long after that. We're anticipating September.

The only logical explanation for this travesty is that Harmonix is upset that they missed the Wii boat and are now scrambling to scrape as much quick cash as possible. The question is: will Wii owners take the rather unattractive bait? Fume your way past the break to see the full track listing for Rock Band's Track Pack Volume 1.

Continue reading Rock Band Track Pack no replacement for DLC, available July

Boogie sequel confirmed?


EB Games' site has a rather interesting listing up. It's for Boogie Superstar, which we can only assume is a sequel for EA's Boogie game (you think, Wii Fanboy?). Uh, did Boogie do well enough to justify a sequel? Also, will this supposed new sequel utilize the Balance Board, as rumored?

Despite some lukewarm reviews and an overall failure at retail, it would seem that EA is not giving up on their rhythm-based franchise. Let's just hope that this time around, it will require more than a babbling baby's effort to actually succeed.

[Via Go Nintendo]

An even Hottester Party this fall?


Konami wrote themselves into a corner with the title of their Wii Dance Dance Revolution game. If DDR Hottest Party is really the hottest party, what will the inevitable sequel be? Will it be a different superlative -- the coolest party, or the freshest party, or the most Chex-Mix-having party? Will it be the Hottest Party For Real This Time -- Last Time Was the Hottest to Date, But This Time's Even Hotter Than That?

Well, if the title of the new game found on Gamefly's site (with a release date of September 30th) is the real title, it'll just be DDR Hottest Party 2. It worked for Final Fantasy.

WRUP: Rockin' out edition


For us, the only title of interest in this week's releases is Battle of the Bands. We'll admit that we enjoy the rhythm-based games quite a bit, so naturally it appeals to us. Of course, what with us being bloggers and all, we probably won't get a chance to play it until Nintendo's next console is released.

That isn't the case for you all, we're sure, who have time to play games and read gaming blogs on the internet (thanks!). What will you be playing this weekend? Picking up anything new?

Gallery: Battle of the Bands

Namco Bandai pops in with more Mugen Puchi Puchi screens


Namco Bandai has unwrapped a release date for Mugen Puchi Puchi Wii, the WiiWare rhythm game based on the toy based on popping bubble wrap: June 24th. No word on a U.S. date yet, though we are crossing our fingers (with bubble wrap between them).

Not only will you have the ability to pop bubbles by pointing at them and pressing 1 or 2, you'll be able to smash them en masse with a Wiimote on its side, as if rolling over them with a rolling pin. You'll even be able to use the remote to slash through the bubbles.

The game's 40 stages help provide even more variation, from a snowman level to an ikura donburi level in which you pop salmon roe (ewwww), and even the excellently named "Namco Old Games Stage."

Harmonix was hesitant over Wii, now big fans



Well, we finally know the answer to a question that's been floating around since before the Wii version of Rock Band was confirmed: when it came to the Wii edition, what took so long, fellas? After all, Nintendo's console not only sells lots, but it's also a hit with the social gaming crowd, who'd surely lap up Rock Band.

The answer is a familiar one, because like so many other developers and publishers before it, Harmonix failed to anticipate just how popular this Wii thing was going to be. GameDaily grilled Harmonix VP of Product Development Greg LoPiccolo on this, who manfully admitted that "when we made the initial decisions about where to place our resources, [the success of the Wii] wasn't as clear as it became in retrospect and really for us, it was simply a matter of resources." Or, to put it another way: Harmonix likes money.

LoPiccolo also confessed that Harmonix had been reluctant to hand over the development reins of the Wii version to a different company, and that the studio "wasn't comfortable handing much of the core off to others, because we wanted to make sure that it was everything we wanted it to be." Whether Wii Rock Band is everything we want it to be is still up for debate.

Gallery: Rock Band

First Rock Band Wii shots arrive, fail to cheer us up


Rock Band's taken its fair share of flak recently -- some would say it's been perfectly justifed -- but perhaps these first screens of the Wii version in action will help slow the barrage of complaints about the game.

To the surprise of nobody, they're pretty much identical to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Harmonix's multi-instrumental extravaganza (minus the super-sharp HD look, obviously), and, y'know, that means it's quite a pretty game, at least. Convinced, yet? No? You're still dwelling on that missing DLC and online play, aren't you? Can't blame you. So are we. Sigh.

Gallery: Rock Band

Samba de Amigo missing some much-needed shake



Samba de Amigo on the Dreamcast was the most relentlessly cheerful game ever, and the Wii version won't be toning down the exuberance -- just looking at this latest batch of art and screens from Sega's shake-'em-up almost brought light to the recesses of our dark, cynical hearts. But there's something gnawing at us, something that prevents us from getting all giddy over Wii Samba: the controls.

Apparently, we're not alone in this respect. A number of the recent "hands-on" articles that have appeared in the wake of the Nintendo Media Summit mention how Gearbox hasn't yet nailed this aspect of the game.

We've already discussed Joystiq's experiences (choice quote: "[...] the Remote and Nunchuk just don't feel the same as the original maracas."), and Go Nintendo felt similarly ("Unfortunately, there are still some control quirks. There are times when the Wiimote/Nunchuck will lose your positioning. This didn't happen too often, but it happened enough to make note of it.") Meanwhile, GameSpot's Ricardo Torres was perhaps the most forgiving, claiming that "the control is on its way toward being solid." Call us demanding little so-and-sos all you like, but we want solid! Not "on its way toward being solid."

The general feeling seems to be that the title is shaping up well, but that the maracas are sorely missed. If you're reading this, Sega, you know what to do.

Read: Joystiq's hands-on impressions
Read: Go Nintendo's hands-on impressions
Read: GameSpot's hands-on impressions


[Screenshots via press release]

NMS08: Rock Band 'bonus' simply PS3/360 dregs

The mystery of our Rock Band's "bonus" tracks has been solved -- and the songs are nothing you haven't seen before, especially if you've been following the available DLC for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the title. Here's your extra content, Wii owners. Merry freakin' Christmas.
  • "Dirty Little Secret" - The All American Rejects
  • "Roam" - The B-52's
  • "Don't Look Back in Anger" - Oasis
  • "Roxanne" - The Police
  • "Rockaway Beach" - The Ramones

Gallery: Rock Band

No Wii Rock Band in Europe until August [update]

We're not surprised that the majority of you aren't excited by the Wii's gimped version of Rock Band. If you actually were looking forward to it, though, and happen to live in Europe, EA just offered you another kick in the face. The company announced today that the Wii, PS2, and PS3 versions of Rock Band won't be hitting the continent until August 29th. So, if you were planning on jamming this summer with your fake band on Nintendo's console, it's not going to happen.

Of course, you could always get the Xbox 360 version instead, since it comes out in May and actually has online play and DLC, unlike the Wii version -- but it might cost you an arm and a leg. Though, to be honest, we're not really sure what the going rates for arms and legs are these days.

[Update: EA retracted their confirmation of the date, and is back to saying that all non-360 versions of Rock Band will release in Europe "later this summer." The company also states that the August 29th date on the fact sheet was an error. Very shady, EA!]

[Via Kotaku]

Give your Rock Band drums some extra lives


One of the complaints of those who have picked up Rock Band for consoles that aren't the Wii is that the drum set included can be kind of loud. We get it; you're jamming along to your favorite song and don't realize you're actually shaking the walls because you're drumming so damn loudly. The landlord gets upset, kicks you out and you're forced to now call the box that Rock Band came in your home.

Well, there might be hope for an alternative future. Thanks to the mod above, you can add some style to those boring drums, as well as help mute the loud banging that comes as a result from wailing on them. For those of you living in close proximity to other human beings, we imagine this is something you're going to want to look into.

Gallery: Rock Band


[Via Engadget]

Harmonix explains gimped Wii Rock Band

So it appears you're all pretty upset about the Wii version of Rock Band. And hey, we can't blame you -- we feel the same way! The reduced feature-set of the Wii game hurts, and like many of you, the lack of online play and DLC may well force us to purchase another version.

But according to developer Harmonix, none of this is really its fault -- nope, it's the Wii that's to blame, specifically the lack of a Wii hard drive. Quoth Harmonix design director Rob Kay: "[...] We need a hard drive. That's what we want. The whole problem is there's nowhere to store it. If the platform could do it, we'd jump on it."

Which is a valid point, actually. With single songs on other versions weighing in at around 30 - 45MB, the Wii's 512MB of internal storage would fill up quickly. We remain justifiably cross, however, at the missing online play.

Charlie Daniels: Guitar Hero 'perverted' my song

While a lot of people here may have spent hours rawking out and pulling buffoonish poses to Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, it's safe to say that country rock musician Charlie Daniels wasn't quite as enthusiastic. Firstly, the guy is 71, and if performing high kicks and the splits is beyond us flexible twenty-somethings, it's probably going to be unrealistic for anyone who qualifies for a free bus pass. Secondly (and a lot more relevantly), he's not too chuffed about how one of his songs, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," has been presented by Legends of Rock.

According to an entry by the musician on his blog, the song in question is "a lighthearted novelty about a fiddling contest between a country boy and the devil and the devil always loses," but try telling that to Guitar Hero III. Instead, the game has players competing on the song with old Beelzebub himself, in a face-off which the devil can win. Insert outraged gasps here!

Anyway, this is the main sticking point for Daniels, who accuses developer Neversoft of "perverting my song," and huffs that he's "disgusted with the result." He also describes the game as having "a dark side, complete with grotesque monsters on stage with the band, strange, eerie lighting effects and all manner of weird things popping up on the stage," and reckons it's "not the healthiest thing in the world for young, impressionable minds to be exposed to."

As it happens, Daniels' complaints look set to fall on deaf ears, because he sold off the publishing rights to the track. Nevertheless, his diatribe is worth a read, if only for a chuckle.

[Via Kotaku]

Wii Warm Up: Let's talk Rock Band (again)

The last time we talked about Rock Band in the morning topic, we didn't yet know that we were getting the shaft. Yeah, we said it: Rock Band for the Wii sucks. Personally, this blogger is more unhappy about the lack of DLC than the lack of other online functions. That's a lot of money to spend on a game that can't be updated similarly to the other next-gen versions, and considering we've got WiiWare on the table, no DLC just seems wrong. We're used to dragging friends over to play Wii; after all, we've played more multiplayer Wii in person than online by a long shot. It's old hat by now. Not being able to play online is sauce in the flavor of weak, to be sure, but no DLC means no sale from where I'm sitting. Of course, a lot of you probably feel differently; maybe you'd rather have online play, or perhaps you're actually excited about Rock Band. If so, please explain that one to us, because we are confused.

Next Page >

Wii Fanboy celebrates Mario Kart!Read our interview with Johnny Chung Lee!We highlight a Smash Bros stage, from the community, every week!
Features
Another Week in ... (30)
Brawl Stage of the Week (4)
Contests / Giveaways (71)
Friday Video (60)
Game Night (18)
Metareview (37)
Mii Spotlight (17)
Point/Counterpoint (1)
Revolutionary (34)
The VC Advantage (43)
VC Monday Madness (123)
Virtually Overlooked (63)
What are you playing? (77)
Wii Fanboy poll (34)
Wii Warm Up (432)
Bits
Channels (64)
Cheats (7)
Controller (384)
Fan stuff (1026)
Features (250)
Homebrew (69)
How-tos (57)
Imports (332)
Interviews (273)
Meta (43)
Mods (117)
News (2808)
Nintendo Wi-Fi (113)
Peripherals (214)
Reviews (90)
Rumors (407)
Sales (72)
Screens (502)
Tech stuff (122)
Video (706)
Virtual Console (414)
Walkthroughs (31)
WiiWare (121)

RESOURCES

RSS NEWSFEEDS

Powered by Blogsmith

Sponsored Links

Featured Galleries

Protothea
Nick Magdoza's GameCube clock
Nyko Energy Pak for Wii Fit
Retro Mods
Zoo Hospital
Brawl Stage of the Week: Sziltoj 2
Wonderworld Amusement Park
Brawl Stage of the Week: The Web
Order Up!

 

Most Commented On (14 days)

Recent Comments

Weblogs, Inc. Network

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in: