Rock Band on Wii

They finally announced Rock Band for Wii today. I wanted to get Rock Band as soon as it came out last fall, but since I don't own a PS3 or Xbox 360 I was SOL. So I patiently waited for this announcement. I even held off buying Guitar Hero III, since I wanted to know if the guitars would be compatible with Rock Band. The answer seems to be "we hate consumers, fuck no".

I had a chance to play it this weekend in a party setting (as opposed to in the store, like a loser, which I've done...several times) and it's pretty fun. It really excels in a party atmosphere, except it seems like singers are hard to find. Drums are really fun as you can really wail, which is satisfying, although tiring. Also, it seems lot of people don't like hard rock songs or are not familiar with them, but for me, it's my preferred music genre.

But now it looks like I might not end up getting it after all. Nintendo once again fucks up the online component. There will be no online play and no downloadable content. The big thing here is the no downloadable content. I've been mostly "downloading" music, but with Rock Band I would actually buy (many) songs. But since I can't and the only system I own is the Wii, I'm SOL...again.

They try to push Rock Band as a platform, and I think it's a good idea. I think buying music for Rock Band is reasonable and something I would buy. Most of the songs are $1-$3 dollars and they release new content weekly. I can forsee future albums being released in music stores and the Rock Band store simultaneously, so that not only can you listen to the music, but also experience it.

Anyway, I'm not sure who to be pissed with, Nintendo, Harmonix, Activision or all of them. None of them are getting my money.




(Unless I buy a PS3 or Xbox360......)

Rock Band vs Guitar Hero III

Music rhythm games are fun....especially when drinking. This fall, two really popular music rhythm game variants will go on sale and consumers will have to pick one. One is the 3rd iteration of Guitar Hero and the other is called Rock Band.

Rock Band includes not only two guitars, but also drums and a mic for singing. If you have four people together and all the necessary equipment, you could "play" as if you were a band. Doesn't that sound fun? I'll let the video speak for itself


*NOTE: apparently this video isn't representative of the final gameplay, but I think it gives the general idea

Meanwhile, Guitar Hero III will include a multiplayer "battle" mode.


So the question is which to buy? On one had, Rock Band will be crazy expensive, likely costing as much as the Wii itself after buying every accessory, but it has the potential to be much more fun having four people "jamming". Guitar Hero III doesn't look that innovative from the previous generations, but it should be cheaper and includes an interesting multiplayer competitive mode. Any advice on what you would rather play?

PS where the heck am I going to put all this stuff, let alone transport it every week to and from Waterloo!

DS Flash Cart

If you read my lengthy entry on my New York City trip over the long weekend, you'll know that I bought a Nintendo DS. It's a great device, especially when you only have a few minutes and want something quick to play. For example, while waiting in line for my free Harvey's Original Hamburger this weekend, I pulled it out and play a few quick games of Tetris.

It's also great for multi-player. Yesterday, I had a Wii party in Waterloo, and had more than 4 people show up. The other people played multi-player Tetris DS instead. One of the best features of the DS is the ability to quickly get a wireless multiplayer game going.

Anyway, the whole point of this entry is to find out if anyone wants to get in on our order for a DS flash cart. A lot of people recommended the DS-X, but I think we're going to go with the R4 instead. We're up to 5 people already! So let me know ASAP if you want in!

MULTI-PLAYER MAKE FOR HOT KITCHEN ACTION

One of the biggest things missing from the Wii is the ability to play online. It's one of the biggest advantages of computer games (Exhibit A: WoW). With Microsoft Xbox Live service, they have even made online play with consoles commonplace (and fun, at least so I hear).

Nintendo's approach is different. To become friends, you have to pass a 16 digit number to your friend AND they have to pass their 16 digit code to you. Then you BOTH have to enter it into your machines and approve of the friend. A pain in the ass. I think it's to protect children from predators. I suppose that's a good thing, but what really annoys me is that Nintendo hasn't really emphasized online play, because they haven't allowed any 3rd party developers access to the Wii's online capabilites. I think Nintendo really dropped the ball here. But then again, Nintendo emphasizes the experience of having your friends in the same room and playing alongside each other. I suppose I'm just greedy.

But just this week, Nintendo announced that they have partnered with GameSpy to provide the online experience. They will begin work on this, and eventually 3rd parties will have the capability to build online play into games. I expect it'll take at least a year from before we see online play from 3rd parties :( That means there's no online play for Cooking Mama. Looks like I'll have to be content with Iron Chefing with people in the same room, because, as everyone + this video knows, "MULTI-PLAYER MAKE FOR HOT KITCHEN ACTION."

I've decided to include the video with the post, for your convenient viewing pleasure:


PS You knew it was only a matter of time before I started blogging about the Wii. I did make it through a stretch where I didn't blog about it at all...consider yourself lucky!