Rock Band (Wii) Preview

Posted by Ramon Aranda on 05.21.2008

Hands-on: We rock out with our guitars out.



Having recently visited EA's Spring Event, the first game that I wanted to get my hands on was the Wii version of Rock Band. With only a handful of journalists inside, I decided to make my way over to the Rock Band room where two large plasma TVs were setup with Rock Band including all of the peripherals. There were two guitars, a microphone and a drum set. The two guitars, looked the same as the Xbox 360 version only these bad boys were wireless! I tried out the guitar first as we got down on some Nirvana. I did pretty good actually and ended up with a sweet 97% while one of the producer's pounded out a 98%. I then tried out the same tune with the drum set. The set, is essentially the same thing as you get with the other platforms and it is wired as well but the set is made in white to match with the Nintendo Wii. The microphone is also wired which was actually kind of a bummer as I was hoping that it would be wireless as well but at least the guitars were. You won't get any other aesthetic differences in the way they feel or play.

Graphically the game looked a little more detailed than what you get with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the Wii. The crowds were livelier while the character models were smoother and crisper. The game was running quite smoothly and I didn't notice any dips in framerate whatsoever while it ran in 480p and widescreen mode. Soundwise, you'll be hearing every track with Dolby Pro Logic II surround.

The game while it will not include online gameplay as the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions do, so no downloadable content...at least not yet. I was told that it's not being included as of now but that it's something that Harmonix and EA is looking into. The package will however come with five extra tracks on the disc: "Rockaway Beach" - The Ramones, "Dirty Little Secret" - All American Rejects, "Roxanne" - The Police, "Don't Look Back in Anger" - Oasis and "Roam" - B52's. The extra track pack that will also be on sale during the game's launch will feature 20 tracks and retail for $29.99.

The Wii version of Rock Band hits stores in the U.S. and Canada on June 22nd for $169.99. We'll keep you updated on any news pertaining to the game and we'll also have a full review after its release.