Ultimate Band

by Disney Interactive Studios

• Eight Imaginative and invocative venues, including 'Jamhalla,' 'Aztec Palace,' and 'Dome Debut' come to life during gameplay and react to how well players perform.
• Take on - drums, lead guitar, bass guitar and a band front man - all with unique motion mechanics using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.
• Follow a unique narrative story mode or stand up and jam to any songs and venues they've already unlocked.
• 30+ songs made famous by artists such as The White Stripes, The Who, The Jonas Brothers, Weezer and more.
• Players can customize their bands by creating characters that look just like them, or by selecting from different character genres.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0016OVB2U
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 25, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,823 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #41 in Video Games > Wii > Games > Rhythm > Musical Instruments
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Amazon.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.

Start in the basement & clubs. View larger.

Take your act to the top . View larger.

The Wii-Mote makes rockin' easy. View larger.

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.

Join the "Ultimate Band"

Key Game Features: Choose Your Instrument: In Ultimate Band, there are four band roles that players can take on - drums, lead guitar, bass guitar and a band front man - all with unique motion mechanics using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Multiple Game Modes: Players can either follow a unique narrative story mode or stand up and jam to any songs and venues they've already unlocked. In addition Ultimate Band offers group and family entertainment through multiplayer modes that include head-to-head competition or cooperative play. Extensive Song List: 30+ songs made famous by artists such as The White Stripes, The Who, The Jonas Brothers, Weezer and more. Gender-Specific Detail: Although there is no singing in Ultimate Band, all of the songs in Ultimate Band are re-mastered so they are performed in the gender of each band's front man and include added attention to age-appropriate lyrics. Character Customization: Players can customize their bands by creating characters that look just like them, or by selecting from different character genres. Eight Varied Gameplay Environments: Eight Imaginative and invocative venues, including 'Jamhalla,' 'Aztec Palace,' and 'Dome Debut' come to life during gameplay and react to how well players perform.

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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 90 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Song list December 11, 2008

By C. Mannering

Platform for Display:Nintendo Wii

Fun: 3.0 out of 5 stars   

Wii Song List
· Girls Not Grey
· Complicated
· Hanging on the Telephone
· Song 2
· I Want You To Want Me
· All Right Now
· Anna Molly
· Club Foot
· Won't Go Home Without You
· Dashboard
· Helena
· Get the Party Started
· Crushcrushcrush
· Just
· Stumble and Fall
· When Did Your Heart Go Missing?
· In Too Deep
· Unconditional
· Somebody Told Me
· Always Where I Need to Be
· Debaser
· Fell in Love With a Girl
· Break on Through
· Beverly Hills
· Move Along
· Rock Lobster
· First Date
· Whip It
· Take Over the Break is Over
· Hold On
· Our Time Now
· Just What I Needed
· All Day and All of the Night
· Steady As She Goes
· My Generation

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ultimate band November 29, 2008

By P. Bittles

Platform for Display:Nintendo Wii

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

My kids got this yesterday and have played it non-stop. When we ordered it a week ago it was $20.00 cheaper on Amazon, now it is the same price as everywhere else but with free shipping I was thrilled. My 15 year old takes band in High School and he is loving it. They wanted Rock Band but we don't have the room for all drums etc. so this is a great alternative.
They like it better than Wii Music.
My 9 year old is having a little bit of a difficult time with it but it took him a while to master Guitar hero so he is getting better slowing. This definitely is a game for many age groups probably aged 8 and up.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Disney squeaky clean GH for kids or anyone who likes more active instruments December 22, 2008

By Layna

Platform for Display:Nintendo Wii

Fun: 3.0 out of 5 stars   

GAMESPOT COM wrote a great in-depth review & also see on YOUTUBE COM videos of gameplay & how the controls work.
this game was made/influenced by Disney, so any objectionable lyrics have been cut out & the graphics are ultra friendly. I rented this & played for about an hour.
It has a great in-game tutorial & the symbols are very easy to understand & the moves are intuitive. You get the name the band, male/female for the drummer, singer/front man, guitar & base. There is easy, normal, hard & possibly advanced settings you can switch up right before the song plays. There is a practice area, etc. The customization is a bit limited, but it seems you'll unlock more stuff to "shop" in.
The game seems very lenient on how it grades for timing, it seems as long as you don't do it wrong or keep going when the next command comes, you get credit. This can make it a bit boring for EASY, but great for younger kids, Normal good as a beginning for teenagers & Adults & then Hard for those with good dexterity or once you've played a few times or so.
Each song you have to play & pass doing all 4 instruments. On easy there are less things to do compared to normal & hard & also therefore less things to hit.
Here are all the different things you do for each instrument from what I remember:
Drums - down beat for each hand, both hands down, side for cymbals, clapping, fast down beats, twirling sticks in one or both hands.
Guitar - C, CZ, Z, or no buttons for fret & strumming always for the note, B for whammy, arm circles w/wiimote, clapping
Front man/Singer - punching fwd one or both hands, holding remote/mic up angled to face, normal up & down, swinging in circle one or both hands, clapping, waving both hands
I didn't do bass in the 1 hour I played.
There are also flourishes - gestures you can do to get more points when you're not hitting a note/command to get more points since you don't get any points for notes you don't hit. These make the characters spin/dance w/extra colorful graphics.

I was happy with the response to the moves I did, I only had trouble with recognition in clapping sometimes, but then again I really breezed through the tutorial. Since there are so many movements involved, on normal & definitely on hard, you will start feeling like you are rubbing your stomach & patting your head since each hand will do a different movement. In that regard, this game is much tougher, but with the lax grading on timing as said & it makes it easier, actually probably too easy. I did the mic on hard difficulty & my first time & got a very good score. I did have more problems with the drums, but passed & didn't clear the guitar, so this def is geared to kids.

Pros:
Intuitive controls/movement
Good choice in symbols for movements which requires almost no memorization
Menu setting details/choices
Characters videos on cell phone after play with their judging

Cons:
Songs - are covers & lack passion or something, I had trouble getting into the songs at all.
Song List - too short & many I didn't like, even the first only 8 that are unlocked.
Gameplay - even if you screw up, the song playing doesn't reflect that at all. The only sounds that go with your movements are clapping & the cymbals on the drums.