November 20, 2008 – 1:00 pm
Last night I had the chance to discuss Disney Interactive Studios’ Ultimate Band with Tim Huntsman (senior producer), Mark McArthur (development director) and Mike Thompson (art director) from Fall Line Studio. The game is launching November 25th on the Wii and DS. In case you don’t know, it’s a rhythm game with no peripherals but with actual songs to play.
The team at Fall Line Studio set out to make a performance based game to take advantage of the unique controls schemes offered on Nintendo’s platforms. Development began back when the Wii was still called the Revolution, Rock Band didn’t exist, and Wii Music was still a budding idea in Shigeru Miyamoto’s head. The game was designed for tweens and teens in mind, especially boys, so this appeals more to the younger generation.
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November 18, 2008 – 5:00 pm
Band games are now becoming the next big thing. I mean, who doesn’t want to rock out and pretend to look cool while doing it? Psh, I sure as hell do all the time. My cousin usually spends his Tuesdays at a bar getting smashed and playing Rock Band, for Christ’s sake. That’s how you know how serious this era of gaming has become. We, my friends, have been blessed with yet another means of humility and the subconscious satisfaction of playing a guitar on the hardest difficulty setting.
On November 25, Disney Interactive Studios has unveiled the nationwide released of Ultimate Band for the Nintendo Wii and DS. Ultimate Band, developed by Fall Line Studio in Salt Lake City Utah, takes the player from the pits of your garage towards ultimate rock notoriety. With Ultimate Band, there’s no need to pay extra cash for a big bundle of plastic. No instruments in this one - it’s peripheral free. Use the Wii Remote and Nunchuck to rock out with your cocks out. The game also lets players create and customize characters that reflect their own unique personalities and attributes. I honestly hope it’s much more “diverse” than Rock Band or Guitar Hero (I usually end up looking like a Samoan).
The song lists for both the Wii and DS have been released.
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February 27, 2008 – 1:52 pm
In an already crowed rhythm game market, Disney looks to capitalize on the family friendly and younger gamer segments with Ultimate Band. Coming this Holiday for the Wii and DS, the game looks to simplify the genre to get everyone involved and keep things a little safer for the young ones.
Ultimate Band for Wii allows players to live the life of a rock star, 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. Ultimate Band utilizes the innovative Wii Remote and Nunchuk™ to give fans the ability to play the drums, bass guitar, lead guitar, or take on the role of the front man. Players can also create and customize characters that reflect their own unique personalities and attributes. Along the way, players will unlock new songs, venues, and accessories that can be used to customize their band members.
Ultimate Band for Nintendo DS is a rhythm-based music game with a built-in recording studio. Players can jam to current and classic songs using the drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, or rhythm guitar. Players can also create their own original songs using the DS touchscreen and stylus to lay down tracks for each instrument and apply creative mixing effects. Ultimate Band for Nintendo DS will also include DGamer functionality which will allow players to engage with others in a secure online community via their DS (Wi-Fi or ad hoc) or computer.
No word yet on how exactly the gameplay mechanic will work on both platforms or what songs we can expect in the game. I’m interested to see how this all plays out with only using the Wii-mote and Nunchuk or the DS stylus.
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