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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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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