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NWR Interactive => TalkBack => Topic started by: NWR_Neal on December 16, 2008, 01:55:47 PM

Title: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: NWR_Neal on December 16, 2008, 01:55:47 PM
As Harmonix's rhythm game sequel hits stores this week, the Boston-based company has also confirmed that it will have downloadable content and compatibility with all Wii instruments.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=17406

 With nary a peep from Harmonix, MTV Games, or EA over the past few months about the Wii release of Rock Band 2, the silence has been broken as the Wii iteration of the game is scheduled to ship to stores on December 18. After criticism from Chris Kohler at Wired Game|Life, Harmonix responded, confirming that the Wii version will feature downloadable content through the SD card, continuous online support, robust character creation, and full compatibility with all Wii instruments.    


After the disappointing stripped-down port of the first Rock Band for Wii, Harmonix will respond with a full-featured version of the sequel which will have everything the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions have. Although not all of the downloadable content will be available on launch day, Harmonix pledges to eventually release all of the same content that has been released on the other systems. At launch, Rock Band 2 for Wii will have over 100 songs to choose from, including 84 on-disc songs and the 20 free downloadable songs from smaller artists. The Wii version is being developed by Houston-based Pi Studios, who "literally worked through a hurricane to bring this game in before the holidays."    


In the future, Harmonix pledges to get every future Wii version of Rock Band to launch alongside the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. Time will tell if Harmonix sticks to their word.

Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: ryro on December 16, 2008, 10:54:24 PM
I am still wondering how RB2 will make use of the SD card.  It initially sounded as though you would have to leave DLC on the Wii's internal memory to utilize it in game, instead of streaming off of the SD card as in Guitar Hero World Tour.

That said, after the debacle that was my GHWT drum/activision customer support experience, I've decided to buy a 360 and RB2 on that and not deal with any memory limitations for this kind of game. Kudos to Harmonix for stepping it up on the Wii though.

Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: NWR_Neal on December 16, 2008, 11:06:50 PM
I'm thinking the DLC will work the same as GH:WT. It looks like both games will be on par with each other. Might be too late for Harmonix though.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: EasyCure on December 16, 2008, 11:27:13 PM
Quote from: ryro on December 16, 2008, 10:54:24 PM
I am still wondering how RB2 will make use of the SD card.  It initially sounded as though you would have to leave DLC on the Wii's internal memory to utilize it in game, instead of streaming off of the SD card as in Guitar Hero World Tour.

That said, after the debacle that was my GHWT drum/activision customer support experience, I've decided to buy a 360 and RB2 on that and not deal with any memory limitations for this kind of game. Kudos to Harmonix for stepping it up on the Wii though.



What was your debacle with the drums/customer service?

I had two pads that werent as sensitive as the rest, it didnt make the game unplayable but i ordered the MIDI cable since it was free and i got it in a weeks time. To be honest, I haven't even downloaded the drum sensitivity program from their site yet since I dont think the drums are that big a deal. I know a few people who got their MIDI cables right away and were able to fix the drums, so my opinion of this matter is a more positive one.. so what happened to you that was so bad??

Back to the main news, its good to hear we won't be getting a gimped game but as nron10 mentioned it might me a little too late. Hopefully the disc-only sales will be well, so they can see the support is there, but i can see the band-kit sales taking a hit due to their delayed release.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: NWR_Lindy on December 16, 2008, 11:37:26 PM
I dunno.  GH:WT sold huge, but it's not like it got unbelievable reviews...I'm sure there is a certain amount of people out there waiting specifically for RB2.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: Kairon on December 17, 2008, 12:38:30 AM
Actually, my brother has been tilting towards RB2 for a while now, while I've been the one insisting he consider GH:WT. But now I'm starting to favor RB2, much to my surprise.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: TJ Spyke on December 17, 2008, 01:48:10 AM
The fact that the Wii versions of Guitar Hero and Rock Band games are outselling the other versions has to be a big reason MTV Games will release future installments on time instead of several months afterward (and maybe actually do it themselves instead of lazily handing it off another studio).
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: MaleficentOgre on December 17, 2008, 06:55:12 AM
Releasing RB2 late was a terrible mistake. If it had come out at the same time it would've given me pause as to wich one to get. There were a lot of parties between october 27th and today that made fantastic use of guitar hero world tour. It'll still sell. I just think waiting this long was a bad idea.  They lost a lot of potential sales to wii owners.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: Nick DiMola on December 17, 2008, 07:40:11 AM
I agree with everyone that sales have been lost, but I still think when the dust settles Rock Band will prove to be the dominant franchise.

I should be getting the review bundle of this sometime after Christmas, so I'll have some thoughts on it for you guys and a full lineup of features so that anyone on the fence still can make an informed decision.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: EasyCure on December 17, 2008, 10:21:18 AM
Quote from: Mr. Jack on December 17, 2008, 07:40:11 AM
I agree with everyone that sales have been lost, but I still think when the dust settles Rock Band will prove to be the dominant franchise.

I should be getting the review bundle of this sometime after Christmas, so I'll have some thoughts on it for you guys and a full lineup of features so that anyone on the fence still can make an informed decision.

Yeah they'll lose some sales, most likey for the band kit sku, but theres no doubt it'll still be a big seller. Hopefully they keep good on their word and do release the next installment on time.

Oh and please be sure to test out RB2 with the GH:WT instruments so that those of us curious enough to check out the game will know what it plays like :)
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: UncleBob on December 17, 2008, 10:24:43 AM
I'm still ticked at Activision for rushing the Wii version of Legends of Rock out the door with the major bug it had.

I'm still ticked at Harminox for screwing Wii owners over on Rock Band 1, giving us a watered down PS2 port (seriously, no GH controller support? bullocks!) - then screwing us over again with the release of RB2.

I think I'll pass on buying either one of them at full price.  Maybe later.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: ryro on December 17, 2008, 11:19:24 PM
Quote from: EasyCure on December 16, 2008, 11:27:13 PM
Quote from: ryro on December 16, 2008, 10:54:24 PM
I am still wondering how RB2 will make use of the SD card.  It initially sounded as though you would have to leave DLC on the Wii's internal memory to utilize it in game, instead of streaming off of the SD card as in Guitar Hero World Tour.

That said, after the debacle that was my GHWT drum/activision customer support experience, I've decided to buy a 360 and RB2 on that and not deal with any memory limitations for this kind of game. Kudos to Harmonix for stepping it up on the Wii though.



What was your debacle with the drums/customer service?

I had two pads that werent as sensitive as the rest, it didnt make the game unplayable but i ordered the MIDI cable since it was free and i got it in a weeks time. To be honest, I haven't even downloaded the drum sensitivity program from their site yet since I dont think the drums are that big a deal. I know a few people who got their MIDI cables right away and were able to fix the drums, so my opinion of this matter is a more positive one.. so what happened to you that was so bad??

Back to the main news, its good to hear we won't be getting a gimped game but as nron10 mentioned it might me a little too late. Hopefully the disc-only sales will be well, so they can see the support is there, but i can see the band-kit sales taking a hit due to their delayed release.

I had sensitivity issues on all pads... it wasn't unplayable on the three drum pads.  The hi-hat was okay.  The cymbal pad was horrible however.  It registered probably one in every four hits and only if I bashed the living HELL out of the thing.  In general I had to pound the **** out of the drums for it to work, you could not play casually, you had to hit hard and in very specific sections of each drum pad.

I was willing to try the midi cable and try to adjust the sensitivity, but the software is PC only.  The initial customer suggested my orange cymbal problems were beyond sensitivity.  Then Activision required I personally pay to ship the cymbal or full drum kit in for warranty replacement.  I've had to warranty electronics and appliances before and usually the company sends you a pre-paid box or some such thing. 

By that point, I was unwilling to pay more money on top of the 200 I'd already spent, along with frustration with the game itself (just gameplay choices where Rock Band 2 is superior), and the limited DLC Wii owners have been getting, I simply took the whole thing back to Wal-Mart and got my money back. 

IGN's review of RB2 is posted and it is positive.  I'm still debating just getting a 360 and RB2, so that I can have as much DLC on one hard drive as I want.  Plus, you know, I haven't bought a new game for the Wii in eight months.  Though it's much cheaper if I just buy RB2 for Wii, especially since my GH3 controller is compatible.  *shrugs*

Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: EasyCure on December 18, 2008, 09:27:40 AM
wow that is rought. I could of sworn i saw a mac option for the sensitivity software on the Red octane site though, but i still agree that having you pay to ship something to them is total BS.

Sorry to hear all that, man.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: NWR_Lindy on December 18, 2008, 01:41:21 PM
Ryro, if you buy Rock Band 2 for 360 you will NOT be disappointed.  I have it and it's awesome.  Also the fact that you can now install it to the 360 hard drive eliminates a lot of loading time.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: decoyman on December 18, 2008, 09:13:13 PM
The other good thing about the 360 version is that you could pick up the RB1 disc, and then RB2 lets you copy all the RB1 songs to your hard drive, too.

Also, all instruments are compatible. Like, ALL. Use RB drums w/ GHWT.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: NWR_Lindy on December 18, 2008, 10:03:46 PM
And all Rock Band 1 DLC works with Rock Band 2, so all told the Rock Band "platform" has over 500 songs to choose from right now.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2 Hits Stores This Week, Will Have DLC
Post by: ryro on December 20, 2008, 02:18:12 PM
Yeah that's another reason I'd rather get it on 360.  It's pretty great that all the DLC will end up available on Wii, but you can only fit so much on one SD card, and won't be able to bring the RB1 tracks in.  Eventually there will be a Rock Band 3 and I'm sure Harmonix will work to have all RB1/RB2 tracks playable in-game for it, too.  Due to the lack of hard drive that's really a no-go for Wii.  I like the idea of the old games being used in the newer game.  Makes the whole purchase seem more worthwhile in the long term.