Ultimate Band

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Easy, low-stress music game without peripherals.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is the latest game to jump on the music game bandwagon, but unlike some others, it doesn't require guitar and drum peripherals to play. The E10+ rating refers to some very mild language such as "crap," "ass," and "hell" in lyrics. Players can deck out band members in new outfits and accessories, but they're all actually quite tame and tasteful.

  • Not applicable.
  • Song lyrics contain mild references to violence as in ""burning on just like a match you strike to incinerate the lives of everyone you
    know."
  • Not applicable.

What's it about?

Disney's ULTIMATE BAND follows a typical rags to riches story of a four piece band playing gigs around town to work its way up to fame and glory by playing a concert in the acclaimed Rock Dome. Instead of using special instrument controllers, each of the four instruments -- drums, guitar, bass, and front man -- are controlled using the Wii remote and Nunchuk in various combinations of waving motions and button presses.

Passing songs earns accolades that unlock new venues, along with money that can be spent on new clothing, accessories, and hairstyles for the band members. Story mode and Practice Jam mode (where you can practice unlocked songs individually) both support 1 to 4 players, and there's also Battle Mode where two players battle it out on the same instrument.


Is it any good?

 

The game offers a soundtrack of 35 rock songs from the likes of Weezer, the Doors, Blondie, Modest Mouse, the White Stripes, and My Chemical Romance. Vocals are not supported, so there's no singing; rather, players mimic the poses and gestures of the front man. All songs are re-recorded covers, and vocals change to male or female depending on whether you've selected a male or female frontman for your band.

The ability to customize your band and play all of the instruments in it is fun; the downside is that controls can get overly complicated – especially bass, which involves tilting the Nunchuk as well as pressing down buttons -- and seems less like you're pretending to play an instrument and more like just tapping and waving on the beat. Rock Band and Guitar Hero will give players a better sense of what it's really like to play an instrument, but Ultimate Band is a less stressful, less difficult, and cheaper alternative without large peripherals to take up space.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how important a band's "look" is. The game offers a lot of customizations options for band members -- what look did you go for and why? What instrument was your favorite to play? Does playing the game inspire you to learn an instrument in real life?


This review was written by Erin Bell

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This review was written by Erin Bell
Platforms:Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Music
Release date:November 25, 2008
Price:$29.99-49.99
ESRB rating:E10+ for Mild Lyrics

This review was written by Erin Bell

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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