videagames

freespeech

Torgen got his apology faceplate but not his fixed GH3 disc

Uses the existing system, isn't too elaborate, and requires no major system upgrades. What's wrong with that?

kPod

phor11

If anybody needs me, I'll be in Santa Destroy.

*picks up wiimote*

[This message brought to you by nonsense]

Billkwando

If you want that stuff, get a 360 or PS3. If you just want to play games, get a Wii.

rkalajian

I_Hate_This_Place

Highlar

Then again, I suppose it's probably best to wait and see whether Rock Band 1 DLC can be used with Rock Band 2 (you know it's coming) before investing money in it anyway.

Green Armadillo

Ninja-Z

Rebelphoenix83

And reminded me of this comic.

[www.vgcats.com]

MURDERFACE

2NinjasTapedTogether

It sounds like band world tour is nixed too. Taken from the shack story:

"While a representative has already confirmed that Rock Band Wii will not feature downloadable content or online play, Bapiste implied that the Wii edition may also lack the character customization and world tour modes.

"The feature set is a lot closer to the PS2 version of Rock Band," he wrote. "We've decided to focus on getting the core gameplay on to the Wii and focus on making that awesome."

That really sucks =/

BadSector

DLC for new songs is a must though, without it, I just can not see myself playing the game as much, considering my friends have PS3 version already.

Oh well, I suppose the bigger problem would be figuring out how to to get it to work on my Wii in the first place. I do not suppose, EA will be releasing a version for JP Consoles.

Sukasaha

kidnicky

This is inexcusable.

LuppyLuptonium

Though I have given up on online for the Wii, it's not a huge deal since my main source of console internet usage is my 360. The Wii has pretty terrible internet play compared to the other consoles, so I guess we should expect this kind of thing. They'll probably fix it and embrace online play next generation, which is too bad.

PurpleMonkey

ca$h

Minister of Fun

Darnoc

Seriously. Like for reals? I totally plotzed when I read that. I'm talking left ALL the rubber on the road, ya feel me?

2NinjasTapedTogether

Len Bias Cocaine Surplus

Nintendos strict nature doesnt help, but dont blame them cus harmonix doesnt want to actually work to provide this service.

MrMikeL

LMFAO!!!! amen.. amen.. :)

seamonkey420

Paroxysm

Lulz at everyone blaming Harmonix or MTV (seriously?) for this. Because they've added DLC every week since the game's release, clearly they had all of these songs charted since November or so and have just been sitting on them to release them to us. Oh ho ho, watch as they sit in their smoke-filled room, wringing their hands and laughing sinisterly.

Nintendo is the one with the track record of little-to-no online functionality. It's not a secret. It's not a wacky conspiracy theory that takes some enormous leap of faith to consider.

Señor Vorpal Kickass'o

Do you hate Nintendo because they aren't holding Harmonix's hand or something? Really, can anyone tell me how this is Nintendo's fault?

Sinfjotle

/sigh.

antialias02

*I don't really play, but my GF and many friends like it, so therefore my interest in it.

DaiMacculate

RRRansom

jive238

schtum

They discontinuing the 360 already? But it was doing so well! I mean, I still like it ok and this is my 4th one after 3 failures...;)

@Ryumeka: When and where was this Metroid DLC promised? I'm just curious, because I missed it.

DaiMacculate

I think you're probably right. Hell, I don't even care about DLC and would likely never buy any of it. However, I was hoping rock band's potential for DLC profit would be a big enough incentive to get Nintendo to address the lack of good storage solution for the Wii. I don't need a HD, but we could get a hella better use out of that SD card slot than we're getting now. I fear that if Rock Band is not big enough to motivate them to fix the storage than nothing is.

subnet6

Get a 360 while you can -- even if it's just for this game.

Shanesan

If ONE developer of a top-5 game of last year doesn't even care enough to release a fully-realized game on the BEST SELLING console in the world, I can only assume that this attitude and ethic would apply to all other 3rd party, multi-plat developers.

globones

BassForever

Then why do the ones that have been fixed and sent back keep breaking down?

An oil change can't fix critical hardware flaws.

globones

bling1202

mexfreak86

Ed_209

But it does bring up the whole Wii Internet deal.

Where's my Metroid DLC, Nintendo?
You promised me Metroid DLC...

Ryumeka

Bauske

"Does it work? Yes. Does it have a rating? Yes. Is it going to destroy anyone's hardware? No. Okay, you're certified."

I'm sure there are other steps, but I don't care to list them all for the sake of an example.

Legion329

Hyperfludd

I'm tired of hearing people say "one more incident like this, and I'm trading my system in!"

They don't give a fuck. They don't even give half a fuck. You paid them, you bought their games, they made money off of you. As long as there is another sucker out there, you don't matter. Sorry, boys and girls, we'll have to work together if we want anything to change.

In this case, I'm not so quick to blame Nintendo. We knew what their online track record was like, and we knew what their priorities were. They are making an assload of money without having to deal with online bullshit. Nintendo: 1,000,000,000+, Delusional Gamers: 0.

Legion329

TaggarT6

cybereality

It was simply a matter of time.

Billkwando

I disagree. The first time a Wii Rock Band owner hears a 360/PS3 Rock Band owner talking about a song that the Wii owner really wants to play, but can't b/c it is DLC will be the unfortunate moment when the Wii owner realizes that his version just isn't as good. Sorry, but the ability to expand the library and increase playability selectively (getting only the songs you want instead of buying an expansion pack full of crap with a couple songs you like) means the game is better, IMHO.

Seanchaen

darvos

Hey, if Nintendo themselves is stifling these sorts of transactions, I'd gladly be all for slapping them with standard 'what the fuck's or other griping explicitives. But until someone points directly to something Nintendo has said or done that blocks developers from solving issues with DLC, I can only shake my head at people who have some hard-on to hate Nintendo from the 'hardcore gamer' point of view. Especially, as you said, when there are plenty of other systems out there currently to play on.

The way I see it, developers are lazy about solving 'challenging' issues. Or, their hands are tied by corporates who don't care so much about the end product, but how much that product is consumed.

Ampillion = That Man.

Why blame Nintendo for this and not EA/Harmonix?

I read this as a line from Harmonix that says "Nobody else has gone online with the Wii, so we're not going to."

Honestly, if they offered the DLC, people would find storage for it, it's not like Nintendo told them they couldn't, they just decided not to.

Taramoor

SotoSaki

Like you said, it will still sell, and the vast majority of the people who will buy it wouldn't be able to come up with what the acronym "DLC" stands for given a dozen tries ;)

DaiMacculate

excel_excel

zakky venom

zakky venom

I'm not a doomsayer, I still think Rockband Wii will be a blast and sell like mad, but Sweet Jeebus, what is going on overthere!?

subnet6

DaiMacculate

sevendash

Mokona

Demonbird

But...

It all comes down to whether or not they're adding "hooks" into the game itself to take advantage of DLC later on.

I get the impression that GHIII DOES have functionality built in to use DLC. The issue is how to sell it via a Nintendo channel and get it on the system. And if GHIII can get it done, it doesn't make sense for Rock Band to shoot themselves in the foot for ongoing revenue from Wii owners.

Really, we just have to wait and see what comes to pass in May with the WiiWare titles.

SuppleMonkey

Hyperfludd

Kyle81

Demonbird

dawimp523

But my point still stands that companies have been doing things on themselves for a dogs age

It's only very recently that anybody in the game industry tried centralizing online content devliver, but suddenly 3rd parties get a case of the "retardeds" the moment they need to do something for themselves to make money.

Sony PS2 era had no central online service and that didn't stop 3rd parties from putting out FPS, MMOs or anything else so I don't see why Nintendo needs to be crapped on for providing a central service that just doesn't happen to support large download packs.

If your game profits hinge on something (in this case song packs) that the console maker doesn't specifically provide the onus is on you to provide it if you want to chase that market.

yomachaser

CockroachMan

Roto13

CockroachMan

excel_excel

PowerGloveGamingGod

Bowserfire

Basically, is it the PS2 to Wii port or is it halfway between the PS2 and the Next-Gen?

Whatever, all this means is more Rock Bands forts to be made at all GameStops around the country.

ServiceMaster

teh_joe

@CockroachMan:
They are making a mistake that may very well bite them in the future. I'm a 19 year old gamer and I was myself very excited about the wii and what they could do with it. Unfortunately, 16 months later, I find that my demographic has been left high and dry by Nintendo. They are making the mistake of driving away a huge portion of their established fan base. They aren't really giving us any incentive to support them anymore. We are no longer children. We have grown up, but Nintendo refuses to grow with us. Because of this, they will lose a lot of us to competition which acknowledges and often caters to our desires. We want online play, mature content, and dynamic storytelling in a visually/auditorially astounding presentation, they give it to us. They don't stand in our way because they are too busy clutching on to the past.

Demonbird

StarStabbedMoon

This is exactly why I blame Nintendo. If EA creates its own online network for the game they have to worry about security issues, people sharing songs, etc. I don't really think Nintendo provides any framework for this sort of stuff yet. That's a major issue.

x3sphere

Wreckoner

i wouldnt be suprised to see wii and ps2 expansion disks containing around 30 songs. and of cousre these disks will be $30.

sitsalot

Mrkinator

"My gamertag is KaneRobot."

"My friend code is XK1V-DO5L-99XA-APP7."

Yeah, one of those is a little easier to remember in conversation, and the other one sounds fucking retarded and cumbersome.

KaneRobot

Get with the times Nintendo. Demos/Online interface/DLC - DO IT.

If I don't see some better game on the horizon soon, I might just trade my Wii in.

Klaymen

Anytime a company wants to do something on Wii outside Nintendos online framework it seems like they can so why didn't harmonix just setup a song purchase option from within the game and serve out the songs themselves?

Sometimes I feel like XBL has let devs get a bit lazy because PC gaming has no unified method for matchmaking, downloading extra content or anything and somehow companies managed to get things done so whats changed?

yomachaser

x3sphere

xbulletholes

xbulletholes

But I also do most of my game playing on my PC where I get all the DLC I want for free. It's going to take some serious convincing before I start to get caught up in all the micro transactions that come after already buying a game.

FlashIV

Hauler

CockroachMan

If you noticed, even without 'superior' online, the Wii prints money and moves units like nothing else. And in Nintendo's business' case, if it isn't broken, why fix it?

I still maintain that if you (in general) are that upset about no DLC for the Wii, you probably should have seen this coming, and if it matters THAT much to you, it's probably time to move to a new system.

TalKeaton: A Force to be Reckoned With

"Further upcoming uses for Wii points will be add-on game content and special services, with the cost of maintenance offset by the modest user charges."
[www.gamasutra.com]

This was at the GDC lecture Takashi Aoyama, the Nintendo Network Administration Group Group Manager, held last Feb.

Seg

Any excuse to bash Wii, I guess, but seriously...it's such a scam. This was MTV, they could have included a ton more songs, but now they are trying to squeeze every penny out it releasing them piecemeal (when they should easily be able to afford to pop 50 or 100 more songs on a CD and sell it as a 20 or 30 buck expansion).

I might miss storage space on a Wii sometime next year. I might miss the trash talking open server environment in one or two games (but I doubt it)...frankly, if there's no DLC trying to milk a dollar for every rock band or guitar hero song...I won't miss that?

tincow

x3sphere

No. It couldn't be that EA was fucking lazy and didn't want to waste time actually trying to work within Wiiware or the Wii's limitations to deliver any DLC and instead made the minute changes with their drums and guitars so that they work on the Wii, so they can rake in a lot more cash for very little extra effort. EA, no... the gaming industry as a whole never does anything like that.

Ampillion = That Man.

MidnightScott17

Brawl's use of the "Smash Service" to deliver stages, shows that content can be downloaded from the internet, stored on an SD card, and then loaded and used in-game.

So why not take that system and build off it to implement DLC. A song is downloaded, stored on SD, and then loaded and played as needed. Sure the load time may be a bit, but at least HMX would show they're trying to make it work.

And honestly, what's the difference between a 16 digit friend code and a username? Have something do that behind the scenes!

TRT-X

Nintendo is DEAD LAST in terms of their online community, and so long as they keep rolling in the dough, they could probably care less. Friend Codes? WTF?!

So glad I own a 360 and a PS3 as well as a Wii.

MerlynNY

cametall

Mini_Dragon

TalKeaton: A Force to be Reckoned With

Maybe I'm misunderstanding because all I see in this post is that there isn't any online multiplayer, does that just automatically rule out DLC because Harmonix insists the songs be downloadable in-game? I admit the SD card solution would be a bit intensive for the Wii's target audience, but some method always seems better than no method.

The real key here of course for Harmonix is shipping this thing with as few problems as possible before next Xmas, they want the biggest install base to be able to give them money as well, and damn whatever features like Online, if they would push that release back a few months. I'm not criticizing, just stating that must be their priority.

DaiMacculate

PresDNA

Hey Brian that seems lie a good idea for a post "What are you going to purchase with your Stimulus package George W.Bush Bucks?"

I think I will go to the strip club (Strokers in Atl) and get my package stimulated!...just joking

(hopefully pay down your personal debts)

PresDNA

The Wii has its own particular strengths and weaknesses; online is not one of its strengths. So be glad we get Rock Band at all. If you're that upset, go get another console.

TalKeaton: A Force to be Reckoned With

Seruza

I'd hate to play rock band in 480i anyway.

lonkley

Seruza

TheEngineer

Seruza

I'm a member of that rare species known as Kotaku Reader Whose Only Current-Gen System Is A Wii, and this news burns me to the very fiber of my being. Nintardo may have just driven me to become an Xbox person over this.

destro713

deathsyth8888

Then again I dont care I play it on my 360.

mstngo

qbix

I'm not buying it.

Is that hard to understand? I am so very over Nintendo, your actions are so very clear, and no one is going to choose the butchered ports you force developers to make over the real deal.

This game was the ONLY way to measure development of DLC. It seemed to me that the entire delay was because they were waiting for Wii Ware to launch which would then be their distribution method. Clearly no, so the whole platform is doomed. The promised GH3 DLC for Wii will never arrive either.

There's nothing left for hardcore gamers on Wii. The people who kept Nintendo's name alive during a consistent series of horrible decisions are turning away, and I don't feel bad about it anymore.

Bobby McPresscott

thegreatseal

t0yrobo

nerdtacular

MushroomBoy1022

No real internet framework from nintendo = no pervs using the wii to get at the innocent kids

meltyman

Hion

Clushje

I wholeheartedly agree with you.

Hion

OtherAdam