Disney reveals Ultimate Band

By Robert Purchese Published 28 February, 2008

Guitar Hero-alike for kids.

Disney has whipped the wrappers off a new rhythm-action game called Ultimate Band.

It's aimed at teenagers and younger and should be out on the DS and Wii this autumn.

The concept is remarkably similar to Guitar Hero: you take a rock band from zero to hero replicating the music on-screen by using your controller.

However, there are no peripherals, so you will be using either the stylus or Wiimote to pretend you are playing drums, guitar, or singing.

"Ultimate Band invites kids, tweens and teens to join in the jam session," said Craig Relyea, marketing man at Disney and speaker of lingo that we don't fully understand.

"And whether they choose guitar, drums, bass or front man, members don't need to buy costly, single-function peripherals to play their way through Ultimate Band's deep song list, dynamic venues, and customizable characters.

"The Wii Remote and DS stylus are the only tools they'll need to reach rock stardom in Ultimate Band," he added.

It boasts hit songs spanning back to the 60s, and it seems only the DS version will make use of online play where you can "engage" with friends.

Feast your eyes on it in our Ultimate Band Wii gallery.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (9) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Benno #1 4 years ago

    This will sell.

  • Benno #2 4 years ago

    Music games such as Singstar, Rock Band and Guitar Hero fit into the casual category (imo)

    Rock Band was just a tad too inaccessable for the casual market, with a hefty investment (including other people to play the instruments) to get the most out of the game.

    That, and lackluster marketing sadly hindered the game from being a commercial success imo

  • zozart #3 4 years ago

    How are you going to play front man with the Wiimote......

  • Saladin #4 4 years ago

    @ Benno:

    That's bullshit. Guitar Hero is in no way directed at the casual gaming market. It's not pick-up-and-play, for two reasons 1) it's expensive, requiring an extra controller per player and 2) it's tough. Casual gamers are never going to enjoy putting hour after hour into learning note sequences for solos, never mind developing the muscle memory required to be able to hit the right fret while moving their fingers across the neck every time.

    It's not a casual game, never has been a casual game, and probably never will be a casual game.

  • Benno #5 4 years ago

    chill out

  • Benno #6 4 years ago

    most of my friends in real life aren't gamers, the only games that my friends play (both male and female) are guitar hero and singstar

    same goes for many people i dont know so well, this is why i assume it counts for the mass market

    not saying theres room for people to go hardcore with it, but i still feel that guitar hero and singstars commercial success is due to the casual market

  • skillian #7 4 years ago

    Guitar Hero is a casual game in the sense that it's the sort of game your mate's girlfriend might try if it was switched on at a party. Being tough to score highly on difficult songs doesn't change that - by their nature, casual gamers probably aren't bothered about beating top scores or completing the game.

  • riz23 #8 4 years ago

    Can't see this working as it is missing two key ingredients that make Guitar Hero/Rock Band/Sing Star so successful. They are a) Cool periperhals that remove the stigma of a conventional game controller and make you feel like you're a rock star; and b) Alcohol, the social lubricant that binds game sessions together.

    On second thoughts most of Britains youth are pissed up on Cider, Barcadi Breezers and WKD 24/7 so maybe it is just the first point that is holding this back.

  • Speedwolf #9 2 years ago

    6 quid on ebuyer now. Still not interested.