We haven't known much about "Rock Band 2" for Wii, except that Harmonix kept promising it would be feature-complete, unlike the original "Rock Band."
MTV Multiplayer went hands-on with the Wii version earlier this week in San Francisco, and afterwards, two Harmonix representatives answered all of our questions.
Will Wii's weekly downloadable content be the same as other platforms? Can you export songs from the original "Rock Band"? Will there be full albums? What about friend codes?
The answers to all these mysteries -- and more -- are here.
"Rock Band 2" owners get to export their "Rock Band" songs for a small fee. As a Wii owner, can I do that, too?
Nope. That feature was added post-release as a patch on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Nintendo doesn't allow patches, which means that functionality can't be added to "Rock Band." Maybe next time, but don't count on it.
Grr, okay. Fine. How is Harmonix handling downloadable content on Wii?
It will follow the same weekly release pattern as seen on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. After the Wii version launches, the releases will be the same on all three platforms. The only difference is Wii owners can't buy song bundles.
Wait, no song bundles?! Why not? Does that mean we're not getting full albums, too?
Slow down, buddy. The reason Harmonix isn't producing song packs for "Rock Band 2" on Wii is because of how Nintendo handles content on their store. Nintendo doesn't allow multiple versions of the same content, so everything will be sold as singles -- including full albums. Essentially, Wii owners will miss out on bundled song savings. This could change if Nintendo's policy does.
Okay, phew. That makes me feel better. But how am I going to buy the songs?
You'll purchase them through the in-game store featured in the other versions of "Rock Band 2." The only difference is that Nintendo won't allow Harmonix to funnel Wii Points transactions through "Rock Band 2." You need to purchase Wii Points outside of "Rock Band 2" first. The in-game store will recognize those.
That sounds reasonable. Here's a trickier question: "Rock Band" on Wii didn't have downloadable songs. Will Harmonix have that back catalog at launch?
No. However, Harmonix wants entire "Rock Band" downloadable content back catalog online for Wii users. At launch, Harmonix will release 30 "fan favorite" downloadable songs. Harmonix wasn't able to point out specific songs just yet. From there on out, Harmonix will be releasing the regularly scheduled weekly music, as well as slowly filling up the Wii's missing songs.
Let's say I decide to start stocking up on all these downloadable songs. My Wii is going to fill up pretty fast. What do I do when the internal memory is full?
Good question. "Rock Band 2" on Wii supports streaming from an SD card. When a Wii's internal memory fills up, "Rock Band 2" looks for a SD card to download songs to. All of the songs can stream off the card, so there's no fretting over what is or isn't actually filling your Wii's limited memory space.
Harmonix really seems to have it together with this version. Did they find a way to get around Nintendo's confusing Friend Codes system for multiplayer?
Sadly not. Friend Codes are a Nintendo requirement. You can't get around that.
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If you have any other questions about "Rock Band 2" for Wii, feel free to pitch them in the comments system.
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