Disney creates Ultimate Band

Mickey Mouse makers announce new rhythm-based rockin' game for the Nintendo Wii and DS.

These days it seems everyone wants to be a rock star, and the success of Rock Band as well as franchises such as Guitar Hero and SingStar would seem to prove it.

Now Disney Interactive Studios has also thrown its hat into the rhythm-based game ring by announcing Ultimate Band this holiday season for the Nintendo Wii and DS.

Disney believes that the big selling point of Ultimate Band will be that it won't require any extra peripherals to play. The game will instead rely solely on the Wii Remote and DS stylus.

No specific bands or songs have been announced for the game, but Disney promises enigmatically that there will be hits from "some of the biggest names in rock, alternative, popular, emo, and indie rock music" from the 1960s to the charts today.

Ultimate Band is being developed by Fall Line Studio, which Disney set up in November 2006 to focus on Nintendo platforms. Ultimate Band is the Salt Lake City-based shop's first project.

The DS and Wii versions of Ultimate Band will have a different focus. In the Wii version, gamers will customize a rock star (lead singer, bass guitarist, lead guitarist, or drummer) and then play through his or her career, starting from gigs in a garage to international stadiums. On the DS, the game will feature a recording-studio section built into the game, which will let players create their own tunes.

Ultimate Band is due out in the US this holiday season, and is anticipated to be rated E10+ by the ESRB.

81 Comments

  • BROCK349

    Posted Aug 30, 2009 6:26 pm PT

    stuff this game another rip off good one disney ......NOT!

  • kaito234

    Posted Jul 19, 2008 11:34 am PT

    great just what we need,a rip off of rock band with crappy disney songs.i personaly think this what thought up by the stupid jonASS brothers and miley slut cyrus fangirls.

  • zoe256

    Posted Mar 3, 2008 7:38 am PT

    I'm confused...do you use the Wiimote as a tiny little guitar?!

  • psycomantis_32

    Posted Mar 1, 2008 8:34 pm PT

    i cant wait to rock out to the Little Mermaid theme!

  • Grinder86

    Posted Mar 1, 2008 6:42 am PT

    Haha marijuana_man2 i can really see them putting hannah montana @#&% in this game

  • marijuana_man2

    Posted Feb 29, 2008 9:09 pm PT

    Great, a rhythem game for five-year olds... Bet everyone here $50 bucks that No-Talented cashcow "Hannah Montana" is going to be in it...

  • king_bobo

    Posted Feb 29, 2008 10:33 am PT

    I know that everyone seems to find the fact that Disney is copying a successful idea annoying, but at least it won't (or shouldn't) come with a large price tag. If it's for the Wii, let's hope that the controls are good and that it does actually 'simulate' the playing of the game. If it does, let's hope that it has multiplayer, in which case it may turn out to not be that bad.

  • raverrozza

    Posted Feb 29, 2008 9:58 am PT

    why would you get this over guitar hero or rock band?? surely the majority of the fun in those titles is the peripherals!!!! WOW LOOK IM PLAYING A GUITAR!!! ok now lets remove the guitar and u got a boring game!!

    and about mtv music generator u may just download a spot of reason or something and make something proper.
    thats like having silent scope without the sniper rifle peripheral. without it its rubbish!

  • devotedgmr17

    Posted Feb 29, 2008 9:55 am PT

    um cause perhaps not all music rhythm games should have nothing but classic rock and alternative and SHOULD expand their repertoire to genres such as emo or indie, because then it will be more accessible for more people....idiots....

  • xgalacticax

    Posted Feb 29, 2008 5:40 am PT

    Lol, I can see the Emo love in this place

  • Narroo

    Posted Feb 29, 2008 3:51 am PT

    Emo bands? Why would they have that?

  • Skreb-Masters

    Posted Feb 28, 2008 2:57 pm PT

    By the time this comes out, I'll still be occupied by Rock Band and Guitar Hero to care.

  • GcuK

    Posted Feb 28, 2008 9:57 am PT

    Hvac0120 - I also loved MTV Music Generator 2. Absolutely brilliant music creation game.

    I am actually surprised that there hasn't been a revival of the music generator game genre since the success of your Guitar Heroes and your Rock Bands and the like.

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Feb 28, 2008 8:34 am PT

    MTV Music Generator 2 - The best music creator console game so far.

    I just want someone to come out with something similar to this, but with better and more crisp sounds to work with. It doesn't seem like MTV games or Codemasters is going to be releasing another one of these any time soon. Especially after the horrible MTVMG3 that released of few years ago.

  • Arclight_Blue

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 8:54 pm PT

    oh why why must we suffer from this, isnt it enough that we have a new hannah montana or high school musical game for every five minutes

  • roll450

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 8:14 pm PT

    Oh wow disney is making a profit out of all the popular stuff like how they rip people off of playing Pirates online every where you go you have to pay except in one town.

  • InvaderDemonLeo

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 7:33 pm PT

    This is so cool! I played this game a few months ago in a focus group and I have to say they had some AMAZING ideas. For instance, the drums obviously are just up and down but for symbols, you go out to the side. For the guitar and bass you "strum" by moving the nunchuck and move the controller up and down just like its a guitar neck. It's amazing and the controls are so tight, even though i played it six months ago! Also, the music i saw them play ranged from Incubus's Anna Molly to some Fall Out Boy crap to The Rolling Stones. Looked really fun but the art style was AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It looked just like the Wii's version of Sims

  • drogaz

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 6:56 pm PT

    Actually sounds pretty decent to me. Might check it out if it gets good reviews. The emo thing doesn't scare me away either. I actually happen to think some emo music is pretty cool.

  • SHACKR

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 5:42 pm PT

    Yeah, we need another third party rythmn game (*rolls eyes)

  • X-RS

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 5:17 pm PT

    cant wait till everybody gets sick of this rythm game fad....

  • bertm1975

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 5:04 pm PT

    Ahh Disney...willing to rip off anything thats popular and fail at it. They failed at the MMORPG with Pirates and so far haven't come out with any good games from their gaming studio. Now they're ripping off Guitar Hero and Rock Band and missing the point of the fun in it.

  • frogiggy323

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 4:59 pm PT

    What the heck do they mean "The selling point for the game is doesn't need peripherals?"

    The best past about Rock Band and guitar Hero are the periferals, the guitar controllers and drum sets give you the feeling that you're in a band and are there to rock, not just to play a game. Whatever, this just sounds like another weird knock off to me.

  • gnbfd

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 3:00 pm PT

    emo=bad for this game

  • nintendoboy16

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 2:48 pm PT

    I'm not calling it a rip off of Guitar Hero or Rock Band or anything, but it dosen't sound like Disney to me. (It's also being made in the state county where I live)

  • srdjan311

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 2:38 pm PT

    wtff emo

  • Lord_Artix

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 2:37 pm PT

    And there's the problem of having a real hit in the video game world, and hell, in any market. Find a gold mine, and everyone else wants a piece of the pie.

  • icarus212001

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 2:11 pm PT

    emo? i'm out...not that i was in in the first place

  • black_ice23

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 2:08 pm PT

    well i didnt see anythign with their characters being in there so maybe theres hope maybe its disney making a singstar or a guitar hero and u simulate the guitar actions with wiimote

  • KingSigy

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 2:08 pm PT

    It's probably going to be like Band Mashups, or something where you conduct the people playing instruments. Count me out.

  • upsh1ft

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 1:32 pm PT

    @ xblane

    since none of their shows or movies have any adult value, pirates of the caribeen included

  • xblane

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 1:30 pm PT

    Who said Disney only make stuff for kids?

  • upsh1ft

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 1:14 pm PT

    @sweet1234

    if you read the article you would realise that most of the music genres in the game arent appropriate for disney aged kids.

    I dont know about you but i wouldn't like having my kids listen to emo, im not saying emo is bad, its just not appropriate for young kids.

  • willripyouanew1

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 1:12 pm PT

    I'd like to see a Disney's edition of Manhunt the could call it Mousehunt, and have psycho Donald Duck
    chase Mickey and chop its freaking head off.. now that's something I could get in to.

  • sweet1234

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 1:01 pm PT

    jakob_187 yea sure but its only fair if little kids get a good music game... I guess unless you want your kids to go outside.

  • starfoxmcleoud

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 1:01 pm PT

    WTF!!! Does anyone remember Konami's GuitarFreaks and Drummania? Red Octane originally made guitar, drum, and dancemat controllers for these two games and Dance Dance Revolution (and they also made five and seven button turntables for Beatmania & Beatmania IDX). They thought to themselves, "Hey! Let's bring GuitarFreaks to the states, but with our own American flare". Thus, bringing Guitar Hero with a mini Fender guitar that has five buttons instead of three, American songs instead of American and J-Pop, a completely different UI, and completely different look and feel. Sorry guitar wannabees, but guitar game roots go much farther back than you think. And of course GameSpot wouldn't say anything because....it didn't catch on much here with everyone!

  • billysea

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 1:00 pm PT

    The 7th music games on the Wii this year:

    Major Minor Majestic March (Parapper the Rapper creator)
    Rock Band
    Guitar Hero IV
    Battle of the Bands
    Samba de Amigo
    Wii Music
    Ultimate Band

    Most of them show promise though.

  • Fox-sama

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:54 pm PT

    Lol Wut?

  • superdance14

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:52 pm PT

    More music games?
    Great...

  • jakob_187

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:51 pm PT

    Great......................now we gotta deal with Hannah Montana band-wannabes?

  • zaphod_b

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:45 pm PT

    upsh1ft,

    too true, I shouldn't include RB in that. GH is the real culprit; minor upgrades masquerading as new games... I missed the E10+ part, that sucks, but my point is more that the concept is good and I wish that Activision would take that approach to their next game.

  • upsh1ft

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:41 pm PT

    @ zaphod_b

    Rock Band focuses more on optional downloadable content then having a sequel every 6 months. So its not so bad.

    and

    "Ultimate Band is due out in the US this holiday season, and is anticipated to be rated E10+ by the ESRB." Can anyone say "mass cencorship"

  • upsh1ft

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:30 pm PT

    @Bardkieran

    I dare you to try to write the lyrics of that one. The people at 4 chan would love you lol.

  • zaphod_b

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:28 pm PT

    The concept could be good if they don't overly Disney-fy it. Playing through a career and creating your own tunes are nice touches, and is where GH and RB SHOULD be going instead of creating whole new games that are little more than a new playlist.

  • karnij

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:24 pm PT

    relying solely on the wii remote and ds stylus?

    stupid.

  • bardkieran

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:22 pm PT

    I dunno. A Mickey Mouse version of Wait and Bleed by Slipknot could be humorous.

  • reddevild

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:17 pm PT

    @ghost867: no we really arent ecstatic about this, b/c we want rock band, not some cheap disney knock-off

  • CamisadoBlue

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:17 pm PT

    let's all get ready for some mega epic fail.

  • ghost867

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:13 pm PT

    I'm sure you Wii fans are estatic about this. Just so glad you bought one right?

    What's that? You're still waiting for Brawl and Mario Kart? Yea, I know, they're coming, be patient....

  • morgonstjarnan

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 12:08 pm PT

    How...... original. >.>

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