1UP writes: "The back of Ultimate Band's box proclaims, "You don't need instruments to rock," but I beg to differ -- Wii Remotes and Nunchuks are certainly not made for rocking. Where cornerstone music series like Rock Band and Guitar Hero draw players into the music by coupling plastic instruments with acutely crafted note-tracking, Ultimate Band surmises that posing and cheerleading are adequate substitutes.
Ultimate Band hits the road with four openings in its stage lineup. Bass, lead guitar, drums, and "vocals" fill out the band, but aspiring divas beware: It substitutes rhythm-based gestures and posturing for actual singing. Each piece utilizes the Wiimote and Nunchuk as air-guitar/drums or vocal stand-ins, with little accuracy needed to play the part. Drums are the only instrument that feels natural -- using the remote and Nunchuk as drumsticks is pretty straightforward -- but the input's so generalized that you don't have to play along anywhere close to the beat."
MyWii writes: "One would think that after the success of music games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, a new entry into the genre that didn't include some sort of instrument peripheral probably wouldn't be all that good. After all, we've seen the genre evolve from PaRappa the Rappa and early Beatmania titles in Japan, with most rhythm-based music games nowadays including an add-on so as to create a realistic music-creating experience. When it was announced that Ultimate Band would use only what came with the Wii console, gamers couldn't help but be skeptical – a guitar game with no guitar? A band game with no microphone or mock drums? How exactly would that work? "
GamersInfo writes: "As human beings, we like music. Actually, that's a bit of an understatement. We LOVE IT. No matter what a naysayer might say (like Steven Pinker who calls it "noise"), we spend hours of our lives listening to it. How many times has a bad soundtrack decreased the sensation of something great? How many times has an awesome soundtrack feel like its icing on a cake? Don't believe me? Go read Oliver Sacks' Musicophilia. Anyway, rhythm games need a strong soundtrack (and rhythm, of course), or part of the fun falls to the side. I got my hands on Ultimate Band, a rhythm game for the Nintendo DS. It may not live up to its namesake, but it's a solid game nevertheless."
GamesWeasel writes: "Although it's certainly not as fun as playing actual instrument peripherals, it's certainly an option if you or your kids fancy a rhythm game but don't want to hire a roadie to look after all your plastic guitars, microphones and drum kits".
