Wii's Guitar Hero III not down with surround sound?

We don't know who thought it'd be smart to mess with the gods of rock, but choosing not to include surround sound support for Guitar Hero III just doesn't sound like an intelligent move. Nevertheless, a assemblage of Wii gamers are reporting that the game is outputting audio in mono, despite the packaging advertising that Dolby Pro Logic II is supported. We've even seen users with Pro Logic II-capable decoders explain that while other Wii titles sound fine, GHIII in particular refuses to cooperate. Supposedly, Activision is busy looking into the problem, but there doesn't seem to be a definitive time frame for when we can expect a fix. So, any of you shredders out there experiencing something similar, or have we only heard one channel, er, side of the story?

[Via Joystiq]

[booticon @ Nov 13th 2007 10:27AM]

*Mono*? How the hell did this get past the testing phase?

[Arthur Nonamiss @ Nov 13th 2007 10:36AM]

Because most people wouldn't notice it, unless they were listening for it.

Not saying it's not a big deal, but it's just not something that jumps out at you. How else can you explain the fact that GHIII has been out for over 2 weeks without anyone noticing?

[Karen @ Nov 13th 2007 10:45AM]

It's not only testing but how reviewers of this game didn't notice this.

[booticon @ Nov 13th 2007 11:08AM]

Arthur, while I understand a lot of consumers wouldn't notice it, I'm talking about testers. When it comes to a game where music plays a big role, you'd think that's something they *would* be listening for.

[LimboMan @ Nov 13th 2007 11:16AM]

There are some comments about how purchasers of the game didn't notice. On the contrary, reports started appearing soon after the release of the game for Wii (not sure about others) on both the official forums and others like it. At this point I'm thinking about returning it while I still can until a fix is released. As I have multiple consoles, this lack of surround as advertised may have swayed my decision to buy this version over others.

[Dick Rivett @ Nov 13th 2007 10:34AM]

I bought it for the wii and I regret it. It sounds like crap and when star power is activated it sounds like you are playing through a tin can. They ruined the game for the wii.

[lowbot @ Nov 13th 2007 11:56AM]

This is because the game puts all the audio through a reverb filter when star power is on. I think its a very nice touch that adds to the game.

As far as surroudn sounds goes, err who exactly is going to mix the surround sound? The band? THe producers? The game developers? Some third-party with a tin-ear? What track goes in what channel? Considering rock music is mixed for stereo I think people are being very demanding asking the music to suddenly be surround. Thats like watching reruns from the 70s and demanding they magically be HD.

I think the game producers erred on the side of caution and mixed what they had so it sounds good in a game format and not wasting 3 months and 3 millions dollars hiring some audio producers to re-mix everything. Heck, Ive heard so many bad remasters and re-mixes its great they just went for a simple sound that sounds good on pretty much any audio platform.

[Alexander @ Nov 13th 2007 12:52PM]

@lowbot: Actually, the tracks have the vocals seperated out from the music. So they already re-recorded it, or at least had to have access to the tracks.

To be honest, I haven't noticed this--then again, I was too busy cranking it up to 11 to care. Rock sounds good even in Mono.

[JLynx @ Nov 13th 2007 10:43PM]

I know... but mono? At least kick it with stereo. What is it the 1930s?

[Bob @ Nov 13th 2007 10:37AM]

Welcome to two days ago. I own the Xbox 360 version, and it sounds great. However, I feel sorry for Wii owners, and I'd expect nothing less than a quick fix or a refund from Activision.

[Chris @ Nov 13th 2007 10:44AM]

@ Arthur...

How do you NOT notice it running in mono? I noticed there was something screwy with the audio when I first started the game.

Activision better get this fixed. There is no reason for this flaw to have made it out.

[Mike @ Nov 13th 2007 11:42AM]

What you consider a flaw, I consider a necessary feature. All games/consoles/PMPs should offer mono output. Why? For those that only use one ear when jogging/running/biking, etc. Alternatively, it would also be a useful feature to people like me, who can only hear in one ear.

[Ghen @ Nov 13th 2007 12:08PM]

you play your wii with only one ear?

[John Laur @ Nov 13th 2007 1:17PM]

GHIII/Wii does have a Mono/Stereo setting in the Options menu (that doesnt work) as do most other games.

Anyway getting mono sound from anything is pretty easy. If you really want mono you can set your receiver or TV to mono which usually does a mixdown anyway. There are plenty of cheap receivers that can mix everything including DD/DTS into Mono and send it out over the center channel if that is your thing (I think on my Yamaha is's a mode especially for old mono movies or something) but on other receivers you just go into the speaker setup and tell them you only have a center (or mabye a center/sub) and it will do the mix into 1.0 or 1.1.

[pjnofrills @ Nov 13th 2007 1:05PM]

@Mike
You play Guitar Hero while jogging?

[Mike @ Nov 13th 2007 1:09PM]

I interact with the Wii by using my hands, not my ears. However, I am deaf (completely, stone cold deaf) in one ear, so I actually prefer mono for everything. Especially when using headphones.

[Mike @ Nov 13th 2007 1:11PM]

@ pjnofrills

What is wrong with you people? I state that it would be nice for consoles and PMPs to offer mono output as an option for people like me, who happen to have a hearing disability that I was born with (and thus, have no control over) and you mock me?

Real classy.

[pjnofrills @ Nov 13th 2007 4:46PM]

@Mike

I'm not "mocking" you because you have a hearing disability, but because you form awkward sentences. The way you worded your post, I had a mental picture of you playing that tiny GH wii-tar on a mountain bike.
Not to be rude, but have you tried getting a stereo to mono adapter for your headphones?

[Ryan @ Nov 13th 2007 10:58AM]

I have had a similar problem. Every time I use the whammy bar, my surround reciever sends that choppy signal to my surround speakers. Sounds terrible. I couldnt figure out what was going on. Who puts out a game in mono, honestly.

[Steven @ Nov 13th 2007 11:01AM]

What's worse than mono is that GameStop informed me that a second guitar controller for the Wii won't be available until FEBRUARY. WTF????
You've got to be kidding me. You suck, Activision.

[Allan @ Nov 13th 2007 11:24AM]

That's my biggest complaint... I haven't noticed the sound problem too much b/c it's just directly connected to a crappy TV at the moment. But the extra guitar thing is just plain BS. How is it even possible to not prepare by making extras before launch??

[Monu @ Nov 13th 2007 11:24AM]

Although I usually ignore posts by kids that use LOL, WTF or PWNED, I must admit that your statement about Activision sucking is correct.

You suck Activision. Thats whats everybody was expecting. You bought the franchise to drive it into the ground and get the most money out of it while doing that. You suck. Suck.

[Tom Boucher @ Nov 14th 2007 9:43AM]

this is what pisses me off about the game in general the most. What the fuck, I mean no coop play at all in person? you gotta play over the internet, oh yeah, other bitch, with only the same game system. WTF? It'd been easy to implement something that would let xbox players play against wii players or whatever.

[raptorspike @ Nov 13th 2007 11:05AM]

What a surprise! Someone putting out a sub-par game for Nintendo. We've been having this problem since Gamecube came out. When will companies learn that just because the system doesn't have a 3.2Ghz SUPERTRON Processor doesn't mean you can't make a good looking and sounding game.

[byran @ Nov 13th 2007 11:09AM]

I noticed that the game didn't sound very good when the star power was activated and later on during online multiplayer sessions. It wasn't until I hit a digg link the other day that made me realize that the game was in mono, and not stereo. It's sad that I had to have someone else tell me though- I've good a fancy little Denon receiver that shows me what type of sound is coming in and what sound is going out. Even with all the bad sound coming from the game, I didn't even look- I truly just thought the bug was a feature.

[steedums @ Nov 13th 2007 11:10AM]

I had to put my receiver on 5 channel stereo to get sound out of anything other than my center, but it sounds like crap. So yes, the game is dolby prologic 2, but it is encoded so all the sound goes to the center channel. Reading the manual, it says there supposed to be a mono/stereo setting on the audio options menu, but there isn't one in the game. I guess they ran out of time and just defaulted it to mono? :-(

[J Zulkeski @ Nov 13th 2007 11:11AM]

This is a sub-par game all around. On HD TV's it's impossible for (some) to sync, and thus even PLAY. I'm one of those. GH 1 - 80's works great for me. This? Totally horrible.

[polho22 @ Nov 13th 2007 11:19AM]

Never could get surround sound out of the game even after playing around with all the settings on the A/V receiver. Now I know why...

[Frank @ Nov 13th 2007 11:22AM]

What sucks is the Wii. I bought the Wii the weekend it came out, and I now regret it. People, save your money for the PS3 or the XBOX360. Wii has fallen short on everything... Terrible graphics and poor quality games. It does not surprise me that the Wii version of Guitar Hero is worse than the PS2 version.

[macegr @ Nov 13th 2007 11:29AM]

I've been playing it on the Wii, and it sounds great in addition to being just plain FUN, which is the point of the game. If you want perfect sound reproduction maybe you should be playing a CD instead of a game.

[Jeff @ Nov 13th 2007 11:39AM]

macegr:

The point is, I'm sure it's just as fun on the PS3 and Xbox 360... while not being in mono.

Nintendo fans have a thing for thinking they've got some sort of monopoly on fun, even when we're talking about the same exact game.

[GregA @ Nov 13th 2007 1:20PM]

Why are people modding frank down??? If you have a wii sitting right next to a 360 (I don't know about a ps3 though) you are gonna play the 360 EVERY TIME. The wii's controller is fun for like 15 minutes... Then you notice in general it doesnt really work that good(and eats more batteries than 360 a feat I didnt think possible).

Are wii fanboys becoming like Apple fanboys? Insecure and hostile?

[Frank @ Nov 13th 2007 2:00PM]

I hope you are kidding. The CD was invented 20 years ago. You would think that a "next-generation" game system in 2007 could produce sound just as good. STOP defending the Wii and call it a day. The Wii fanboys need to get off the gadget sites and just hang out in kiddie gaming sites. The Wii is a money making machine for Nintendo. The games are getting rushed out of the factories so that the Wiifanboys can dish out $50 a piece.

[JB87 @ Nov 13th 2007 3:49PM]

This has nothing to do with the Wii's hardware, AT ALL. This is 3rd-party developers being lazy idiots.

[Frank @ Nov 13th 2007 3:59PM]

What's "FUN" about paying $50 for a basic game that should cost $15? If we are getting last generation games, then we should be paying last generation prices. ie: PS2 prices.

[Erik McGowan @ Nov 13th 2007 11:38AM]

Forget about surround, how about the fact that you have to wait until FEBRUARY to get an extra controller for the dang thing? Sheesh...

[Fruition @ Nov 13th 2007 11:42AM]

"Nevertheless, a assemblage of Wii gamers..."

Can I writes far Engadget to?

[Microsoft Zune @ Nov 13th 2007 11:43AM]

BUAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Ztupid Wii ounerz, wake upz your konsole dows not zupport stereeo sound.

Tatz whi PS3 is eatin yur ARSE as well as XboXXX ARSE.

Jajaajajaaaaaa!!!!

[Dan @ Nov 13th 2007 12:00PM]

PS3 must be good! "Microsoft Zune" has spent so much time on his, he's forgot how to speak English!

[josh.smith84 @ Nov 13th 2007 11:44AM]

Definitely in mono. It's not the biggest issue ever, but it's definitely annoying, especially in star power.

[Loban @ Nov 13th 2007 12:02PM]

My friend brought over his copy of GH3 and I noticed it right away on my Wii. Absolutely no sound from the rear channels. The whole game in general sounds like crap. I will definitely be getting it for the Xbox 360, GH2 for the 360 sounds AMAZING in surround. You can hear the band from the front channels, and the crowd in the rear channels.

[Daniel @ Nov 13th 2007 1:15PM]

i've yet to go to a concert where the crowd stands behind the band.

[Loban @ Nov 13th 2007 1:58PM]

Well considering your viewpoint in the game (band in front of you, crowd sort of behind) it makes sense. If the in-game camera were situated in such a way that it was first person (you saw through the eyes of your rocker), then hearing the crowd through the front channels would make sense. Audio in games should always be situated with respect to the camera, not your character. Think of any third person game you play where you have independent control of the camera (Splinter Cell). The audio sources will rotate around you as you rotate the camera. The sound is with respect to the camera, not your on-screen character.

[holycow @ Nov 13th 2007 12:06PM]

Rank me low or whatever.. but put one up from Xbox360 and PS3/2

[Speedmonkay @ Nov 13th 2007 12:14PM]

Yeah I just wanted to chime in and say I've noticed this problem as well. Turned on GH3 on my wii and had my speaker system set to surround and I'm missing sound out of half the speakers. Switch it to stereo and it is fine. Now I don't have mono sound like some people are complaining about. In guitar battles, left player is louder on the left and right player is louder on right, so at least something is right. How would they fix this though ? Have an optional recall where you send it in and they send out a fixed version of the game ??

[APOLAUF @ Nov 13th 2007 12:20PM]

I'm getting center-channel sound with surround in only a few very select portions, mostly the intro scenes. The only other indication of even stereo sound is the "lightning" sound effect coming from the left channel when you accumulate sufficient "star power" points.

[TimmyKToo @ Nov 13th 2007 12:37PM]

After playing GH2/3 on a friends X360 I ended up buying GH3 for my Wii. Using the sound from the TV only I haven't noticed anything lacking while playing the game. It is a lot of fun. Though the star power "reverb" sounds weird.

Having heard about the delay in shipping the add-on guitar I just bought two copies of GH3. Not sure how much extra it cost me but having two guitars is fun and I didn't want to wait 3 months or more.

The sound issue I can live with.
The addon guitar issue I solved by buying two copies.

What I REALLY would like for the Wii is more songs or GH2. Sadly I'm not aware if those will happen.

[bavarder13 @ Nov 24th 2007 10:29PM]

I concur...mine sounds fine, definitely in stereo, but not surround....but who cares? I'd rather watch than play, anyway...

to the rest of you wii-bashers....I think most of you are too young to remember what mono is...just because all 12 of your speakers don't make different noises doesn't make it mono, it makes it stereo. If your surround system can't process a stereo signal, then maybe it is a piece of crap... maybe some of you who have such a keen sense of hearing should pick up a real guitar and learn to play it LIVE.... bunch of spoiled american kids....

[Patrick @ Nov 13th 2007 1:39PM]

Honestly, I don't care. I'd call myself picky about audio, but not when I'm playing GH. I didn't notice until reading this (actually, since I haven't been home, I still haven't "noticed"), so what's the big deal?

That said, I certainly wouldn't MIND a fix, hopefully downloadable with more songs...

And all this Wii bashing... it really seems like "hardcore" gamers are just upset about grandma and grandpa being able to enjoy something they once considered their terrain. And since I have the videogame skills of grandma and grandpa but still found Zelda incredibly engrossing... eh. F 'em.

[Loban @ Nov 13th 2007 2:03PM]

Patrick, audio is very important to most gamers, especially considering this is a Musical Game. I would be very upset if Surround Sound did not exist in Metroid Prime 3 or even Super Mario Galaxy. It's true GH is a much simpler game and surround sound doesn't really improve the immersion factor as much as a FPS, but considering this is a game based solely on really good music, it's disappointing surround sound is not working. Play the game on the Xbox 360 and you'll appreciate what surround sound can do for it. I love the Wii, but it's rather ridiculous that in a music game, the audio is lacking.