Rock Band's drum kit for Wii tested, actually a bit different

Oh, hey, is that the Wii Rock Band drum kit? On shag, you say? And wireless with the included dongle? Say, is that all white plastic? Well, it turns out this kit has basically the same feeling as its other-platform counterparts, with the exception of some softer drum pads and a strengthened kick pedal. Sold, Harmonix, sold.

[naz @ Jun 7th 2008 7:36AM]

got to get one

[Flashpoint @ Jun 7th 2008 9:40AM]

FINALLY A GAME WORTH BUYING WII FOR...

A game without "Mario", "Zelda" or "Metroid" in the title.


I hear Wii is also getting Grand Theft Auto 4 as well as
CRYSIS: Very High settings Edition.

[Ghen @ Jun 7th 2008 9:41AM]

flashpoint, you almost got me =)

[Mike @ Jun 7th 2008 9:43AM]

They just need a game with kirby :(

[Flashpoint @ Jun 7th 2008 9:52AM]

Finally, a game to buy Wii for.
a Game without "Mario", "Zelda" or "Metroid" in its title.

I hear Wii is suppossed to be getting GTA4 and CRYSIS: very High Edition.

[naz @ Jun 7th 2008 10:01AM]

Flashpoint you've repeated yourself

[joe @ Jun 7th 2008 2:29PM]

So should someone who bought Guitar Hero 3 wait for the next Guitar Hero to get the drum setup or just go with the Rock Band?

Idea is to keep the clutter with all the BS controllers to a minimum.

[rlynd3 @ Jun 7th 2008 3:08PM]

SWEET!!!!

Why didn't they just use the wii mote for connectivity like the guitar and other peripherals? Would certainly make for a cleaner look with no dongles.

[schmitty338 @ Jun 7th 2008 3:53PM]

@rlynd3

...most likely to allow for somebody with only 2 controllers to play with two guitars AND the drums in a group...

[craig#2 @ Jun 8th 2008 5:51AM]

FINALLY A GAME WORTH BUYING WII FOR...

A game without "Mario", "Zelda" or "Metroid" in the title.


I hear Wii is also getting Grand Theft Auto 4 as well as
CRYSIS: Very High settings Edition.

[Ray @ Jun 9th 2008 2:03PM]

Don't buy this. No online.

[hurricane @ Jun 11th 2008 2:25AM]

@ Paul

All "Special Edition" means is that it comes with the guitar, drums, and mic (with a chance of USB hub).

I was confused by this wording originally, thinking that "Special Edition" means that something was special about this edition that the other edition didn't have. How silly of me lulz

[Bobs @ Jun 7th 2008 7:49AM]

Ryan, is that your carpet? Groovy

[Rakar @ Jun 7th 2008 8:30AM]

Ryan works for IGN now, I guess.

[FrankTheCrank @ Jun 7th 2008 8:49AM]

Seriously, that rug is shag-a-licious...

Shall we shag now, or shall we shag later! (cue Austin Powers music)

[ZaxCG2 @ Jun 7th 2008 10:48AM]

Like zoinks! Thats a pretty groovy looking drum kit there, Scoob!

"REEHEHEHHEHEHE!"

[Jevanzz @ Jun 7th 2008 7:54AM]

Now, if they can get it out in Europe...

[fistpittingnork @ Jun 7th 2008 8:20AM]

Swank rug!

[Ethan @ Jun 7th 2008 8:31AM]

In white it looks a bit olympian. Minus the black ring and in the wrong order, obviously.

[Alexander @ Jun 7th 2008 8:44AM]

So the Wii version is better than the 360 version then? Becuase I hate dragging the hubs out for the drumkit in 360.

Nice. Simply, nice.

[Ghen @ Jun 7th 2008 9:43AM]

Correction, the Wii DRUMS are better and probably don't work with your 360... The Wii GAME is going to be a crappy money grubbing port from the ps2 even though the wii can handle all the online capabilities of the other 2 consoles.

[Usagimaru @ Jun 7th 2008 9:48AM]

I think having DLC makes the 360/PS3 versions better than the Wii one. And even if they do start letting you download songs, you still only have 512MB for storage.

[dom.rout @ Jun 7th 2008 11:34AM]

What are you talking about? The nintendo Wii takes SD cards...

[SKI @ Jun 8th 2008 10:37AM]

Go with GH4, DLC+better drums=better then this crappy money grab.

[Matt @ Jun 7th 2008 9:10AM]

I'm glad that they decided to fix some of the more major issues with the drums, but a little pissed that I don't have the updated version for my PS3. Softer pads would be great provided that they actually reduce the noise. Also, I broke my kick pedal once and I get the feeling that twice isn't far off. The wireless part is nice, but I don't think it would be worth it to have to worry about batteries. The drum kit sits there in pretty much one spot anyway. I never feel like the wire is in the way.

My upcoming struggle will be whether or not to get GH: World Tour when it's released. Those drums have been calling my name since I first saw them but I don't want to support the franchise that brought us the PS3 guitar fiasco.

[erm87 @ Jun 7th 2008 9:12AM]

Actually the Xbox360 and PS3 kits have been remodeled with the softer pads and stiffer bass pedal spring. So all three versions are the same if you buy thme new.

But wireless and white = the shit.

[ymmit @ Jun 7th 2008 9:44AM]

Wireless is a big thing when you think that many Wiis are used on the main TV in the living room due to the inclusive, family oriented nature of the unit, wheras 360 / PS3 tend to be more teen-bedroom toys where the permanent setup and cabling is less of an "issue"

[Khaeos @ Jun 7th 2008 10:07AM]

i dont know about you..but in my house.. all the consoles are hooked up to the biggest tv in the house which is usually in the living room...

[jake18oly @ Jun 7th 2008 10:22AM]

Actually in our house it is the exact opposite. We hook the 360 up to the 52" HDTV in the front room and the Wii stays in the back room hooked up to the 27" CRT TV.

[John @ Jun 7th 2008 11:33AM]

Why would i want my PS3 hooked up to anything less than the biggest TV in the house. With a Wii you don't get much more for extra size due to the graphics, but with CoD4, the bigger the better

[computer.dude.28 @ Jun 7th 2008 10:17AM]

I'll have to buy the Wii drum kit just so I can get that "strengthened kick pedal". I've gone through 2 already on my 360, they both broke at the hinge so now I've just got it bound in electrical tape.

[Phoenix @ Jun 7th 2008 10:46AM]

The problem with that is YOU CAN'T USE IT WITH YOUR 360

[jon @ Jun 7th 2008 5:29PM]

I would be surprised if you couldn't use the kick pedal. It is just a glorified sound maker. I was able to use my pedal for the 360 on my friends ps3 (we did it so we could use 2 at a time.)

[computer.dude.28 @ Jun 7th 2008 11:22AM]

There's no reason the kick pedal for wii wouldn't work on the 360. It's just a 2.5mm plug, why would they change the plug across the consoles? and I don't know what jon's talking about a "glorified sound maker", the kick pedal uses magnets, not sound.

[jon @ Jun 7th 2008 5:34PM]

I was not entirely sure what it actually did. But both of our points are still valid.

[computer.dude.28 @ Jun 8th 2008 1:46AM]

I don't think you guys understand. I meant use the Wii drum pedal with the 360 drum kit, not the whole Wii drum kit with the 360.

[Some Kid @ Jun 7th 2008 10:51AM]

its too bad the best drum kit was released for the hardest to get console

[Falcon Punch @ Jun 7th 2008 1:51PM]

THIS GAME LOOKS TOO COMPETITIVE FOR ME.

I'll wait for wii music to come out.

-Casual Gamer

[computer.dude.28 @ Jun 7th 2008 11:22AM]

There's no reason the kick pedal for wii wouldn't work on the 360. It's just a 2.5mm plug, why would they change the plug across the consoles? and I don't know what jon's talking about a "glorified sound maker", the kick pedal uses magnets, not sound.

[tyoungbe @ Jun 7th 2008 11:22AM]

Uh, not quite wireless. Check out the wire coming out of the back. Its also in the other picture on IGN. It's hard to see because of the crazy shag carpet, but it's definitely there. He probably just set the dongle there to show that you have to use it for the guitars instead of true wireless.

[Lucas Schafer @ Jun 7th 2008 1:06PM]

That would be the wire for the kick pedal...

[tyoungbe @ Jun 7th 2008 1:19PM]

Not that one, look to the right of the kit. It's all curled up on the floor.

[Jamesology @ Jun 7th 2008 12:55PM]

No DLC = Garbage.

[jonnyb1952 @ Jun 7th 2008 1:06PM]

Ha... I was trying to make the 360's red pad be an orange cymbal for the Wii... I was excited about it too *pouts*

[Phoenix @ Jun 7th 2008 1:26PM]

YEah I thought that when I saw it too :/

[Me @ Jun 7th 2008 2:00PM]

That drum set isn't wireless. If the wire coming out of the back isn't a big enough giveaway, look at the larger pictures. The dongle clearly pictures the Rock Band guitar and bass guitar symbols.

[Sly Fox @ Jun 7th 2008 5:43PM]

ur dumb thats the foot pedal cord .....DUH

[moeliw @ Jun 7th 2008 2:39PM]

the question is: will it blend?

[Jhongerkong @ Jun 7th 2008 2:44PM]

If only the Wii version wasn't a PS2 port...

[cirej2000 @ Jun 7th 2008 5:12PM]

Hmmm...well. Not having purchased any of the guitar/band games yet, I'm waiting till October. Probably will get GH WT for the Wii at that point. The Wii is in the family room where the Big HD TV is since that's the family room. The PS3 is out there as well usually since it's got the Blu-Ray. The 360 is in the office with the little HD TV since that's got the bulk of my, "Don't play that in front of the girls!!", games

But I've got extra HDMI cables and power cords in both areas so that I can just unplug the HD consoles, move and replug...in case I need to play something like Gears 2 on the big screen! Or I've got a naughty game on the PS3 that can't wait til the kids go to bed.