What do I need for Wii Rock Band2?

[Braille]

Hi there - My husband and I are looking to spend part of IRS refund this year on a Wii and Rock Band 2. I have surfed around and have gotten lots of different information regarding what we need to do this. At this point, we dont even have a Wii, but some friends have one and the kids love it so we decided to get the Wii for the kids and the Rock Band 2 for us. We could just as easily buy a PS3 or XBox 360, I suppose.
Anyway, I have been pricing out components and have heard lots of different things on different sites regarding what is compatible with what and so forth. Here are my (first) questions:
Will we need a controller for each instrument component we add? I was hoping to start with two controllers but was wanting two guitars and the drum set. Some products say they need the controllers and some say they don't.
Which components (if any) are compatible with both Guitar Hero and Rock Band games? I don't have either games at this point, but I would prefer to buy guitars and a drum set that will work with either to give us the options later.
Do you guys have any recommendations on which drum set/guitars to buy? I know there are lots of different types/brands of components out there. My husband is wanting a tricked out drum set with the hard hat add ons.
And is there anything else I need to know before I buy all this stuff?
Thanks for any help - this is a big investment, I just dont want to get stuck with something we don't enjoy.

-Braille

 

[bradleyd]

Instrument compatibility between all these games is quite fickle, especially on the Wii.

Go here for the compatibility matrices, last updated Dec.10, 2008: http://www.joystiq.com/Instrument-Compatibility-Matrix/

Do take a look at the various notes cited at the bottom (for any cell that has a yes or no answer with a number beside it).

Also there is a 3rd party guitar that is about to be released that is supposed to work with all versions of both GH and RB. You can read about it here: http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2009/02...ler-compatible-with-rock-band-guitar-hero-me/

 

[rukus]

sounds like you guys may be better off with GH:WT

 

[Kiryllos]

sounds like you guys may be better off with GH:WT

Why is that?

I just borrowed a friend's GHIII with his World Tour guitar and have been thinking about getting something for myself... the review sights give Rock Band 2 a much better review than GH World Tour, so what is it that makes it a better choice as a jumping off point?

 

[HankB]

Why is that?

I've heard that the GH instruments are better than those that come with RB. Not sure if that's what the rukus was referring to.

We've had GH:WT since it was released in late October. (Guitar only kit.) One of our guitars malfunctioned days outside of warranty but RedOctane covered it anyway. We were using a GH3 guitar borrowed from our son as a second guitar so wife and I could play together. Once RedOctane started selling stand alone guitars, we ordered one and it arrived today.

I've heard that the RB games are better and we just bought RB2 but have not spent enough time with it yet to confirm that. The GH instruments are supposed to be compatible with RB2 (and hopefully later games) so if you start with that, you should be able to go with whatever comes out in either franchise.

You will need a Wiimote for each instrument. I highly recommend getting the Wii Play/Wiimote combo as the game works out to about $10 US and can be fun. If you think you will ever want drums or microphone, compare the price for the separates vs. the combo before you buy.

Is that the high hat cymbals your husband wants (vs the hard hat. )

We're having a blast with this and hope you have as much fun too!

Edit: Welcome to Wiichat!

 

[Kiryllos]

If you get Rock Band 2, though, you only need 1 Wii Remote for the microphone, my understanding is all the other instruments are stand alone?

 

[goheat]

If you get Rock Band 2, though, you only need 1 Wii Remote for the microphone, my understanding is all the other instruments are stand alone?

Correct, the RB2 instruments use a USB dongle for wireless, instead of requiring Wii Remotes for wireless. The negative is that RB2 Wii instruments are not compatible with GH:WT...

 

[HubMonkey]

If you want to play just RB2 on the wii and not play GH then the RB2 kit is for you... If you want to expand your options and be able to play both then GHWT Band kit is the one to buy. You can buy GHWT Band kit from Redoctane directly right now for $140 with free shipping using Coupon code "SAVE30".

You do have to have enough remotes for all instruments but that may not be a bad thing if you have people over to play other multiplayer games.

Hub

 

[Kiryllos]

Thanks. What I think I may do is get a Rock Band III bundle from Amazon and also get the Rock Band 2 kit, since GHIII is the only one that interests me atm and it's relatively cheap now, and with two guitars one could be for base, is that right?

 

[HubMonkey]

Yes 2 guitar contrllers gets you 1 Guitar and 1 Bass in the game. I happen to pick up a second guitar, the Les Paul from GH3 for 20 bucks new at Circuit City before the decided to close them down.

Hub

 

[Braille]

Just an update - We bought the Rock Band 2 Special Edition with our Wii and got the extra high hat cymbals and a spare guitar.

For those of you wondering - You do not need a Wii controller for any of the Rock Band 2 instruments. ONLY THE MICROPHONE NEEDS A CONTROLLER! I never found anyone online who could confirm that before buying.

I also picked up the Rock Band AC/DC Track Pack and it has worked fine with the RB2 instruments. No one could confirm that for me either. I have not bought GH as of yet - but we are still having a great time jamming out to the music we have. Of all the GH stuff, the Aerosmith pack is the one I would really like to have. I have heard though that the drums from RB will not work with GH so I may never get it.

Thanks for all the advice everyone and I hope this thread helps someone looking at RB or GH for the Wii.