Battle of the Bands (video game)
Encyclopedia
Battle of the Bands is a video game published by THQ
and developed by Planet Moon Studios
for the Wii
console. It is a rhythm game
in a similar style to the Guitar Hero
series, PaRappa the Rapper
, and Bust a Groove
, however does not use any peripherals outside of the standard Wii Remote
.
The game features 30 licensed songs with 5 cover versions done in completely different styles. The five main genres of music are Rock/Metal, Funk/Hip-Hop, Country Western, Latin, and Marching Band. There will also be three tracks performed with an orchestra.
s of thirty licensed songs, each presented in five different musical styles. The songs include:
gave the game 5.6/10 saying the controls were simple and that the game is not much of a challenge. Gametrailers
gave the game 4.2/10, saying that some of the remixes are painful to hear and the controls could leave the player with a strained wrist.
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
and developed by Planet Moon Studios
Planet Moon Studios
Planet Moon Studios is a game development studio based in San Francisco, California founded by ex-Shiny Entertainment developers Nick Bruty and Bob Stevenson in 1997...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
console. It is a rhythm game
Rhythm game
Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press buttons in a sequence dictated on the screen...
in a similar style to the Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in Europe and June 15, 2006 in...
series, PaRappa the Rapper
PaRappa the Rapper
is a rhythm video game for the Sony PlayStation created by Masaya Matsuura and his NanaOn-Sha company....
, and Bust a Groove
Bust a Groove
Bust a Groove is a hybrid music/fighting game for the Sony PlayStation released in 1998. The game was published by the Japanese video game developer Enix in Japan and brought to the U.S...
, however does not use any peripherals outside of the standard Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
.
The game features 30 licensed songs with 5 cover versions done in completely different styles. The five main genres of music are Rock/Metal, Funk/Hip-Hop, Country Western, Latin, and Marching Band. There will also be three tracks performed with an orchestra.
Gameplay
The game features two of the eleven bands in the game playing the song head-to-head against one another. Notes will roll up from the bottom of the screen (as opposed to from the top like similar games) and the player must move the remote in sync. The game also features various power-ups including electrifying the other player's board, shrinking notes or flipping the notes around. However, certain instances allow the other player to block the effects from taking place with synced button presses. The music of the player playing the best will have their music playing dominantly, with the others being less audible.Soundtrack
The game features cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of thirty licensed songs, each presented in five different musical styles. The songs include:
- GorillazGorillazGorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
- "Feel Good Inc.Feel Good Inc."Feel Good Inc." is a song by Gorillaz, on their album Demon Days, featuring De La Soul. The song was released as the lead single from the album on 9 May 2005 in the United Kingdom . "Feel Good Inc." peaked at #2 in the United Kingdom and #14 in the United States, at the time the band's highest...
" - Tag TeamTag TeamTag Team was a hip hop/pop rap duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States active from 1993 up to 1995. The duo was made up of Cecil Glenn and Steve Gibson . They are best known for their #1 single, "Whoomp! ", which was released in 1993, but rereleased as a remix in 2000...
- "Whoomp! (There It Is)Whoomp! (There It Is)"Whoomp! " is a number two Billboard Hot 100 single by the Miami bass group Tag Team.The song sampled a beginning synthesizer line from the 1980 Italo-disco hit "I'm Ready" by Kano. The chorus is almost the same as the song "Whoot, There It Is" released by 95 South a month earlier, however the...
" - Tenacious DTenacious DTenacious D is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. Composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Black and lead guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gass, the band has released two albums – Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny...
- "Master Exploder" - The RamonesRamonesThe Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
- "Blitzkrieg BopBlitzkrieg Bop"Blitzkrieg Bop" is a song by the American punk rock band Ramones. It was released as the band's debut single in April of 1976 in the United States...
" - The CommodoresCommodoresThe Commodores are an American funk/soul band of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour...
- "Brick HouseBrick House-Properties in the United Kingdom:* Brick House , listed for the 2006 Sterling prize for architecture-Properties in the United States:* The Brick House, Louisville, Kentucky...
" - KC and the Sunshine BandKC and the Sunshine BandKC and the Sunshine Band is an American musical group. Founded in 1973 in Miami, Florida, their style has included funk, R&B, and disco. Their most well known songs include the disco hits "That's the Way ", " Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Keep It Comin' Love", "Get Down Tonight", "Give...
- "That's the Way (I Like It)That's the Way (I Like It)"That's the Way " is a song written by H.W. Casey and Richard Finch, and recorded and released in 1975 by KC and the Sunshine Band for their eponymous second album...
" - Texas TornadosTexas TornadosTexas Tornados is a Tejano band. Its music is a fusion of rock, country and various Mexican styles.-History:The initial combination of musicians of the Texas Tornados happened almost by chance at a concert performance of a mutual acquaintance...
- "Adios Mexico" - The Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
- "Dum Diddly" - Cypress HillCypress HillCypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...
- "Insane in the BrainInsane in the Brain"Insane in the Brain" is a hit single by the American hip hop group Cypress Hill. It was released in 1993 and in addition to hitting number 1 on the US rap chart, the song also was a surprise crossover hit, reaching number 19 in the Hot 100 chart in 1994. It was highly successful in other countries...
" - Kool & the GangKool & the GangKool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and...
- "Jungle BoogieJungle Boogie"Jungle Boogie" is a funk song recorded by Kool & the Gang for their 1973 album Wild and Peaceful. It scored number four as a single and became very popular in nightclubs. The song's spoken main vocal was performed by the band's roadie Don Boyce...
" - LL Cool JLL Cool JJames Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
- "Mama Said Knock You Out" - The FixxThe FixxThe Fixx is an English rock band formed in London in 1979. Their hits include "One Thing Leads to Another," "Red Skies," "Stand or Fall," "Saved by Zero," "Sign of Fire," "Are We Ourselves?," "Secret Separation," "Driven Out," "How Much Is Enough?," and "Deeper and Deeper," which was featured on...
- "One Thing Leads to AnotherOne Thing Leads to Another"One Thing Leads to Another" is a song by new wave rock group The Fixx, from their album Reach the Beach. "One Thing Leads to Another" is the group's best known song, and their most successful single, peaking at No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1983 and peaking at No. 2 on the US...
" - SoundgardenSoundgardenSoundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
- "SpoonmanSpoonman"Spoonman" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Spoonman" was released on February 15, 1994 as the first single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown . "Spoonman" is often credited as one of the songs that launched Soundgarden's career...
" - Def LeppardDef LeppardDef Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
- "PhotographPhotograph (Def Leppard song)"Photograph" is a 1983 single by British hard rock band Def Leppard from their album Pyromania. It was written as a tribute to the late actress Marilyn Monroe, as singer Joe Elliott often stated before playing the song live onstage. When released as a single it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top...
" - The Soggy Bottom Boys - "Man of Constant SorrowMan of Constant Sorrow"Man of Constant Sorrow" is a traditional American folk song first recorded by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. The song was originally recorded by Burnett as "Farewell Song" printed in a Richard Burnett songbook, c. 1913. An early version was recorded by Emry Arthur in 1928...
" - B-RealB-RealLouis Freese, better known by his stage name B-Real, is an American rapper of Cuban and Mexican heritage, and a film and TV actor...
- "Fistful of Dollars" - Ram JamRam JamRam Jam was an American 1970s rock band, best known for their 1977 hit single, "Black Betty".The band members were Bill Bartlett , Pete Charles , Myke Scavone , and Howie Arthur Blauvelt . Also, Jimmy Santoro, who toured with the band in support of their debut album, joined on guitar for the...
- "Black BettyBlack Betty"Black Betty" is a 20th century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material; in this case an 18th century marching...
" - KornKornKorn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
- "Coming UndoneComing Undone"Coming Undone" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn and The Matrix for Korn's seventh studio album, See You on the Other Side. It was released as the album's second single in February 2006.-Chart performance:...
" - Electric SixElectric SixElectric Six is a six-piece metro Detroit-based band that plays what has been described as a brand of rock music infused with elements of "garage, disco, punk, new wave, and metal." The band met recognition in 2003 with the singles "Danger! High Voltage" and "Gay Bar", and subsequently recorded...
- "Danger! High VoltageDanger! High Voltage"Danger! High Voltage" is a song by Electric Six, released as a single on 6 January 2003 through XL Recordings. It was the band's debut single, and reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and was named Single of the Week by the NME. It was also released on the band's debut album Fire .Jack White...
" - Rick JamesRick JamesJames Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
- "Give It To Me Baby" - Wet Willie - "Dixie Rock"
- Keane - "Is It Any Wonder?Is It Any Wonder?"Is It Any Wonder?" is a song performed and composed by English alternative rock band Keane and is featured on their second studio album, Under the Iron Sea as the second track. This is considered to be the second single on "Under the Iron Sea era", after the download-only "Atlantic"...
" - AFIAFI (band)AFI is an American alternative rock band from Ukiah, California that formed in 1991. They have consisted of the same lineup since 1998: lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backup vocalist Adam Carson, with bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget, who both play keyboard and contribute...
- "Miss MurderMiss Murder"Miss Murder" is a song by American rock band AFI. It was released on April 3, 2006 as the lead single from their seventh studio album Decemberunderground. It was initially scheduled to premiere on LIVE 105 on April 13, 2006, however, it was released early due to overwhelming fan reaction. It was...
" - TV on the RadioTV on the RadioTV on the Radio is an American art rock band formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans numerous diverse genres, from post-punk to electro and free jazz to soul music....
- "Wolf Like MeWolf Like Me"Wolf Like Me" is the first single from the TV on the Radio album Return to Cookie Mountain, released in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2006 on 4AD Records. The single's B-side was the song "Things You Can Do", which was also available as a bonus track on the U.S. release of Return to Cookie...
" - Texas TornadosTexas TornadosTexas Tornados is a Tejano band. Its music is a fusion of rock, country and various Mexican styles.-History:The initial combination of musicians of the Texas Tornados happened almost by chance at a concert performance of a mutual acquaintance...
- "Una Mas Cerveza" - The Georgia Satellites - "Keep Your Hands To Yourself"
- AudioslaveAudioslaveAudioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
- "Original FireOriginal Fire"Original Fire" is the first single from the album Revelations by American hard rock band Audioslave. The song debuted on radio stations on July 17, 2006 and the single itself was released on August 28, 2006....
" - Texas TornadosTexas TornadosTexas Tornados is a Tejano band. Its music is a fusion of rock, country and various Mexican styles.-History:The initial combination of musicians of the Texas Tornados happened almost by chance at a concert performance of a mutual acquaintance...
- "Hey Baby Que Paso" - Latin Soul SyndicateLatin Soul SyndicateLatin Soul Syndicate is a San Francisco-based band that formed in 2003. On each of their three albums, the core members are joined by a collective of Bay Area based musicians including members of Santana, Chuck Prophet, and Jonathan Richman.Their songs include a blend of upbeat Latin soul,...
- "Shake It" - Ziroq - "Tierra del Sur"
Reception
Battle of the Bands had mostly negative reviews. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game 5.6/10 saying the controls were simple and that the game is not much of a challenge. Gametrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
gave the game 4.2/10, saying that some of the remixes are painful to hear and the controls could leave the player with a strained wrist.