Harmonix: Wii need a hard drive

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello tipped Wii gamers off to some long-awaited good news in January, saying that Harmonix and MTV Games' popular party game Rock Band would grace Nintendo's console. However, many gamers quickly began to speculate as to whether the Wii version of the game would resemble the acclaimed Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, or the scaled-down PlayStation 2 edition, which lacks online play and the ability to download the more than 70-and-counting bonus tracks.

That question was answered with an unfavorable shake when Rock Band on the Wii was officially announced in late March. Speaking to GameSpot, a Harmonix representative said the game's function set would be closer to the PS2 game's, continuing, "Because the Wii's online capabilities and potential have yet to be fully realized, we wanted to wait before we explored online functionality for Rock Band to ensure that players get the high-quality of online performance they've come to expect."