Wii owners are confronted with a good news/bad news situation today. The bad news is that there will be no downloadable content or online play for the Wii version of Rock Band, at least in the initial release. The good news, for North Americans, at least, is that the release date has been confirmed for the game across the pond.

A Harmonix representative explained:



That's right, "the Wii's online capabilities and potential have yet to be fully realised". That has to sting for Nintendo. The platform holder declined to comment on that specific element of the Harmonix release when contacted by SPOnG.

Still, Wii owners now know that June 22nd is when they'll be able to get their twitching fingers on the game. The suggested retail price is set at $169.99 (£85).

The official announcement tells us, "Rock Band for Wii will be released as a Special Edition bundle including the software, drums, microphone and a wireless guitar. Stand alone instruments will also be available on June 22nd for people who want to build their band one instrument at a time or want to play the drum versus drum game mode. The game will feature 63 songs including five bonus songs for Wii gamers to enjoy.”

As you'd expect, the occasion hasn't passed without a spot of bland comment. Today we have Bob Picunko, VP of Electronic Games and Interactive Products, MTV, telling us, “The Wii’s success among casual and core gamers of all ages makes it an ideal match for the cross-generational appeal of the music featured in Rock Band.”

Similarly, we have Steve Singer, licensing VP from Nintendo, who says, “The social interaction and addictive nature of the Rock Band experience is a perfect fit for the Wii and will undoubtedly be fun for the entire family.”

^{†Source: Kotaku}