Laying Down Tracks on Ultimate Band for the Nintendo DS™

Beyond performing along with both indie rock and mainstream anthems, the Nintendo DS™ version of Disney Interactive Studios’ upcoming Ultimate Band puts players in the studio to let them create and perform their own tracks.

“With its touch controls and networking, the Nintendo DS gave us a great opportunity to take Ultimate Band in creative new directions,” says Mark McArthur, development director from developer Fall Line Studios. “In the studio, you can lay down the track of the lead guitar, play that as a rhythmic loop beneath your bass guitar, layer in some drums and ultimately build your own song from scratch. And you can perform it with up to three other people using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.”

Players new to studio mixing can pick a musical genre like jazz, hip hop or rock, and let Ultimate Band configure each instrument’s settings accordingly and supply a basic rhythmic loop. “But you can also get as in-depth as you like,” says McArthur. “You can use the DS stylus to strum the strings and the D-pad in conjunction with a chord chart editor to specify the exact chord progression. When it comes to fine-tuning your creativity, Ultimate Band DS will take you to number one.”

If you don’t want to make your own music, Ultimate Band for the Nintendo DS features some exclusive tracks not found on the game’s counterpart version for the Wii™ home video game console. These tracks include “All Star”, “Call Me”, “Jenny was a Friend of Mine”, and “9 in the Afternoon”.