‘Scuse me, while I punch some guy.
Just when Wii owners were starting to get excited about the arrival of downloadable songs with Guitar Hero World Tour, the inferior nature of music game DLC on their console has once again been thrust to the fore. Licensing and technical issues will prevent Wii owners from getting downloadable Jimi Hendricks tracks in Guitar Hero World Tour.
Apparently, Nintendo does not allow duplicate content on the Wii Store, which is forcing DLC tunes for Rock Band 2 and GHWT to be released individually on the Wii. That in and of itself isn’t a huge problem. However, combined with licensing restrictions imposed by those in charge of Hendrix’s estate, the implications are more significant. Speaking to MTV Multiplayer this week, an Activision Blizzard rep confirmed Wii owners will have to get their rock-n-roll fix sans Jimi DLC.
“Due to technical or licensing restrictions, the DLC offerings will not be the same for every console platform,” said the representative, who was not identified. “For example, certain artists prefer to keep the integrity of the track pack rather than releasing singles, and the Wii’s infrastructure only allows us the ability to release single songs as DLC.”
The barriers to enjoying music game DLC on the Wii have been formidable. First, the feature was left out completely, while other systems racked up the bonus tunes en masse. Once the option was finally made available with GHWT, the console’s teensy hard drive forced players to shell out for an SD card. That workaround makes DLC tracks possible on the system, but it’s not a perfect solution. Now, players are stuck with a sub-par selection, due to various conflicting technical and licensing arrangements. What’s next, a swarm of locusts?
