“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,” says Steve Singer, licensing VP from Nintendo.

While it was confirmed a while back, and rumoured much longer, we finally have some more information regarding Rock Band for the Wii. Here’s the skinny.

Rock Band Wii will release June 22nd in North America for US$169.99. 63 songs + 5 Wii-Exclusive “bonus” songs.

Want some more good news? No friend codes. Wonderful, n’est pas?

N’est pas.

The reason there aren’t any friend codes is because there isn’t any online. No online support whatsoever. You might be thinking oh yeah, I don’t mind. It’s more fun in person anyway and I’d agree with you, yeah, except that this means no downloadable content. You’re stuck with the 68 songs that it ships with and that’s that. No access to the plethora of downloadable songs that the 360 and PS3 versions are treated to. Basically, it’s a straight-up, straight-down, straight-across, straight-’n-narrow port of the PS2 version, which is pretty sad. There’s also no character creation, and no Mii support. Meaning the hours I spent creating The Beatles  Miitles have been completely wasted.

One more thing. Your Guitar Hero III Wii guitars that you forgot you owned since you already gave in and bought Rock Band for the 360? They’re not compatible. Meaning you really do have to buy another Rock Band guitar if you want your band to have a bassist.

But if you don’t mind owning a gimped version of Rock Band, and you haven’t picked it up for another system, or don’t have any friends that own it for another system, or don’t have any friends, this might be something to look into.

Full Press release after the jump!

Wii Will Rock You!
MTV Games, Harmonix and EA Announce Rock Band™ for Wii on June 22, 2008

The number one selling game in February 2008 is coming to Wii!

Cambridge, MA - March 24, 2007– Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a division of MTV Networks, which is a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced plans to release the award-winning music video game Rock Band on the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo in the U.S. and Canada on June 22, 2008 for the suggested retail price of $169.99.

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.

“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,” says Bob Picunko, Vice President of Electronic Games and Interactive Products, MTV

“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,” says Steve Singer, licensing VP from Nintendo.

Rock Band is an all-new platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune - all while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. Featuring the most master recordings of any music game ever by the world’s biggest rock artists, Rock Band includes tracks that span every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic rock to heavy metal and punk. Rock Band has garnered over 40 awards this year including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007 and three awards at The 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Family Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack.

Rock Band is rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

Rock Band is currently available on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and on the PLAYSTATION®2 computer entertainment system.