Jam With the Band
Jam With the Band is a Rhythm Game for the Nintendo DS, released in Europe in 2010. It is the localization of the Japanese Rhythm Game Daigasso! Band Brothers DX, a 2008 sequel to the 2005 game Daigasso! Band Brothers.
The gameplay is mostly typical Rhythm Game fare, requiring you to hit buttons in time with the displayed notes, but unlike most Rhythm Games, your errors are directly reflected in the sound of the music, because unlike most rhythm games, you aren't just hitting notes, you're literally playing the music. Not to mention being able to play any instrument within the song.
The game includes a song creator, which lets you create your own compositions and renditions of your favorite songs in Midi format, allowing for a fully customizable soundtrack, supplemented by the 50 pack-in songs and DLC song server, allowing up to 100 50 songs to be downloaded from Wi-Fi.
- Bad Export for You: The Japanese version of JWTB allows you to download 100 songs from Wi-Fi. The European version limits you to just 50.
- Copy Protection: JWTB and DBBDX have a copy protection system set in place that prohibits users running pirated copies of the game from downloading songs from Wi-Fi. Two years after the Japanese release of the game, and this still hasn't been cracked, and will likely never be cracked due to the nature of the copy protection.
- Development Hell: DBB was originally intended for the Game Boy Color, but was moved to the Game Boy Advance by the time Nintendo unveiled it in 2001; it was delayed, and moved to the Nintendo DS.
- Did Not Do the Research: Almost every European press release, preview and review of the game stated that JWTB was the localization of Daigasso! Band Brothers, released in 2005 in Japan. This is false, as it is the localization of Daigasso! Band Brothers DX, which was released in Japan in 2008.
- Difficulty Spike: Pro mode separates the men from the boys, requiring you to use eight of the DS' buttons, in comparison to the four of Amateur Mode. Interestingly enough, the transition between Pro and Master mode has the fewest added buttons - only two, but is much harder than Pro mode.
- Downloadable Content
- Easier Than Easy: Beginner mode lets you hit any button on the DS to play a note and even has a larger timing window.
- Expansion Pack: The original DBB got an expansion pack in the form of a GBA cartridge that added 31 more songs.
- Feelies: The Japanese version of the original DBB didn't have a normal manual, it had three posters that had the manual on the backside, and original print copies of the game came with earbud headphones.
- Gratuitous English The Japanese version of both games has Engrish ALL OVER THE PLACE.
- Level Editor: The song creator, of course.
- Marth Debuted in Smash Bros: Barbara the Bat, the main character in JWTB was an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl long before her game was released anywhere outside Japan.
- She was also in Master of Illusion, another DS game that was released overseas.
- Nintendo Hard: While some songs can be easy to moderate in difficulty, some songs can be downright impossible.
- No Export for You: Despite the original DBB getting a tentative title (Jam With the Band, in fact) in America shortly after the launch of the DS, the project was eventually canceled. To this date, the original game has only been released in Japan, and the sequel only in Japan and Europe.
- Scrappy Mechanic: The download limit in JWTB, as well as the Touch sections and reduced tempo in Amateur mode of the original DBB.