Great game, but ripoff set
So you think you plop down 0 on Amazon to play Band Hero with your new Wii, right?

Wrong. In fact, you are paying for empty drums, empty guitar, and a microphone that does not work without a wii controller. Yep, you just spent almost as much as you paid for the Wii for something that DOES NOT WORK WITH A NEW WII.

You must purchase separate Wii remotes for each player who's playing despite the fact that the microphone is not even wireless. This is an insane price to pay and I really had no idea that the game was set up like this, as I had played the PS3 version, in which the instruments plug and play (gee, imagine that -- you buy a pricey set for your game system and it works out of the box).

What's more, even when you do plunk down another for each remote, it is a hassle getting these things in and out of the guitar and drums. You've got to press buttons on the Wii remote sometimes, on the guitar or drums other times: It is all just so confusing. I'm not an old lady, but this is just not intuitive.

On the plus side, it really is fun once you spend half an hour putting the Wii remotes inside your instruments.

Why So Many Great Reviews?
I setup my new Band Hero tonight with my sister hoping to have some fun, and we were excited because of all the terrific reviews it received, along with its great song list.

Know that I am technically savvy and this system had quite a few issues, so I am flabbergasted at all the terrific reviews.

SOFTWARE:
The menus are not intuitive at all, and the printed directions and on-screen tutorial provided were extremely lacking. The tutorial was actually a joke. It did not address setup at all, and only reviewed the very basics about how to play an instrument and get points. Nothing was said about how to sing along, and functions of the numerous menu options were not addressed other than the basic menu. I am surprised that so many found it "easy" in their reviews. I wonder if those people work for the manufacturer.

HARDWARE:
Microphone: The microphone kept cutting in and out- it was very choppy, which surprises me because it is made by Logitech, which is a pretty great company. (I have their Harmony 880 remote, and it is the best thing since sliced bread.)
Guitar: The guitar recognized commands when in the calibration mode, but did not work in the actual game mode.
Drums: We did not try the drums after getting very frustrated with the mic and guitar.

TROUBLESHOOTING:
I searched online for troubleshooting tips, just in case the problem might have been with my Wii console or setup. I found that there are a TON of people who have the same issues, so I am VERY surprised that there are so many positive reviews about Band Hero here on Amazon. I tried finding help on the manufacturer's website: to no avail. I then tried calling the manufacturer, but they were closed, so I gave up.

SUMMARY:
It was a huge disappointment with all the issues, and a total waste of time. My advice: hold out for Rock Band 3, which is made by a different company (MTV Games/Harmonix) and is supposed to come out sometime in October 2010, like I am going to do. Rock Band 2 is just too expensive right now, and my friends paid nearly nowhere near the prices that are published now. I know Rock Band 2 works well with the Wii, since we have had oodles of fun at my friends' parties, so I wait for Rock Band 3.

The only redeeming piece of this system was that it has songs that I really like. Too bad it has so many issues, and is going back to Amazon for a return. Thank goodness Amazon has such hassle-free returns. Amazon is the best!

Great for family with 10 year old
My 10 year old son LOVES this game. He plays all of the instruments and sings (all on easy right now). My 7 year old can't get passed beginner on drums or guitar. My husband and I also enjoy playing this game. We did notice that several songs have lyrics dropped out of the song...all of the sudden a line ends in the middle of a sentence. Weird. But the 10 year old doesn't notice or mind. We need to buy another guitar or mike or both just so all four of us can play, but we usually just have 2 sing into the same mike. I like that you can buy songs with the Wii points. Most of the fan ones were a little hokey for my tastes, but to each their own. We did wait until the price went to 9 on Amazon.com and it is well worth that amount.

Great game to play with friends
Before this purchase I hadn't gotten into the Rockband or Guitar Hero game family but had wanted to for a long time. I decided to give it a go and I was not disappointed.

For someone not familiar with the games at all, it was pretty easy to pick up the instruments and begin to play. I'll admit it did take some getting used to finding everything but it was rather easy.

One of my favorite things about Band Hero is that there are not just one genre of songs listed. You can scroll through so many different ones and begin to play. I just wish the initial track selection was much larger than it is. It would make it a lot more entertaining instead of having to worry about purchasing other songs to enjoy.

All in all this is a great game and an even better game to play with friends and family!

Good for used
Everything arrived in a timely matter and i couldnt beat the price. I wish there was instructions to set up the drums included. I got them set up, its not rocket science but they don't work very well, you have to hit them really hard, like your gonna break the sticks hard, for it to even register. I don't know if that's because they're used, i set them up wrong, or they're just cheezy cheap plastic drums... It's fun though