Online play confirmed by RedOctane, but no downloadable content at launch...

Guitar Hero fans have been going through a period of distress since RedOctane president Kai Huang revealed that the Wii version of Guitar Hero III would not initially be online. Worry not dear readers, for we can confirm to you that Guitar Hero III will have online gameplay at launch... with the exception of downloadable content.

The rocking developers RedOctane are reportedly working with Nintendo to get downloadable content up and running, though we can't imagine why Ninty would want to restrict such a thing. Are they waiting until the WiiWare service is officially launched in early 2008?

In other news, the boxart for the game has been revealed (complete with a Wi-Fi icon), 35 tracks have been announced for the game thus far, Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello has been confirmed as a boss character in the game and an Aerosmith edition of Guitar Hero III is reportedly in production.

Stay tuned to N-Europe for the latest on Guitar Hero III for the Wii.