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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Music Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo |
“Wii Sports,” with its simple but fun control mechanics, has proven to be a hit for the Nintendo Wii. It is a game that can be played over
and over again and still be a hit, even after many new releases have made their way to store shelves. It is one of the best games to
throw in when a large group of friends get together at a party. Because of this, “Wii Music” had many skeptical of what would be
presented. It is hard to be convinced that there is an interesting or fun mechanic to playing a wide assortment of instruments with a
control. Unfortunately, through playing the game many players will not be all too impressed with the game. This is one example of
Nintendo’s first misstep into the music and rhythm genre.
Besides the complete lack of music to choose from, the game is very difficult to judge because of the fact that it is difficult to tell who the
game was designed for. On the one hand, players don’t really compose music so much as cue the next note, a fact that transforms
what might have been a very creative process into something that feels very dumbed down. If players shake the Wii Remote to the tune
of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, players will play the song one way or another regardless of timing. Of course the song will sound better if
the player keeps rhythm, but anyone that can shake the remote will be able to get through the song. To the credit of the game, players
are given the freedom to add their own style to each song by adding notes, holding notes and altering the pitch, which is a nice addition
to the long list of 60 instruments. With that said, players aren’t so much creating songs, but instead modifying songs.
There are four different techniques to playing the 60 instruments in “Wii Music,” some are more satisfying and entertaining than others.
To play a guitar, players hold the nunchuk outward like a guitar neck and strum with the Wii Remote. Of course, players won’t have all
the frets of a real guitar at their disposal and they will quickly notice that most of their inputs are simply pushing the notes of a pre-
selected song forward. Also, if players are playing the flute, they will hold the Wii Remote upside down and to their mouth and play
using the 1 and 2 buttons. It really couldn’t be much simpler, but because inputs are tied to everything including remote movement,
another common issue with the game comes tied to gestures. Everything in the game works well enough, but none of it feels very
intuitive. Also, seasoned gamers will be turned away by the fact that the entire process pushes the limits of a gesture gimmick, often
resulting in an unrewarding result.
However, on the other hand, most kids will get a kick out the game’s interactive songs and how easily they can pick up the controller
and make noise of some type or another. The problem that awaits some younger players is that while many of the instruments are
quick to play, they are very difficult to play well. For example, the drums, which require that players use a Wii Balance Board, nunchuk
and Wii Remote, but also the C, Z and A buttons in combination with the analog stick and D-Pad to play beats. It feels as if rocket
scientists designed the control configuration. It is one of the most intuitive control setups that many players will have ever played with in
a video game and it would be very difficult for many young gamers to stick with the game for a long period of time.
“Wii Music” features a very polished presentation that is complemented by excellent integration of Mii avatars, the utilization of
WiiConnect24 to trade created music videos with friends and much more. Players will quickly see that the game offers the beginnings
of a great concept with the custom jam sessions, enabling players to take control of several different instruments and layer them
together into a song. If players play something out of “F-Zero,” they can switch out the rock guitar parts of the song for a banjo, drop in a
turntable over the drum set and more. They can then go and record the track for each individual instrument. The down side of this is
that if they mess up a track halfway through the song, there is no way to rewind; they will instead have to restart the entire track. Still, this
certain process, called overdubbing, is where determined buyers desperate to make the most of “Wii Music” will be able to experiment
with songs and ultimately add their own signature style to them. This is one of the gamers greatest features.
Though many wouldn’t qualify “Wii Music” as a complete failure, the truth is that some of the concepts powering the game work well.
The ability to alter the music of the game using a variety of instruments is great. The fact that players can layer together different songs
and really create their own style. The integration of Mii avatars, the use of Wii Connect24 support and more add further polish to the fun
and simple presentation. It is for all of the above reasons that kids may connect on the latest release from Nintendo, though many
parents may see the game as an overpriced noisemaker.
and over again and still be a hit, even after many new releases have made their way to store shelves. It is one of the best games to
throw in when a large group of friends get together at a party. Because of this, “Wii Music” had many skeptical of what would be
presented. It is hard to be convinced that there is an interesting or fun mechanic to playing a wide assortment of instruments with a
control. Unfortunately, through playing the game many players will not be all too impressed with the game. This is one example of
Nintendo’s first misstep into the music and rhythm genre.
Besides the complete lack of music to choose from, the game is very difficult to judge because of the fact that it is difficult to tell who the
game was designed for. On the one hand, players don’t really compose music so much as cue the next note, a fact that transforms
what might have been a very creative process into something that feels very dumbed down. If players shake the Wii Remote to the tune
of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, players will play the song one way or another regardless of timing. Of course the song will sound better if
the player keeps rhythm, but anyone that can shake the remote will be able to get through the song. To the credit of the game, players
are given the freedom to add their own style to each song by adding notes, holding notes and altering the pitch, which is a nice addition
to the long list of 60 instruments. With that said, players aren’t so much creating songs, but instead modifying songs.
There are four different techniques to playing the 60 instruments in “Wii Music,” some are more satisfying and entertaining than others.
To play a guitar, players hold the nunchuk outward like a guitar neck and strum with the Wii Remote. Of course, players won’t have all
the frets of a real guitar at their disposal and they will quickly notice that most of their inputs are simply pushing the notes of a pre-
selected song forward. Also, if players are playing the flute, they will hold the Wii Remote upside down and to their mouth and play
using the 1 and 2 buttons. It really couldn’t be much simpler, but because inputs are tied to everything including remote movement,
another common issue with the game comes tied to gestures. Everything in the game works well enough, but none of it feels very
intuitive. Also, seasoned gamers will be turned away by the fact that the entire process pushes the limits of a gesture gimmick, often
resulting in an unrewarding result.
However, on the other hand, most kids will get a kick out the game’s interactive songs and how easily they can pick up the controller
and make noise of some type or another. The problem that awaits some younger players is that while many of the instruments are
quick to play, they are very difficult to play well. For example, the drums, which require that players use a Wii Balance Board, nunchuk
and Wii Remote, but also the C, Z and A buttons in combination with the analog stick and D-Pad to play beats. It feels as if rocket
scientists designed the control configuration. It is one of the most intuitive control setups that many players will have ever played with in
a video game and it would be very difficult for many young gamers to stick with the game for a long period of time.
“Wii Music” features a very polished presentation that is complemented by excellent integration of Mii avatars, the utilization of
WiiConnect24 to trade created music videos with friends and much more. Players will quickly see that the game offers the beginnings
of a great concept with the custom jam sessions, enabling players to take control of several different instruments and layer them
together into a song. If players play something out of “F-Zero,” they can switch out the rock guitar parts of the song for a banjo, drop in a
turntable over the drum set and more. They can then go and record the track for each individual instrument. The down side of this is
that if they mess up a track halfway through the song, there is no way to rewind; they will instead have to restart the entire track. Still, this
certain process, called overdubbing, is where determined buyers desperate to make the most of “Wii Music” will be able to experiment
with songs and ultimately add their own signature style to them. This is one of the gamers greatest features.
Though many wouldn’t qualify “Wii Music” as a complete failure, the truth is that some of the concepts powering the game work well.
The ability to alter the music of the game using a variety of instruments is great. The fact that players can layer together different songs
and really create their own style. The integration of Mii avatars, the use of Wii Connect24 support and more add further polish to the fun
and simple presentation. It is for all of the above reasons that kids may connect on the latest release from Nintendo, though many
parents may see the game as an overpriced noisemaker.
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