http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3170709&p=44
True musicianship has taken a hit recently with all the music-based videogames captivating today's youth, and Wii Music will surely be the next virtual music experience replacing real music for everyone. As a classically trained musician, I might take offense at this -- except that Wii Music gets it really right. Using the Wii Remote, Nunchuk, and (optionally) Balance Board to mimic the motions of real instruments may have seemed like a bad joke when the game was first announced, but in practice, it works amazingly well. It's worth it to take the time to learn the four different instrument motions (drums, guitar, horns, and violin) because the game offers so many varied opportunities to pretend-play all of the dozens of instruments in the game, and knowing how to wave your arms and press the buttons just right makes the crucial difference between a stupid-silly game and an actually fulfilling one.
I love how the three minigames -- Mii Maestro, Handbell Harmony, and Pitch Perfect -- challenge your rhythm and your ear in legitimately musical ways. They're easy at first, but you have to listen closely and think about note values to succeed, especially in later levels, and it's based just enough in classical theory that those with musical training will probably find the games a bit easier. Sure, some of the minigames are hampered just the slightest bit by control issues typical to Wii, but generally, with a bit of attention and practice, Wii Music is easy to play and makes classical music quite fun. Once you've learned the basics of a song, it's easy to feel like you're genuinely improvising simply by pressing buttons at the right time. The way the game fills in the right notes for you gives an astonishing feeling of having performed a real solo. If you need guidance, the game provides a note pattern for you to follow, which is handy. The experience is lighthearted and enjoyable, and it puts basic music concepts within easy reach of anyone playing it.
Click the image above to check out all the Wii Music screens.
Like Wii Sports before it, Wii Music really takes off when you get a group together to form a band. You can perform a "quick jam," where the game assigns songs and instrument parts randomly. This is best for getting people into the game easily and without much explanation. The "custom jam" -- where you choose musical style, instrument lineup, number of parts, and venue -- is where Wii Music shows surprising depth and flexibility, and those who have actually learned the controls unique to their instrument will be rewarded. The replayable videos and customizable album covers further add a really fun and uniquely permanent twist to the usual fleeting multiplayer chaos. My friends and I played for hours, creating dozens of videos and albums, and we weren't even trying to make our songs musically impressive. But the potential for creativity is there, and I'll be curious to see what more ambitious Wii Music fans come up with. You can store up to 30 music videos on your Wii and create playlists of your favorites -- not that I'm necessarily recommending them as a soundtrack for your next cocktail party, mind you. For the kiddie (or just dazed and confused) set, however, this is a nice feature.
Click the image above to check out all the Wii Music screens.
The biggest downfall of Wii Music, oddly, is the music itself. While songs like "Material Girl" or "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" are easy crowd pleasers, Nintendo is still stuck in that horrifying pattern of relying mostly on public domain pablum (remember "Row Row Row Your Boat" in Donkey Konga?); the song selection is still just not wide enough. Especially in the minigames, discovering you can't unlock more than the five available songs is disappointing once the game has whetted your appetite for more. I really wanted additional songs in Handbell Harmony -- I loved the mode where the notes only get played when everyone in the group has hit the right rhythm.
Wii Music may have a hard time winning over the skeptics who just want to laugh at it, but give the game the chance it deserves. You just might realize it's pretty damn fun being in on the joke.
I created this because I know is gonna net me some VG$, so let the discussion begin
