i'm probably getting it. i'll let you guys know what i think before and after playing this "game".
before playing wii music, by and large, i think reviewers are holding wii music next to guitar hero and bashing wii music because of this wrong comparison. they fail to recognize that guitar hero is no more than a button mashing game that requires no musicianship whatsoever to "succeed". if the wiimote is a gimmick, the guitar itself is an even bigger gimmick, merely an extra controller that sets back the player an extra $40 or $50.
what i'm interested in finding out is what wii music sets out to achieve. it is not about getting high scores, that's for sure. it's more about making music. as a classically trained musician, i highly doubt wii music can accomplish making "real" music--but i had the exact same elitist skepticism toward nintendo's brain age game, thinking that how on earth does a phd from THE top scientific institution in the world need something to train his brain. as it turns out, i have very nice things to say about brain age after trying it.
my guess is that wii music will succeed in making amateur musics, since coming up with interesting arrangements and speed and tempo and maybe even dynamics is a lot of fun for 95% of the population. of course, it's not meant to create serious music anyway. but the music creation experience would probably be a lot of fun when there are multiple people doing it. i play chamber music, which is an absolute blast, and i can imagine for those who have never received classical training will get to enjoy the experience of engaging in a musical ensemble--albeit it's only wii music.
my guess is that i'll be deeply disappointed by the lack of choice. 50 songs seems way too barebone. and likely they're like 90 seconds each, way too short. and since i play the piano, i'll find that instrument to be really, really gimmicky in wii music.
another thing is that is the cultural divide in music tastes. most of the world still have a lot of respect on classical music and have profound respect for the instruments that take a lifetime to master. not so for americans. when canon in D is widely considered to be a favorite piece of classical music you know something is really, really wrong. not saying that wii music is classical music of course, but the conception of wii music is more closely related to classical music ensembles than getting high scores.
anyway, i'll probably get it within a couple weeks from amazon. i'll say more when i get to try it out.
the Wii is an epidemic.
