Wii Music showcases the moron in all of us
Looking forward to Nintendo’s Wii Music? You’d better have some forgiving friends who enjoy a good laugh. The game will make you look like a fool.
At least the first few times around. I had a chance to play the game a bit today, and it’s a bit weird at first to get used to “playing” an instrument with just the Wii remote (and nunchuck in some cases). Coming from the school of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, it’s difficult not actually having a guitar in your hand or a drum set in front of you while you’re trying to hold a beat, but it does seem like there is plenty of room for fun and improvement.
While it’s true that you can’t technically “fail” a song like in the other rhythm games, you are scored on your performance, Wii Fit and Wii Sports style out of 100 points. The closer you are to staying on tune, the better your score, and the more songs and instruments you can unlock.
My first time through - in a tandem conducting performance - didn’t go so well, as neither one of us knew the song very well (we were given a sync score of 0%). But later on when I went back on my own, I got the chance to conduct a virtual orchestra in the classic Legend of Zelda theme, and that had much better results (I got a 72).
As is the norm with Nintendo products, Wii Music looks to be fun for all ages. The group dynamic is definitely there, and the freedom to just hang out and jam is also a good one (jam sessions aren’t scored, and you can even record your performances to video and share them via the WiiConnect24 feature). The game releases on October 20.
