Sweet sounds
Seemingly eons ago, when Nintendo first revealed Wii to a very skeptical industry, game design genius Shigeru Miyamoto chose to demo the console with a strange music simulator. It looked funny and promising, but was not mentioned again, seemingly consigned to the Big N's creative dustbin. But now it's back, it's called Wii Music, and it could be the perfect opportunity for frustrated musicians who wouldn't know one end of a saxophone from the other - but would love to blow into one.
Play nicely
Unlike, say, Rock Band or Guitar Hero, there's no real competitive element to Wii Music, it's more of a musical toy, and it won't punish you too much for hitting a few bum notes. Players simply select a song, a preferred tempo and an instrument, and then make strumming, shaking or bashing movements with the controller. The result is almost always sweet, sweet music.
You can speed up, slow down and improvise outside of the rhythm of the track to provide individual flourishes.
Fancy some improvisation? Experimenting with controller movements or button presses modifies the sounds, opening up a vast array of aural possibilities. The good thing is, you aren't expected to hit notes at specific times, either. Instead, you can speed up, slow down and improvise outside of the rhythm of the track to provide individual flourishes. It's all about messing around with sounds.
Each Wii Music pop group consists of six members, all represented on the screen by Mii characters. You can play alone accompanied by computer-controlled band mates, or get three mates to plug in and jam along. As you belt out your tune, your Mii characters perform in a variety of cute locations, relevant to the musical style you're... erm... celebrating. They may be in a cool club or a sunny field, and all the environments have fun animated touches, like throbbing disco lights or dancing flowers.
Musical variety
There are 60 instruments to choose from, including familiar favourites such as the guitar, trumpet and maracas, as well as some unusual options like dog barks and beat-boxing. The 50 songs include well-known pop hits (Madonna, The Jackson 5 and The Police all have tunes on there), nursery rhymes and classical compositions. Something for all the family, then.
Brilliantly, you play the bass drum and hi-hat cymbal with the Wii Fit balance board, using it as a foot pedal.
There are even a few mini-games to spice up the action. The virtual drum kit provides a full array of things to bash - brilliantly, you play the bass drum and hi-hat cymbal with the Wii Fit balance board, using it as a foot pedal. The other drums employ your remote and nunchuck, with different buttons providing access to toms and cymbals. Alternatively, a conducting mode lets you use your controller as a baton, leading your own mini-orchestra.
Performances can be recorded and sent to friends via WiiConnect24. Your mates can then sit back and enjoy the performance (complete with snazzy camera angles of your band in action) or add some of their own musical magic to the tune and send it back to you. Long-distance collaborative jam sessions may be just the thing to get you through those long dark winter evenings...
Open mic night
Wii Music is another one of those offbeat Nintendo treats that redefine what you can do with a games console. If you're fed up with over-competitive Rock Band louts or can't play SingStar to save your life, this might make a great audio alternative.
Preview by: Keith 'Beat Box' Stuart
Preview Published: 24.10.08