E3 '08: Wii Music
The important message here is that the guy in the picture above is cute. That's the important message because, despite playing Wii Music with a Nintendo rep guiding me along, I'm unable to pay Wii Music too many compliments. It's not awful, in fact it's pretty cute: unfortunately that's about all it is. There isn't much game there, which is the point after all - to remove the challenge from music games, which are of course all the rage at the moment.
With 50 instruments, Wii Music does a decent job of offering up something for everybody, whether you want to play the bass violin or wear a dog suit and bark. Yes, bark. What Wii Music doesn't do is give most gamers a reason to play for very long - while pressing the buttons of the Wiimote in time to the music is enough to actually hear the song you're trying to play, you won't be penalized for freestyling - you'll just hear musical nonsense.
The Wiimote + nunchuck + Wii Balance Board drumkit combo does look super cool, but I wouldn't bet a game's success on air drums that don't actually require much in the way of skill or even attention.
The song selection so far is also pretty Fisher-Price (don't hate me, it's the most accurate and concise description I've got) - I "played" the Super Mario Bros. theme and "Turkey In The Straw," and while cutesy, it was a far cry from rocking out to "Psycho Killer" on Rock Band 2.
I give Wii Music strong points for originality and for taking music games to its target audience, and while this year's Nintendo showings seemed to forget their core gaming audience entirely, Wii Music will be a fun few minutes for non-gaming mothers and very young children. But for adults and more "gamey" gamers, I don't see it being worth the cost. Keep your duckets safe for Wii Sports Resort if a second-cycle, first-party Nintendo Wii game is on your wish list.
tiny dancer
Posted to E3, Hot Stuff, Video Games on 24 July 2008
· Comments (6)
Other stuff like this: nintendo, wii, wii music
Name: Dave
I agree on the guy in the pic being cute, and also being one of many who will not be picking this up.
I was actually excited for it prior to E3, I wasn't expectiung a GH experience or anything but this is just lazy crap.
I can't do anything wrong so theres no challenge and thus no game there imho.
Go Wii Sports Resort I say [which I will be picking up]!
I am completely uninterested in the game.
I will however, take the delightful model on display here for a test drive.
I think he looks a little like Wil Wheaton.
And this game sounds BORING
Seriously, are they intentionally taking the piss?, first a needless add on, then some kind of toasting thing, then something about another thing, and now a singing game that can't even compete with what's already on the Wii.
Heads must start rolling at Nintendo soon, they might bleed money right now, but they'll start haemorrhaging before the years over at this rate.
It's just terrible announcement after terrible announcement, they're like Sony minus blu-ray victory.
Also, the guy is cute, and should be at my house playing games in an unconventional manner.
"Heads must start rolling at Nintendo soon, they might bleed money right now, but they'll start haemorrhaging before the years over at this rate."
Yes, because Nintendo has to be bleeding money right now [eyeroll].
Why would heads roll at Nintendo if this game is hitting their market really well? It's clearly not designed to replicate Rock Band/GH (all music games having to replicate that formula is another topic all together), but you saying that this game isn't going to sell to it's intended audience is just as silly as a soccer mom saying that Gears of War 2 isn't going to sell on 360.
Go the whole hog and in every article posted just start hazarding a guess at what I'll think and pre-empt me even reading it by a day and a half.