Wii Music (Wii)

Wii MUSIC

I think that Wii Music is a tricky game to review.

When I purchased it for my son at Christmas, I visualised a Christmas with all the family joining in and enjoying the game, somehow that didn't really materialise.

I can't really decide exactly what Wii Music is - is it a game, or is it a music sim?

For anyone who is looking for a game like Guitar Hero they will be disappointed. I think many people thought that this game would teach them how to play an instrument but that is not what it is about, Wii Music is actually about the joy of making music. The emphasis seems to lie in having a good time, at the expense of everything else. Whatever you do, you're never told that you did something wrong or given any negative comments at all.
What the game actually does is to the Nintendo Wii's motion-sensing controllers to simulate aspects of playing actual instruments. This is done in a couple different forms:

Players can "Jam" in a variety of formats.
You basically try to follow the tempo of the song and add your own flourishes. You can play with up to four people or even lay down each track with the overdub feature. When finished you can save the music in a video that can be shared and played back.

A second form of the game allows the player to participate in a variety of different mini-games (most of which have multiplayer options).

One of these - Mii Maestro - allows the players to conduct a simulated orchestra, waving their hands around to keep the tempo and add your own embellishments to the composition.

Hand bell Harmony is another mini game, in this game you ring hand bells as the music notes are displayed on the screen, using the Wii remote and nunchuk and ringing them like hand bells.

Pitch Perfect quizzes users on their musical skills by identifying proper pitches, arranging music (in a very basic fashion that does not require the ability to read sheet music), and picking out notes within a chord

The controls on Wii music are kept very simple.
For guitar like instruments you simply strum without worrying about the notes, which are selected by the game engine.
The drums and piano instruments are played by the player waving their hands up and down. The Wii remote and the nunchuk are used to imitate drumsticks (somewhat difficult to as the controllers are much bulkier than actual drumsticks - also the system isn't as quick to respond as it needs to be)

The Brass instruments are played by holding the remote near to the players mouth and using the 1 and 2 buttons.

If you own a Wii Fit you can take advantage of the balance board with the drums.
You can take a drum lesson or do a Jam Session with the drums using the balance board to control the cymbals.

Like all Wii games, the graphics are cartoon like and the game makes use of the Mii characters that users create.
The sound quality is excellent. that the console produces - both the music and sound effects are of a very high standard.

PROS & CONS

PROS

1. Rich, resonant sound.

2. Novel, fun game play using the Wii's controllers.

3. Hand bell Harmony is a lot of fun, especially with several players

-4. Educational

CONS

1.Not enough songs. Though more songs can be unlocked through game play, the list of songs users are able to play at first is rather limited.

2. Can get rather boring pretty quickly

3.The Jam options do not allow for much customisation.

4. At around £30 - £40 the game is expensive for what you get, would have been better as a Wii ware game.

5. You unlock everything in about a week

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Play 60 instruments (including the Dog Suit!)
Virtual Drum Set for the Wii Fit Balance Board
Rated E for Everyone
Part of the "Touch Generations" category
Nitendo Wi-Fi Connection for sharing videos
Up to 4 players (eight if you share controllers on Hand bell Harmony!)

TO CONCLUDE

This is basically a good game and a lot of fun but it does get a bit boring very quickly.
If you can purchase it for less than £20 could be worth it, but I wouldn't pay more, I click 'yes' to recommend on these grounds.

Summary: I give Wii Music 3/5 stars - could do better!!