Joystiq E3 hands-on: Wii Music
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Jul 19th 2008 at 10:25AM }
If music snobs dismiss the skill required to play games like Rock Band or Guitar Hero, which do require talent to play and succeed, then those folks are going to have a full-blown aneurysm if Wii Music becomes a best seller. Our experience with the game was interesting, but we can't imagine spending more time with it beyond testing out the features or using it to entertain a
Gallery: Wii Music
As for the gameplay, we tested out the standalone drum kit and the band feature.
The drum kit is basically a virtual drum set using the Wiimote and Nunchuk as sticks to bang the air, while Wii Fit's balance board is used as the foot peddle. It works fine and it's better than listening to your kid discover the joys of banging two pots together over and over again.
The jam session is interesting for the fact that there are over 60 instruments to play in six categories: bass, percussion, second percussion, chord, lead and harmony. Here's just a small selection of the midi-sounding instruments: tambourine, castanets, hand clap, beat box, DJ scratching, basic drums, rock drums, marching snare, taiko, maracas, jaw harp, electric bass, upright bass, trumpet, sax, bagpipe, tuba, violin, piano, toy piano, harpsichord, vibraphone, steel drum and sitar. Even though a lot of those sound cool, making music is still nothing beyond wiggling this, waggling that or pressing some button. The notes just play themselves as the player creates the tempo.
The one thing we really wanted to try was the conductor mini-game showed off during the Nintendo's 2006 press conference, but that wasn't available.
Although there may be something we're completely missing, it's quite clear that if the final product is anything like what we experienced, Wii Music is not for gamers. It certainly looks like it could have applications in rehab centers or entertaining a child, but we'll stick with Guitar Hero or Rock Band. Sure, those games are just as "fake" as Wii Music, but at least we feel like we're making music instead of being a tempo creation slave.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Alan @ Jul 19th 2008 10:35AM
From what I've read, I wouldn't lump Wii Music in with Wii Sports. At least with Wii Sports there's an actual game involved.
WhoMe @ Jul 19th 2008 12:17PM
When will you (and much of the gaming press) realise that Nintendo is not even TYRING to cater to your "core gamer" needs.
This isn't even a game targetted at adults, which is more than obvious, but the press keeps treating it as such (and just about every other Nintendo game).
You keep moaning about how Nintendo has changed, well guess what, they may have changed, but YOU have changed more, you grew up and now you have different tastes. Meanwhile Nintendo smelled the money "casual games" bring in and guess what? They like it. They are in the business of making money afterall.
And when are you going to realize E3 isn't solely targetted at you "1337 core gamers", especially the press conferences (think mainstream media and shareholders).
Why don't you take an adult approach to this product and go "yes I could see children having a blast with this, it's something for parents to play with their kids" instead of going " It's not as cool as Guitar Hero It takes no skill!".
Nintendo isn't even interested in you anymore, build a bridge and GET OVER IT.
In short, very unprofessional Joystiq.
Samuel D. Lockhart @ Jul 19th 2008 12:24PM
@WhoMe
"We offer a unique focus on gamer culture catering to an intelligent gamer fan readership both hardcore and casual." - Joystiq.com About page
Seems to me like you're accusing Joystiq of not noting Nintendo's audience. Seems to me like Joystiq are just writing to THEIR audience.
danny841 @ Jul 19th 2008 12:30PM
@WhoMe
I'm totally not taking issue with the fact that Nintendo has a successful business model. I understand WHY they are doing it, I just wish they weren't. Can you honestly say you agree with it? Are you going to choke down the regurgitated tripe that is Wii Music with glee? I didn't think so. At a certain point you as a gamer grow tired of all this show with no reward. It's nothing more than a child's toy that the child will quickly grow bored with. I simply cannot fathom how one can call it a game because for all intents and purposes it does not meet the requirements to call itself a game.
And Joystiq is a gamer blog. The core gamer is their target audience. I don't get how you could refer to this post as unprofessional. If I saw this over at gamasutra then yeah I'd call it unprofessional. Here? I see it as speaking to the growing number of gamers who used to have so much fun with their hobby and are now growing more and more disillusioned with their hobby.
WhoMe @ Jul 19th 2008 12:43PM
So what exactly are the target comsumers of this game if not casual?
Joystiq says "Wii Music is not a game, it's a toy". Seems like they don't understand the implecation of their own words, because they go on to bitch about how it's not Guitar Hero.
I'm just saying: forget about the Nintendo you think you once knew. How many more consoles does Nintendo need to make before people will understand.
Wake up, move on and please view their products in the right context. That is not "this is a failed Guitar Hero, what is Nintendo thinking?" but rather "this is aimed at children, how well does it succeed at that?".
Samuel D. Lockhart @ Jul 19th 2008 12:39PM
In which case Joystiq say they haven't done well at that. The toy piano you can bang at and make correct notes is the better value product.
Danny @ Jul 19th 2008 12:40PM
My main problem is that it simply isn't a game!
It's just waggling with sounds and lights attached. Even little kids should grow bored with this. I know the 10 year old me would be immensely disinterested with this and I can only hope most other kids see that too but they probably won't. Media aimed at children be it a game, movie, or music does not have to be inherently dumb.
WhoMe @ Jul 19th 2008 12:42PM
Danny:
"Can you honestly say you agree with it? Are you going to choke down the regurgitated tripe that is Wii Music with glee?"
Yes I agree with their actions and business model. It makes them a lot of money and they have done more to bring consoles back into people's homes than any other manufacturer. Will I "choke down" Wii Music? If you mean, will I purchase it, then no, no I won't because I am not their demographic: I'm too old for it and I don't have children.
"It's nothing more than a child's toy that the child will quickly grow bored with. I simply cannot fathom how one can call it a game because for all intents and purposes it does not meet the requirements to call itself a game."
You are right, it is a toy. Most people would also call it a game. What are the requirements to label something as a "game" according to you I wonder. This is perhaps more a "game" than the average FPS in the strictest sense of the word...
"I see it as speaking to the growing number of gamers who used to have so much fun with their hobby and are now growing more and more disillusioned with their hobby."
When you grow up your tastes and interests change. That's only natural. Like I said, I don't know how old you are, but seems to me like you are not in Nintendo's age category anymore. It would be as if you walked into a store and looked at the Fisher price toys and went "tsk, they're not making my kind of toys anymore :(".
Danny @ Jul 19th 2008 12:48PM
"You are right, it is a toy. Most people would also call it a game. What are the requirements to label something as a "game" according to you I wonder. This is perhaps more a "game" than the average FPS in the strictest sense of the word.."
A game is anything with a set of rules, a goal, and a reward. That said this isn't a game.
"It would be as if you walked into a store and looked at the Fisher price toys and went "tsk, they're not making my kind of toys anymore :(."
I fucking loved Wall-E, The Incredibles, and many other supposed kids movies. Again media aimed at children does not have to be half assed.
eNrique @ Jul 19th 2008 2:53PM
i think this is the game that you can play with your friends when you are drunk, and still, you can make music. TAKE THAT ROCK BAND!!!
Sora @ Jul 19th 2008 3:27PM
I wouldn't let my drunk friends play this simply because they'd probably end up breaking half the stuff in my house with Wiimotes. >_>
Saria the Cat @ Jul 19th 2008 4:12PM
@WhoMe: I thought Nintendo's new demographic was the "family," including not just children but the mother and aunts and grandparents. Who, while not being "hardcore gamers," will still be able to look at shovelware like this crap and realize it's a waste of their time and money since they have brains. I would hope it would take something a tiny bit more complicated than Wii Music to entertain my mom for hours (no mom jokes please).
Besides, you bitching about people bitching just compounds the annoying factor of whining in the first place. Go find something real to complain about instead of complaining about people complaining.
I DeX I @ Jul 19th 2008 10:35AM
I picked up a Wii w/ Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart and Zelda a couple of months ago. There was joy, excitement and many thrills. Now it is collecting dust. Nintendo has got to keep the ball rolling. Oh, and where the hell is Mario All-Stars for download. They would rather charge five bucks each for the NES versions than put out the superior (in my opinion) SNES upgrade. How about Mega Man 2 for goodness sake. That was my fav MM back in the day.
Lijik @ Jul 19th 2008 11:28AM
Good news for you, Capcom announced a while ago that they're bringing both MM1 and MM2 to the Virtual Console outside of Japan.
mietha CAG @ Jul 19th 2008 10:35AM
Wow. Nintendo creates yet another worthless piece of shit that morons will buy and never play/use. Big surprise. Nice to see the media agreeing with that sentiment for once though.
Lord Bowser @ Jul 19th 2008 11:02AM
What a potty mouth you have. Stop embarrassing yourself.
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Jul 19th 2008 11:32AM
First act of a bad debater is often to attack the person of the unimportant details rather than the arguement itself. When your first rebuttal does that, you've lost.
aristokrat @ Jul 19th 2008 11:57AM
Ad hominem attacks FTL
Lord Bowser @ Jul 19th 2008 12:03PM
Go through his comment history. The kids last three comments all contain a curse word. I'm not against swearing, only it is needed. Excessive swearing shows a poor upbringing and brings shame onto that person's family.
I'm not being judgemental, I'd like to add.
riggs @ Jul 19th 2008 12:43PM
id rather see cursing than being a douche (read through YOUR post history)
Chilly Willy @ Jul 19th 2008 12:50PM
I agree with Lord Bowser in that every argument involves the credibility of the source and if someone can't state their case without resorting to swears, I don't think they should be the one to argue the point in the first place. Lord Bowser is NOT arguing against his claim, but rather that particular person is not worth arguing against.
AUS_JD @ Jul 19th 2008 11:21PM
"Lord Bowser is NOT arguing against his claim, but rather that particular person is not worth arguing against."
Hence he is dismissing the content of mietha CAGs' post without evaluating the content on its' own merits.
AD HOMINEM
It is a classic example of ad hominem argument where the attacker, in this case Lord Bowser, seemingly does not wish to discuss the points raised by mietha CAG because, perhaps, they are close to the truth and make Lord Bowser uncomfortable? So let’s just call him names or insult his family.
Like "Don't listen to him he's a bad person and he has a bad smell about him and he swears. Swearing is bad." Simplest ad hominem ever.
LAZoftheTamarinds @ Jul 19th 2008 10:39AM
For me it seems like 60 instruments but nothing to play with this game.
Miguel @ Jul 19th 2008 10:42AM
I feel an aneurysm coming on...
SoulBlade @ Jul 19th 2008 10:42AM
This game is clearly not geared to the core gamer, so really all you can expect from this site is a bunch of bitching and moaning about it. I think it's fair to do so given the audience here.
I can see parents being excited about this and wanting their children to play it - it's just one of those things. The Wii isn't a system like the 360 or PS3 - it's doing business another way and succeeding at it. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Simple.
I certainly won't be buying this game.
darth_nazgul @ Jul 19th 2008 10:44AM
They are trying to make us get up to play games, but at the same time making us lazier.
darth_nazgul @ Jul 19th 2008 10:44AM
They are trying to make us get up to play games, but at the same time making us lazier.
Lord Bowser @ Jul 19th 2008 10:44AM
I hope this is the game that kills the music genre, or at least stabs the genre in the face, leaving it ugly and infected.
Seriously, I loathe these type of games with a passion. All of them: DDR, Parappa, Rock Band. Not to be a "hardcore elitist" (whatever that means, as they were discussing on Wiifanboy), but these games bring in the American Idol crowd into gaming, and I really don't want to see them influence my hobby. Let them, people like our Angry Eric, have another distraction; this is our hobby.
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Jul 19th 2008 11:30AM
Yeah, get all those newbie gamers out of here. People who bought 14 million copies of WiiPlay, or the millions of copies of WiiFit so far.
Seriously, dude. The hell? Music based gameplay has been around for a long time and to wish ill upon the same genre that gave us Amplitute/Frequency, Space Channel 5, and Gitaroo Man? Die in a fire.
Lord Bowser @ Jul 19th 2008 11:40AM
First act of a bad debater is to throw in a flippant, threatening comment as an intimidation technique. When you bookend with violence, you've lost.
ChooChooCharlie @ Jul 19th 2008 12:51PM
I seriously doubt that games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero are attracting the American Idol crowd to gaming that much.
One thing you are forgetting is that the developers of these games (well, Harmonix, at least) love music. Much of their staff are in bands of their own. So I don't think they would be too keen on changing future titles to include a majority of the ear-bleeding excrement the American Idol crowd is so fond of. It's true that Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance have already been a part of the roster, but I don't foresee any Keith Urban or Nelly BS being added any time soon (thank god).
Plus, I doubt American Idol fans can even tie their shoes. So, it doesn't seem too likely that they'll stick with a genre long enough for developers to ruin it by catering to them. Once the next new and shiny past-time comes into the spotlight, the herd will focus on that instead.
riggs @ Jul 19th 2008 12:54PM
admit it, you dont like moving cause youre fat.
Lord Bowser @ Jul 19th 2008 1:06PM
Wow, Riggs. Two potshots in one thread. Are you my new stalker? Sorry, pretty boy, I'm taken. I appreciate the fanmail, though. Keep up the hard work networking and elevating yourself on myspace. And stay off Nahright, that's a distraction. Who's a cute boy, who's a cute boy; you are. Now go play.
Sora @ Jul 19th 2008 3:33PM
QQ more please, I'll be enjoying myself playing Rock Band with my friends who can't play real instruments while you sit there bitching about music games.
And really, if these games bring American Idol fans into gaming (Which I doubt), they were probably gamers long before they were American Idol fans.
Eric @ Jul 26th 2008 11:37AM
I'm not angry, I just think you're more than a bit of a fraud and a hypocrite.
You make statements about how silly it is to measure how much 'fun' a game is by how 'hardcore' it is, and that is absolutely true. I wouldn't call 'Space Invaders' hardcore but it definitely fun.
But then you blast FPSes for being shallow - yeah, they are - but they are fun. The music genre, which I really like, is fun. You get a facimile of successfully playing a rock instrument, which most people I think imagine at some point, and that's fun.
You always whine and moan about the lack of innovation in the industry, but look at what Harmonix's games have done (I've been playing them since Amplitude). Guitar Hero was a huge innovation (I'm not familiar w/Guitar Freaks, so if I'm not crediting them my apologies), DDR was a huge innovation in gameplay mechanics and genre, and even GH on the DS is a nifty little idea.
The music genre has brought a whole new audience into gaming, and that happened because the game was fun to play. There's nothing wrong with that, just as the DS brought in a whole new audience with new genres.
Playing music (or prentending to) is fun, shooting things from a first person perspective is fun - that's why the former genre has exploded and the latter is perpetually popular.
I like to see innovation in games, and yes, I think the music genre will eventually become a white noise of peripherals and titles (that's another topic); but in the end, when I've spent 30 min to several hours playing a game the only thing that matters is 'did I have fun?'. And a game does not have to be 'hardcore', 'casual' or innovative to accomplish that.
When a great, innovative idea for a game becomes a hit the audience will expand. You can't have it both ways Bowser; a wonderful innovative industry that you can also keep to yourself.
darth_nazgul @ Jul 19th 2008 10:45AM
whoops at double post!
Curmeo 2.0 @ Jul 19th 2008 10:48AM
Miyamoto: Wii Music Is "Better Than A Video Game" from http://kotaku.com/5026431/miyamoto-wii-music-is-better-than-a-video-game
JRM @ Jul 19th 2008 10:49AM
Well, in Japan, families often do karaoke together and none of them are professional singers (quite the contrary actually). Wii music seems like some kind of instrumental karaoke.
It's not a hardcore game (in fact It's not even a "game"), but I can see more than a few "gamers" picking up the wii-trumpet when that good looking girl starts playing this at a party.
Saria the Cat @ Jul 19th 2008 4:27PM
Oh God, if you see a good-looking girl playing this and actually having fun, don't bother. She just confirmed her 90% looks and 10% brains.
jsn @ Jul 19th 2008 11:10AM
gimmicks posing as games... nothing new here. As long as they keep cranking out hypable fluff it will never end.
Lijik @ Jul 19th 2008 11:30AM
Some of the instruments have me ever so slightly interested. If I can buy it used for a cheap price I'll pick it up just to beat-box and Dj scratch my way through old Nintendo tunes.
Shaq-Fu @ Jul 19th 2008 12:26PM
this wouldn't happen to be a picture of you, would it?
http://www.flippeh.de/funPics/toLazyToRename/luigi%20on%20the%20decks.jpg
Saria the Cat @ Jul 19th 2008 4:33PM
@Shaq-Fu: That's a kind of badass.
j.howlett @ Jul 19th 2008 11:35AM
i just want to try it and do my homer simpson impression. sax-a-ma-phone sax-a-ma-phone
totoro @ Jul 19th 2008 11:55AM
Why would Nintendo bother trying to copy Guitar Hero or Rock Band? Those already exist, and are fun games.
Wii Music is something else, obviously, aimed at a younger audience. How about waiting for the final game before deciding how shitty it is? Judging it based on its own merits rather than "its not Guitar Hero"?
Ewie @ Jul 19th 2008 1:18PM
This sums it up nicely.
http://www.doobiwan.com/2008/07/nintendo-are-officially-evil-again.html
danny841 @ Jul 19th 2008 11:57AM
Miyamoto said he's hoping to get more people interested in music and instruments. Funny Rock Band and Guitar Hero are based on the same ideas.
Anyway, even a moderately dedicated gamer has to see that this is nothing more than a low cost development tech demo that Nintendo can make bank on. In all likelihood it was "finished" last E3 but Nintendo wanted to lead with the Balance Board as opposed to Music.
These kind of mass market low intelligence releases are the reason I will not be buying a Wii anytime soon. I love how Nintendo fanboys are quick to point out Nintendo's success here but shy away from the fact that they have fallen completely out of their target audience.
Nintendo has long since dropped all ambition from their projects and are focusing on shoveling out bullshit for the masses to eat up like candy. I realize I sound a bit anti mainstream here and I suppose I am if mainstream means low cost low thought games that sell extremely well. They've simply found a way to sell tech demos.
Oh and sorry I used the word bullshit in my argument but it was necessary to convey the general sense of distrust and disillusionment I now feel for Nintendo and their business model.
Shaq-Fu @ Jul 19th 2008 12:10PM
Meh, still better than Rock Revolution and its drum set tailored to fit the Vishnus of the world. Probably going to pick it up when Amazon had a sale or something
aristokrat @ Jul 19th 2008 12:12PM
I can't wait to see when this comes out at $50, seeing as that's probably about how much development money they put into it. Recycling Mii's as characters? Free. Midi instruments? Free. If this 'tech demo' (as everyone is calling it) succeeds, it will be 99% pure profit and Nintendo will go laughing to the bank. And they'll just keep going down the same trail, unlike Blizzard which uses its money printer to be more risky/ambitious. Soon we'll have "Wii Shake the Controller Once and You Win" and "Wii Stand in Front of Your TV and Spin in Circles". Or maybe they'll just break out the honesty with "Wii Mediocrity".
Shaq-Fu @ Jul 19th 2008 12:20PM
Blizzard being risky? Diablo III, Starcraft II, yet another WarCraft expansion? They are taking games they know will sell and making them. Same thing with Nintendo, taking something that will sell and making it.
Personally, I can't wait for "Wii Shut Up and Let Miyamoto Create Whatever the Hell he Wants". Be the Wiis first killer app, because when you bitch about how they "don't support you anymore" The game kills you.