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
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.
_thumbnail.jpg "i am 8-bit: 2008")
(Page 1) Reader Comments
Reply
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.
"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.
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.
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?".
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.
"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 :(".
"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.
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.
Reply
Reply
I'm not being judgemental, I'd like to add.
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.
Reply
Reply
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.
Reply
Reply
Reply
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.
Reply
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.
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.
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.
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.
Reply
Reply
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.
Reply
Reply
Reply
http://www.flippeh.de/funPics/toLazyToRename/luigi%20on%20the%20decks.jpg
Reply
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"?
Reply
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.
Reply
Reply
Reply
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.