At $50 for 60+ instruments, you’d think Wii Music is a steal. Based on what we’ve played of the game, it may be a bit on the easy side for rhythm/music game enthusiasts, but for others, it can make for a fun party pasttime. As a future band director, I’m horrified of the possibility that kids will grow up thinking they can play notes at any time and it will sound good, but as a music educator, I’m looking forward to the creative outlet and exposure to so many new instruments.

If you’re not yet decided on whether or not to pick up the game, Nintendo’s launch press release can be read after the break talking about the details and modes of the game. I’ll try to get a review of the game done by next week, but seeing as I’m still playing through Sonic Chronicles…

NINTENDO’S WII MUSIC LETS PLAYERS UNLEASH THEIR INNER MAESTROS

Unique Music Game for Wii Focuses on Improvisation, Creativity and Fun

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 20, 2008 - The sound of trumpets, the clash of cymbals and the thunder of drums herald today’s launch of Wii Music™. Just as Wii Sports™ attracted millions of new players to the world of video games and Wii Fit™ showed people that fitness could be fun, Wii Music creates a whole new genre in video games, one that lets players have fun experimenting with music as they strive to produce fun, masterful arrangements.

“Music is a universal language that inspires and moves people,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Wii Music provides a fun way for people to play together and be entertained while building a fundamental understanding of musical themes and rhythms. Wii Music can motivate people to learn real instruments or enhance their appreciation of musical performances.”

Wii Music brings more than 60 instruments to your living room, where you’re free to experiment with them in a variety of different ways. Unlike other music video games, Wii Music lets you put your own spin on songs. It’s all about improvisation, creativity and fun. The goal is to explore your inner musician to find creative and interesting new blends of instruments, tempos and styles.

To play each instrument, you use the motion-sensing abilities of the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers to mimic the real-life motions of instruments: bow a violin, strike a vibraphone or pluck a sitar. The controllers know if you’re playing fast or slow, hitting the notes gently or really jamming. Musical novices can understand how to play and start carrying a tune instantly, while people who are really into music will have fun creating mixes, rearranging tunes and sharing them with friends.

Songs in the Wii Music catalog can be rearranged with different instruments for a virtually endless variety of sounds. Imagine putting a reggae spin on Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” or turning pop favorites like “Every Breath You Take” or “Please Mr. Postman” into heavy metal tunes. The song list contains everything from American classics like “The Entertainer” to international favorites like “La Cucaracha.” Video game fans will find several Nintendo favorites, like the themes from Super Mario Bros. ™, The Legend of Zelda™ and even Wii Sports.

Wii Music builds on the social gaming trend that Nintendo has pioneered. Not only can up to four musicians jam together on the same song, but once you’ve created your masterpiece, you can send it electronically to friends and family members who have Wii Music so that they can bask in your musical mastery. After they’ve had a listen, they can take your arrangement and add their own flavor to it with new instruments or a different tempo and send it back to you. This allows you to jam together even if you are miles apart.

Finally, Wii Music includes a variety of mini-games that let players create music videos, conduct an orchestra, play in a handbell choir, test their musical ears or even rock out on a virtual drum set. Drum Mode lets you use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers as drumsticks to play like you have a real-life drum set. Drummers who purchase Wii Fit separately also can use the Wii Balance Board™ accessory as virtual pedals for the bass drum and the hi-hat cymbal. But the basic Wii Music experience does not require any extra accessories. All 60+ instruments and 50+ songs are included at an MSRP of just $49.99.

Remember that the Wii™ console features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

For more information about Wii Music, visit www.wiimusic.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.7 billion video games and more than 470 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii and Nintendo DS, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.

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