One of Nintendo’s biggest new titles, Wii Music, is hitting some sour notes with reviewers. Many don’t seem sure what to make of it. Do you review it as a game when there are few elements that actually require traditional game-play methods? Or is it more like a simulator? Although the title allows players to play more than 60 virtual instruments by waving around the Wiimote and Nunchuk, it doesn’t really teach users how to play a real instrument or even how to read music. You just move around, and music comes out. There are no wrong notes or incorrect ways to play.

So far, out of 11 published reviews tracked at Metacritic, Wii Music has an anemic Metascore of 63 out of 100 — a disappointing rating for such a highly touted title. Worse, since it came out Tuesday, 25 users at the site have given it an average score of 3.9 out of 10. Opinions are higher at Amazon, where customers have given it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars, although only 8 people have weighed in so far. In Sunday’s Star Tribune, I’m running an Associated Press review (I didn’t receive a copy to write a review in time for our publication deadline) that gives the game 1 1/2 stars out of 4.

As a lifelong musician, my biggest problem with Wii Music is that its many virtual instruments sound as if they were realized by a 1970s synthesizer. I’d be more impressed with it if the sounds had been sampled from real instruments. I also don’t care for the overly cute graphics and presentations that pervade Nintendo’s titles. But I can’t deny that Wii Music was a fine diversion for the few hours I’ve played it so far.

I have a feeling that Wii Music is a title whose innovations won’t be realized until people have a chance to delve more deeply into what it offers, including online elements that allow users to share their musical creations with one another. But the title’s mixed initial reception might keep most people from even giving it a try.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 24th, 2008 at 11:30 am and is filed under Video games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.