Austin City Limits: We Played Wii Music!

When we were offered a bit of a break during ACL's daily activities for a hands-on jam session, we couldn't pass it up. Nintendo has a trailer set up in this year's artist lounge section, and we were escorted there to get a first hand look at "Wii Music." Although the demo version only contained five songs, we were able to try out any of the 60 different instruments it teaches you to play, starting out with a ukulele -- probably not the best choice.

You have to hold the Wii-motes like you would the instrument in question, and through a bit of trial and error, you can (eventually) learn how to harmonize, keep rhythms and time signatures, or beat-box (yes, they have a rap function).

While this is surely innovative as far as education and gaming goes, our first thought was it would be way too time consuming for the "casual" gamer to really get into. But then, as we laid down the foundations of an acoustic reggae version of the "Super Mario Brothers" theme song, we changed our minds a bit.

Nintendo is being super secretive regarding the music tracks the game will come with, but it does promise that you can make your own songs by recording them, and overdubbing/mixing in other instruments along the way. Think your special jam needs a more polka flavor? Yes, you will be able to add that accordion in. It was apparent that even if you're a "Rock Band" / "Guitar Hero" aficionado, "Wii Music" adds a much different dimension to the "be a musician simulation" genre -- you can actually learn to be one. -- Michael D. Ayers