Here's the thing: you can predict how a game may play or how it is overall, but you can never pass judgment before you actually play it. The same goes for movies and music. You can predict your feelings, but you can never let your foresight drive your present opinion. You, of all people, need to learn to open your mind.
Uh... no hobo. Thanks for the life lesson though. While we're handing out the life lessons, copy-pasta'ing your last post into your new one, assuming none of us are capable of reading, is not a good way to make a point. Instead, I'd consider that perhaps we read your points and are still unconvinced, so you need to further the point, not just repeat it. And a bit of proof reading never hurt anyone.
I don't know about that. It didn't seem you read the last post. There are the articles too, but I'll assume your a busy man.
Actually, what you said is what I did to some degree at least. But since I'm feeling a spark to write I'll assume you were right and try again.
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The problem with Wii Music, or the problem it is having, is that it is looked at with unconditioned minds, or at least, one-track-minds (for lack of a better phrase). We are only looking at what we know, and not seeing what a game could be. By playing the same the same way too often, we condition ourselves to only see games ina certain light. So, perhaps the problem isn't Wii Music, but us.
As I mentioned before Wii Music is clumped in with many other games, but doesn't actually fit with them. As Justin Epperson says in his preview
We clump the game in with other games. Wii Music is obviously not what we are use to. It is different. Once again, look at
Matt's video. Notice how he focused on only the main notes. He rarely veered off, and he always kept the display up. Remember this.......
As explained, Wii Music is a music game as opposed to a rhythm game. So what's the difference. Well, as Malstrom describes Guitar Hero in
Why Wii Music is GeniusThe divining line is creation verses imitation. For instance, look at a Guitar Hero guitar. You can put it near a real guitar and you can easily see the difference. The main similarity is the shape (which reinforces that it is meant for acting, not creating). What sets them apart if one has many attributes while one has very few. Where the real one has strings and knobs for tuning (forgive my lack of technical knowledge) the other is five buttons and a switch at the lower end. One can make real music while the other can only hit notes in a game. But that's OK,; the plastic one's purpose is to make someone feel like they are playing a guitar, and to help the player get immersed in the game. It is a controller and nothing more.
So it becomes a problem with differencing the two. Basically, Rythm games are not music game since the purpose is to mimic, imitate and/or match the song playing. Wii Music is not becuase it gives you freedom in how the song should be played. You can create and alter the song as you please. In fact, compare
this video to Matt's. Can you see the difference. The Game Video one only had the hud up for a short while. Matt had it though his entire video. The second one also had a lot more variation on the main song, and stayed that way after the earlier segments. Matt, on the other hand, stuck to the notes after a few seconds in. One may say he was playing this much like Guitar Hero, focusing on matching the notes, rather then make his own. Malstrom reinforces this by saying.....
We mix the two up a lot. We see games like Guitar Hero, and even other Nintendo games like Donkey Konga as music games, rather then rhythm games. In truth, this is also becuase we've never had a game like Wii Music, so we never had the definition checked.
Which brings me to the point. Conditioning is what has been creating the Wii Music problem. What has been happening is we are seeing Wii Music in parameters we know and nothing beyond that. Example, the complaint is it is too easy. Yes, it is rather easy to hit the notes, but let us look at the second video again. You remember how the player refused to focus on just the notes as opposed to Matt? He realized his goal was not to match the rhythm of the song, but to make it as his own. So, when he played, he didn't focus on how the song was meant, but how the song felt to him. In this respect, the same song won't be played the same across many different players. It will always sound a little different. This is why Wii Music is about creation, and the rhythm games about imitation. Regrettably, this is a major cause of the trouble. Since we are conditioned to these "music games," we don't see the same song as being different. The notes always scroll the same way every time you play. Therefore, this is where the confusion of the gaming being too easy came from. We looked only at hitting the notes(Matt) rather then forgetting them and making a song(Game Videos video).
Of course, we return to the the winning/losing part. Why is this argued? As Malstrom mentioned, games such as JRPGs are focused on building the characters level. This is a game devoid of true skill. Platformers with collectibles focus less on the arcade like skill of platforms and more on the collecting aspect. Even Mario Paint, which many hardcore love, is like Wii Music in that there is no objective beyond creation and personal enjoyment; there is no skill in this game. So why are the hardcore so pressed for the lack of losing and high scores (despite these are irrelevant in most games)?
It's all about conditioning and definition. You see, we have a set idea what a music (rhythm) game is like. You hit notes to a popular song and try for harder difficulties and high scores. You'd be hard pressed to find a music game that breaks this mold. And so the appauled feeling sets in. Comparing Wii Music to Guitar Hero is, as cliche as it is, comparing apples to oranges. "What are you talking about? They are similar enough! What's the matter!?"
The matter is they are only similar in the fact they are music oriented, but even on that front, they very quite a bit. Miyamoto, in his demonstration at the 2008 Nintendo Press Conference, mentioned that Wii Music has 50 songs, none of which are on the top 40. The focus is on simple songs. Even though both use songs, the idea in choosing songs is different. Rhythm games focus on having popular songs that players what to imitate while Wii Music has simple songs that are easy to play by a wide range of players.
Even after that, the gap only widens. As mentioned before, the peripherals for these games are meant to imitate. But Wii Music tries to replicate a real instrument rather then giving you a mock one for the purpose of imitate playing music. The controller in Wii Music is meant to act as if you are playing an instrument. In the press conference video, you can see Miyamoto play a piano much like you would in real life. You move your fingers across it, where this on ios simply moving your hands, but the result will still feel the same to an average player. A guitar in Wii Music is the same where the movement of your hand, changing how fast and how far you pluck the strings effects the sound. The Guitar Hero guitar has you simply pressing buttons and flicking a switch. This is like a real guitar, but making sounds isn't about button presses(becuase it is a controller). In other words, Wii Music has you imitating instruments to make music while rhythm games have you imitating playing a real song. The rhythm games are all about imitation, something Wii Music isn't.
And of course, there is no high score or difficulty setting. Stephen Totilo mentiones this in his editorial
I Think I Finally Get It - How ‘Wii Music’ Works As A (Hard) Game.
To parrot myself, here is where the confusion comes from. We think it's about making the grade, but it's not the case. When the core sees the lack of a score of life bar they call fowl. They do so not becuase the game is bad, but becuase the game is different and doesn't fit the idea of a music game. "But" they declare "How can it be hard. Why should I keep playing?" First, I'd say why does it matter. As long as it is fun, you should continue. This is Intrinsic Motivation. If you are going to do something anyway, why reward it. In fact, if you put a reward, someone may be less likely to do it.
Of course, just becuase you can't "win" nor are there any indications of difficulty, it is still there. The absents of evidence isn't the evidence of absents. In fact, as Stephen Totilo mentioned, making and creating videos of your songs that are interesting and sound pleasing is no easy task, and might be why the game gives you easy songs to start with. One might say it requires a musical bone to be good at this game. In fact, he sums up the point rather well.
And so it comes together. We have clumped it with game that are focused on winning and setting scores, but this is about creating music, which is part of the challenge. The hardcord squawk that there is no difficulty, but it's not a matter that there isn't , but that it wasn't what they normally see as difficulty.
Wii Music is breaking the mold and it is only one in Nintendo's long line of games that redefine gaming. This is perhaps why Malstrom gives the antithesis of the fact that there are no games, but digital play. It's not that this is a new thing. Wii Sport did the same thing, yet the core never complained. Wii Sports never contradicted the norm of sports games. You are still playing sports, just now with a fancy controller. Wii Play showed new and fun possibilities of the controller. However, the core sat idly by becuase it was just a minigame collection. Wii Fit showed that games have a different purpose then just escape, even being useful. The core saw it as a weight loss game they wouldn't care about. There was no idea to shatter. But Wii Music is a "music" game, or so everyone though. It broke the mold of what a music game is. Now, these "music" games can only be accurately described as "rhythm" games. The other Wii games have tried to push gaming in a new direction, but Wii Music took a hit becuase it directly contradicted what a "music" game is. Thus, it became inferior in the core's eyes.
Wii Music is just another step in redefining gaming. Why is Wii Music so bad. According to Malstrom, it's becuase the core
do not possess the imagination to see gaming in its new forms that are blossoming across the fields of Iwata’s New World.And new types of games are born.
Sources
Sean Malstrom Why Wii Music is Genius IGN-"La Bamba Waggle Fest"1Up Wii Music Preview by Justin EppersonWii Music F-Zero (From Game Videos)Nintendo Press Conference 2008 Wii Music demonstrationStephen Totilo I Think I Finally Get It - How ‘Wii Music’ Works As A (Hard) Game.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hope I didn't stray too far off.
You are right on the proof reading. Some of my long post don't becuase I try and do them quickly before going to sleep, school, friends ect.
Not sure. Can't find it.
