Wii Music

When it comes to music and rhythm games, Wii Music stands in a class of its own. Unlike other music games, which penalize players if they don't play perfectly, Wii Music is a musical playground where there are no mistakes. Here anyone can pick up and master the huge array of instruments available, through simple motions like strumming and drumming. Musicians in your band jam by simply playing their instruments to the beat of a song or by improvising to their heart's content. Play faster. Play slower. Skip a beat, or throw in 10 more. No matter what you do, Wii Music automatically transforms your improv stylings into great music. Your music, your way Simple pickup and playability. View larger. Easy controls and learning curve. View larger. Huge array of diverse instruments. View larger. Make music by yourself. View larger. Or with up to 3 friends. View larger. Gameplay: Getting Your Band Together In Wii Music every band has six members: Two play the main melody, two cover the percussion beats, one covers the bass groove and one uses the song's chords to support the melody. As a band, the six members often play their special parts at the same time, though each player can jam however and whenever he or she wants. Play all at once. Take turns in the spotlight. Pair up in creative ways throughout the song. You can bring the band to life by yourself, playing one part at a time-or with up to four players. See game mode below: Solo Play: When you play by yourself, you can add one part at a time to arrange the whole song exactly how you want. The Tutes are on hand to back up your band in any parts you need filled. Multiplayer: When in a band with friends, up to four people can be band members. Wii Friends: Using WiiConnect24, you can send your jam videos to Wii Friends who own Wii Music. They can then watch your performance, modify it to their liking and send their jam videos back to you. Tutes: Your Own Private Back-up Band When not playing with friends, you can invite jam masters known as Tutes to play with you. They'll join a session playing an instrument that each thinks is strong for a specific song. You can simply enjoy the musical camaraderie, or pick up instrument tips by watching them jam. If you choose to watch, the Tutes will show you lots of techniques for many of these instruments, then ask you to follow their examples. They'll start with the simplest techniques, then as you master each one, show you even more nuanced ones. Key Game Features: Easy to Play Improv Jams - All members of your band jam by simply playing their instruments to the beat of a song or by improvising to their heart's content. Play faster. Play slower. Skip a beat, or throw in 10 more. Wii Music challenges you to transform your improv stylings into great music. There are no mistakes and no game scores-just playing for the pure joy of playing. Wii Controls Immerse You in the Music - You can play most of the 60-plus instruments in Wii Music using simple motions with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. Strum to play guitar, banjo and sitar. Drum to play jazz drums, congas and snare drums. Hammer away to play piano, vibraphone and marimba. Unlike most music games, Wii Music doesn't make you use many complex buttons. You only need to imitate playing the instrument. Virtually Endless Ways to Make Music - You choose the song and instruments and decide whether to blaze through a rock take on classical songs, put a jazzy spin on folk tunes or transform Nintendo classics like the Super Mario Bros. theme into Latin-flavored numbers. The song list is only a takeoff point-it's how you improvise with the songs that matters. Share Your Band Jams With Friends - They'll see your Mii band members, your players' improv styles and your instrument selections. They can watch your recordings, or play over parts of your song, then send their modified recording back to you. So you can send improv jams back and forth over WiiConnect24, changing them again and again. 60+ Instruments You can play most of the 60-plus instruments in Wii Music using simple motions with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. Strum to play guitar, banjo and sitar. Drum to play jazz drums, congas and marching drums. Hammer away to play piano, vibraphone and marimba. Unlike most music games, Wii Music doesn't make you use complex buttons. You only need to imitate playing the instrument. Wii Music offers virtually endless ways to make music. Fun Beyond the Jam Designed with classic Wii gameplay in mind, Wii Music includes many other modes and play options besides the main band jams, including several musical games and an enhanced video playback mode for recorded jams. Videos Mode: Watch your jam videos in an enhanced playback mode that brings your jams to life with fun environmental effects and dramatic camera angles. Mii Maestro: By waving the Wii Remote like a conductor's baton in this mini-game, you'll lead a Mii orchestra through orchestrated songs, such as The Legend of Zelda theme. Make them play quickly, slowly, strongly or gently-the orchestra is at your command. Handbell Harmony: In this musical mini-game, you'll play in a handbell ensemble by swinging your Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Everyone on the team has a job to do: play one of your notes only when the tune demands it. Pitch Perfect: How good is your musical ear? In this whimsical musical quiz, you'll have to solve challenges, like putting note-playing Miis in order from lowest to highest pitch. Drum Mode: In the one mode that uses the Wii Balance Board accessory (sold with Wii Fit), you can feel what it's like to play a real-life drum set. You'll use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as drumsticks, and place both feet on the Wii Balance Board-which work as virtual pedals for the bass drum and hi-hat cymbal.

Includes Black Wii Console, Black Wii Remote Plus, Black Nunchuk, New Super Mario Bros. Wii game pack and Super Mario Galaxy Official Soundtrack. New Super Mario Bros. Wii: A classic Mario adventure that everyone can enjoy. This Side scrolling Platformer for 1-4 players has a game rating of "E" with Comic Mischief. Language is English, Spanish and French. Mario has made a mighty leap out into the galaxy. We've also made the leap to full surround orchestration for the music that paints the backdrop to Mario games. Much as a multitude of stars come together to create a galaxy, many musicians have come together to create music to fill your hearts.

Console-based video gaming is one of the most popular of modern digital technologies, cutting across age, demographic and gender divides. Today's players have three dominant platforms to choose from: Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 by Microsoft. Each is an impressive multifunctional device, with designs meant to encourage integration into existing home entertainment systems and networks, but each goes about this in different ways. Taking a few minutes to examine the main features, and getting more familiar with available options, accessories and possible limitations of each console is the optimal way to determine which is the best choice for the players in a household. Console Choices   Wii View larger PlayStation 3 View larger Xbox 360 View larger Models and Pricing (prices may vary) Wii with Mario Kart Wii - $149 160 GB memory - $250 320 GB memory - $300 4 GB memory - $200 250 GB memory - $300 What's in the Box Wii console Wii Mario Kart game One Wii Remote Plus controller One Nunchuk controller Wii Sensor bar Standard composite cable and power cord PS3 console One wireless controller A/V cable for connection to TV USB cable for charging controller Free PlayStation Network (PSN) membership Xbox 360 console One Xbox 360 wireless controller Composite A/V cable (standard definition) A month free Xbox LIVE Gold membership Motion Gaming? Already included PlayStation Move (sold separately) Kinect for Xbox 360 (sold separately) Colors (limited edition colors may be available) White and black Black Black Drive Type CD (just games) CD/DVD/Blu-ray (games, music, movies) CD/DVD (games, music, movies) Online Play WiiWare PlayStation Network (PSN) Xbox LIVE Additional Accessories Additional controllers - $10-45 Additional controllers - $40-50 Additional controllers - $40-50 Price Range of Games New releases: ~$30 - $50 Downloadable: ~$5 - $10 New releases: ~$60 Motion: ~$40 Downloadable: ~$5 - $15 New releases: ~$60 Motion: ~$50 Downloadable: ~$5 - $15 Backwards Compatibility Plays all GameCube game titles Offers compatibility with PS1 games Over 300 titles developed for the original Xbox console are currently available Graphic Quality 480p 1080p 1080p Great For Designed for Junior to Grandma with titles generally focused on family fun, party games High-powered and highly customizable system for the technical-minded consumers Offers a wide selection of games and accessible entertainment, with user-friendly social tools Arcade, Casual and Party games are a Wii Specialty. View larger. Consider Games Before Choosing a Console There is not just one kind of console video game, and so the machines that are are used to play them are different as well. Considering the types of games to be played, their availability for the consoles being considered and the ability of those consoles' to present the best gaming experience possible for the game's genre and content is important. The games developed for Wii tend to be more easily accessible, family-friendly productions heavily influenced by Nintendo's classic gaming history. Filled with cartoon-like and childlike characters as well as Arcade-style gameplay situations, Wii games are often referred to as "Casual Games," or "Party Games" typified by brief, simple "mini-games." These small games-within-games are tailor-made for players new to the puzzle-solving aspects of gaming and how that is translated through game controllers to the screen by the player. PS3 and Xbox 360 provide the processing power that Action-Adventure, Shooter, Racing and RPG games need. View larger. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles are the current version of earlier console releases whose user bases were rooted in game genres such as Action-Adventure, Shooters, Racing, Sports, Role-playing games (RPG) and so on. Gameplay developed in these genres tends to require more focus on the part of the player, and more graphics processing power from the console in order to maintain a quality experience. That is what continues to be the main focus of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Capable of full 1080p HD quality graphics presentation when used with the proper cables and displays, in this area Xbox 360 and PS3 are far beyond what Wii is capable of. Iconic game franchises like Halo, God of War, Fable, Metal Gear Solid, Gears of War, Killzone, Mass Effect, The Elder Scrolls and many others have grown up on these platforms, feeding off of their power. And with the rise of online multiplayer gaming through Xbox LIVE and PSN the high energy, fine graphical specialties of these platforms only continues to grow. Motion Gaming Although motion gaming has been front and center since the launch of the Wii in 2006, the other two consoles have their own motion gaming offerings that provide unique play opportunities on their respective platforms that have also found a wide audience. See a breakdown of the motion gaming capacity of each of the systems below. Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk The Wii Remote Plus controller is the standard wireless controller that ships with each Wii. It combines the intuitive motion controls of the original Wii Remote with the precision technology of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, all built-in to a single unit. The device is handled in a wand-like fashion, and uses internal gyroscope and accelerometer technology to pinpoint the players movements and physical positioning which it then relates into a game via a sensor bar connected to the console. The Wii Remote Plus has only a few buttons making it easy to use. It also contains a speaker, a rumble feature, and an external connector for other input devices like the Nunchuk controller and the Classic Controller. PlayStation Move PlayStation Move offers a new and innovative gaming experience for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) system by fusing realistic, high-definition gaming along with accurate, intuitive control. Consisting of a PlayStation Move motion controller, a PlayStation Move Navigation controller (optional in most games) and a PlayStation Eye camera (all sold separately), PlayStation Move enables sophisticated, ultra accurate motion control and immersive gameplay only possible on the PS3 system. In addition, the PlayStation Eye features the ability to process up to 120 frames/second and a built-in 4 microphone array for pristine video quality and video chat capabilities. Kinect for Xbox 360 Easy to use and fun for everyone, Kinect sensor for Xbox 360 utilizes revolutionary full-body tracking to put players in the center of the fun that is 100% controller-free. After configuring itself by registering a range of points across your body, this amazing technology allows Kinect to recognize and mirror your movements in the game, in effect making your body the controller. The sensor is compatible with every Xbox 360, features a color VGA motion camera (640 x 480 pixel resolution @ 30 frames per second), a depth camera (640 x 480 pixel resolution @ 30 frames per second) and an array of 4 microphones supporting single speaker voice recognition. Wii Remote Plus & Nunchuk. View larger PlayStation Eye & Motion controller. View larger Controller-free Kinect sensor play. View larger Online Play and Functionality Online functionality is a major focus in console gaming. Each of the three consoles can be used offline, but by integrating them into your home broadband connection you can greatly expand their potential. Each posses a significant online component, but differ in the ways users can interact with it. WiiWare is a service that allows Wii players to download games and applications directly to their Wii console in exchange for purchased Wii Points on the Wii Shop Channel. Online gameplay requires a code to play. It's free to play and there are no names, so kids are protected against unwanted contact. Through Wii's online component players can also gain access to hundreds of classic arcade games available for download through Wii's Virtual Console functionality. The Nintendo Channel allows players to watch gameplay videos, trailers, developer interviews, and even download Nintendo DS game demos wirelessly. Additional Wii online functionality includes a web browser and connectivity with Netflix,* which allows users to stream video efficiently and quietly by means of the console's low energy consumption internal processing. PlayStation Network is an all access pass not only to a world of gaming, but also one of entertainment at-large. The service is 100% free, only requiring a PS3 (or PlayStation handheld) and a broadband connection to the Internet. Once you are in visit the PlayStation Store where users can download games, previews, DLC add-ons for games, game demos, game extras, music and streaming video. Purchases can be made using a credit card or a PlayStation Network Card purchased offline. Content can be stored on your console or external media. Online multiplayer gameplay through PSN is simple, yet robust. Simply slip a compatible multiplayer disc into the console, select the multiplayer option and set up your own game or wait to join one in progress. The service also contains Netflix access,* a range of original gaming-oriented video programming, as well as access to PlayStation Home, a 3D world where gamers can interact in a virtual environment. Xbox LIVE is the online entertainment hub for Xbox 360. The service was launched with the original Xbox console in 2002, and has evolved and grown with Xbox 360. The service is two-tiered, with every user receiving a free "Silver membership," which allows for access to content such as free game demos, downloaded video rentals, Xbox LIVE avatar functionality and chat. A paid "Gold Membership" provides access to these and expanded features, including online gaming, HD movies and TV shows through services such as Netflix,* HBO Go,** ESPN, and Hulu Plus, downloadable games, facebook, downloadable content (DLC) for games and more. Players use Xbox LIVE points, which as easily purchased online and offline to access much of the online content. Both Xbox LIVE membership levels allow players to increase their Gamer Score, a running tally of the achievements they have unlocked in games. This is commonly shared information among gamers around the world and a source of pride in the community. * Existing Netflix unlimited membership account required. ** Requires a valid subscription to HBO content through a cable or satellite provider.

A Link to the Future One of the most storied franchises in history soars to new heights. The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword shakes up the tried-and-true adventure game formula and marks a turning point for the franchise. The introduction of full motion controls to the series enabled by Wii MotionPlus™ technology enhances player movements while offering the most intuitive play control of any game in the series to date.   FEATURES: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword boasts the most realistic sword combat of any game to date, turning every encounter into a challenge of both brains and brawn. Wii MotionPlus technology accurately translates the angle of every sword slice, effectively putting Link's blade in the player's hand. Analyzing enemy attack and defense tendencies and counteracting with precise swings of the sword provide a satisfying experience that blends puzzle-solving with a new and distinctly unique combat system.   Explore a massive, multilayered world that seamlessly blends soaring exploration in a sea of clouds with intense ground-based adventuring that blurs the line between the main world and traditional Zelda dungeons. Link™ soars through the skies on the back of a noble bird and dives beneath the clouds to the continent below in an epic quest that lays the foundation for the events in the critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.   Prepare for intense puzzle-solving as only The Legend of Zelda games can deliver. Exploration of the forests, volcanoes and deserts requires players to think on their feet as they solve puzzles, overcome obstacles and escape deadly traps. Once they find their way to each dungeon, they are confronted by even more puzzles guarded by fiendish enemies.   The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword redefines the traditional Zelda framework and introduces an arsenal of items, upgrades and rewards unlike any game in the franchise to date. The adventure guides players into, out of and back to dungeons and areas they've already completed. Along the way, Link gathers a massive inventory of peculiar items and resources that can be used to upgrade many of his weapons and equipment. Every copy in the initial production of the game will come packaged with a special music CD featuring orchestral arrangements of select songs performed at The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert.   A Wii Remote Plus™ controller or Wii MotionPlus™ accessory is required to play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. There will also be a limited edition bundle version of the game available, with a Gold Wii Remote Plus™ controller included.  

2010's best-selling dance franchise returns with the highly anticipated third iteration, Just Dance 3. Dance to over 40 of the hottest hits from yesterday and today, spanning a wide range of genres that are sure to please any music fan. Using only the Wii Remote, Just Dance 3 is the perfect dance game for any age or dance ability, so it's easy for anyone to join the movement! With a variety of all-new gameplay modes, tracks that allow up to 8 players at once, and innovative cardio training options, Just Dance 3 was made to bring the party and keep America dancing!