![](http://i.imgur.com/cZYga8R.jpg)
Pop'n Music
Release date: November 10, 2009
System: Wii
Developer: Konami
Genre: Music/Rhythm
What you see before you is a cute little music game. It's the ONLY one in the series ever released in North America, but hey, it's not too bad.
It looks very nice, actually. The graphics are somewhat different from other Pop'n Music games (which I will now refer to as PNM), but it doesn't detract from the experience in the slightest. In fact, the character graphics are almost exactly the same as the ones used in the other games, but with thinner lines, shading, and more color. Take for example the series mascots, Mimi and Nyami. You can see what they look like in the title image above, so I won't link that again, but compare it to
this. Look very different, yet very much the same. This is also, as far as I know, the only game in the series with 3D backdrops. They look pretty good. The whole game just looks very high quality and well-done.
However, the highlight of this game would have to be the gameplay. Or, should I say, the lowlight. This game controls differently from the rest of the PNM series. In fact, almost every single other PNM game has used an external controller that has nine colored buttons. This game, however, controls via a virtual controller with buttons you hit via a swipe of the Wiimote and Nunchuk. This is where it gets pretty iffy. The game is a bit overresponsive at times, and a bit underresponsive. I've found myself sometimes being unable to hit any of the buttons with gentle swipes in the correct direction, but when I swipe harder it ends up hitting all of the buttons that correspond with whichever hand I was using. However, getting in a good position to hold the Wiimote and Nunchuk as still as possible is pretty easy to do even if it IS the only way to get the game to properly recognize what you're doing. It's passable. Though there's one thing I haven't yet figured out the purpose of. Swing the Wiimote and Nunchuk together, and your chosen character will clap. I've played all of the songs and none of them have any clapping notes. *Shrug*
Some person playing the song "Echoes" in Challenge Mode. Now...the songs. They're actually pretty good. You actually get a little bit of everything. I've found myself just jamming along to Boogie Oogie Oogie or I Want You Back...but then the song ends. Basically, to keep things fresh and interesting, all of the songs are around 1:00 to 1:30 in length. This isn't bad, just a bit disappointing. Especially when the songs only start picking up near the very end of the "level". There's nothing to really unlock concerning the songs, though, except challenge mode (which is easy to unlock since all that requires is a perfect score and that can be achieved even if you missed 15 out of 30 notes in a song). You can, however, get some DLC for the game. The DLC is in the form of song packs, each costing 100 Wii Points. It's not a bad deal, as far as I'm concerned, especially since it's a song PACK, meaning you get more than one song (as far as I know, since I don't have any of them yet and can't find a track listing of any pack). But still, there are a few songs in there I wish I could get rid of. There are some annoying songs, some songs I've never heard of that I don't like...the good outweighs the bad, however, so this is just a small gripe.
Now, does this mean it's better than other Pop'n Music titles? Not exactly. Sure, you could say it's better than Pop'n Music GB, since that's got fewer buttons to work with, no motion-sensing controllers, and isn't as difficult, but a normal arcade PNM title, or even one of the ones for the PS2? No way. However, if you've got a North American Wii and not a lot of money, this game is probably the best way to go.
GAMEPLAY: 6/10
GRAPHICS: 9/10
SOUND: 10/10
TRACK LIST: 9/10
TOTAL SCORE: 8.5/10
If I ever get my hands on some of the DLC, I'll probably be adding to this review and the total score will change. Just sayin'.