Kyoto, Japan - Remember how you would have a bunch of people over and everybody wanted to play Rock Band, but only four people could play at a time? The people over at Nintendo seem to have been all too familiar with the concept, and will soon be releasing two new games for the Wii to make this type of situation a thing of the past.
Wii Marching Band, due to be released early this summer, merges Wii Music with Rock Band. A firmware patch, which will be included with the game, will allow a practically unlimited amount of Wii Remote controllers to be connected to one Wii console. Players will be able to choose from a myriad of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. Players may even choose the same instruments. Controller One will be reserved for the conductor's baton, which can be used in conjunction with a Wii Fit Board to set the marching speed. The Wii Fit Board is optional, but its use will unlock some songs not available otherwise.
"[With Wii Marching Band,] high school jocks will finally be able to fulfill their dreams of playing in the marching band, without being mocked by their peers or embarrassing themselves in front of the cheerleaders," commented Nintendo spokesperson, Shinji Watanabe. "As you can probably guess, this game is aimed at the American public, and unlike most Wii Games, will be released first in the United States, and then, if successful, in Japan."
The second game, due to be released late September, is Wii Gregorian Chants. No solo singers here. Using just one microphone, everyone can join in the fun of singing classics such as Sancte Dei, Hosanna Filio David, and the ever popular Veni sancte Spiritus. Wii Gregorian Chants has a later release date due to issues with acoustics adjustments for different types of living rooms.
"The aim of Wii Gregorian Chants is to allow more people to play simultaneously without having to shell out for expensive, third-party controllers that are only useful for a couple of games," explained Watanabe. "Wii Gregorian Chants will come with a special WiiMote that will double as a microphone."
Nintendo and Benedictine Monks stock was up on the news.
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