Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this game is based on the Disney television show Hannah Montana. And while players assume the dual identity of Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana in a story about trying to balance fame and friends, this video game is innovative because of how it introduces music games into the story. It is also exciting because with it, kids can compose their own pop music, and even jam with friends who also have the game. While the game allows you to share music videos over the internet, there is no direct contact with others.
Families can talk about how Miley felt threatened when her best friend Lilly made a new friend. How do you handle a transfer student that arrives at your school? Since part of the game play involves dressing Hannah in pop-star outfits, how important is fashion in your life? Why is fashion such a big part of a celebrity's life? Which did you enjoy more: composing your own music or making music with others?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen
Hannah Montana fans will be in pop-princess heaven with HANNAH MONTANA: MUSIC JAM, a game created exclusively for the Nintendo DS. Not only do you assume the identity of Hannah in an adventure where she learns to play musical instruments, but the game also lets you and your friends jam together to compose music, and even create your own music video.
The game offers two modes of play: Adventure and Creative Play. In both, you practice music and create music videos featuring Hannah.
The adventure takes place in the world of Disney's Hannah Montana television series. You become Miley Stewart, the high school girl who is the secret identity behind the pop star Hannah Montana. Only Miley's family and close friends know about her double life. The story line revolves around Miley trying to balance fame and friends. As Hannah, her fame is being challenged by Savannah Star, an upcoming rock star who can play her own instruments. The two are head-to-head in a contest to win the Music Jam Online Award.
To keep up with Savannah, Hannah decides to learn to play all the instruments she will use in the music videos she must submit for the competition. Learning to play lead, rhythm, and bass guitars, as well as the drums, become minigames within the story. Likewise, you put together Hannah's music videos using the backdrops, lights, dance moves, clothing, and songs that you earn during the adventure. While talking to others and completing a series of routine fetch-it tasks move along the story, the adventure is inventive because of the minigames embedded in the story.
The three learn-to-play guitar minigames combine the popular Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) genre with the rhythm mechanics of games like Elite Beat Agents to produce unique play. For example, to play the rhythm guitar, the dual screens show the fret board of the guitar body. An image of the DS control pad floats down the fret board toward the body of the guitar and when it passes across two arrows, you must strum the strings of the guitar with your stylus. One of the four sides of the control pad will be highlighted, and as you strum, you must also push the corresponding side on the DS control pad.
In addition to the music games, there are seven other games, most of which make creative use of the stylus or your voice. You control Hannah as she ice skates by tracing shapes on the screen, and you play a "Pong"-type game by singing into the DS microphone to control the moving paddle on the bottom of the screen. You also have plenty of opportunities to dress Hannah is crowd-pleasing outfits.
In the Creative Play mode, you can compose songs by laying down four musical tracks for rhythm, lead, and bass guitars, as well as drums. The software combines your tracks to produce a song. Innovative programming provides guitar chords that sound good together, so that the composing is simple enough for even novice musicians. In addition to composing, the game also gives you to a music video studio in which to create your own video using either your own music or the music of Hannah Montana.
Even better is the ability to jam with others who own the game. Up to four friends can play together, each using their DS as an instrument; and their jam session can be saved as a song. That song can be used to create a music video featuring Hannah with backgrounds found in the adventure game. If you have a Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, you will be able to upload your video to the internet and explore the videos others have created.
For Hannah Montana fans, this software is a must. And it will be interesting to budding musicians as well.
This is a good warm-up act for the more robust music games: Guitar Hero series and Rock Band.
Rate It!
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Social BehaviorMiley is threatened by her best friend's attention to a new girl, but she handles it well by trying to get to know the new friend. She works hard at balancing friends and her singing career. One small negative is that Miley and her brother try to do something nice for her father, and to avoid spoiling the the surprise, she lies to him to get something from him. |
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CommercialismThere is a lot of shopping built-in to the storyline. Hannah Montana is a popular Disney brand. |
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Educational ValueThis is a fun way to experiment with creating pop music. And you can do with friends as well. |
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