Frankly, I’m just fascinated by this kid’s hair, standing up on his head like a pair of antlers. Are they pigtails? It’s hard to say. We’ll go with yes. SHE is the mascot of Rhythm ‘n Notes, a new pseudo-game taking on the task of developing musical tendencies.

The software is split into two parts: Notes and Rhythm. Go figure! On the Notes side you’ll start with Chords. Looking at piano keys, the object is to tap the chord that you hear being played. Levels contain three chords each, and you’ll have to be flawless to unlock the Notes test. It was hard to tell what the difference between the two was, but maybe there is something that isn’t implemented in this build.

On the Rhythm side of things, you’ll make your way up from banging on soda cans to hitting two actual drums at once. The stylus is the obvious choice, but there are also the L and R buttons, which seem to be needed in the event that you would have to hit two simultaneously. The beats start off easy in 4/4 time and include plenty plenty of lead-in time. Each level has you copy a pattern the mascot drums out on the top screen twice, and, once again, there is no room for error. It’s a little discouraging, actually; you can score a 92 (A? A-?) and it’s still counted as a complete failure.

I guess they just really want you to know your stuff. That said, you’ll have to study on your own. It’d be nice if they could add some educational material to read, because although it’s geared towards beginners, a beginner would have absolutely no idea what is going on. For a budding percussionist stuck in the back of a car in need of some on the road drills, though, we could see it working out.

• DSi Lauch Title Rhythm Heaven Announced
• New Game Releases: 4/5 – 4/11
• E3 08 Hands-On Preview: Wii Music
• First Nintendo DS Screens of Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution
• First Trailer for MX vs. ATV Reflex
• Reverse rhythm-based shooter Retro/Grade announced for PS3
• Nintendo Fall Press Conference Announces New DSi and Slew of Games
• Inevitable happens, Miis come to DS

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