Pocket Music

   While the Japanese rhythm game craze has leveled off since its peak a few years ago, that hasn't stopped Nintendo from getting in on the act with Game Boy Music for the Game Boy Advance. To be renamed Pocket Music for its English-language release, the title will be the first portable music game to come to North America. (Pocket Music is not, however, the first handheld rhythm title in existence -- as awkward as it may seem, Konami released several such games on the Game Boy Color.)

All the In the studio

   In Pocket Music, as in most rhythm titles, players create music by pressing the A button, B button, and D-pad in accordance with the directions shown on the screen. Forty-five built-in tunes -- 25 themes from Nintendo games and 20 other popular pieces -- will be included. From the screenshots shown, it seems players can create their own songs as well. And when jamming alone gets old, up to four players can play together in the Band Play Mode, with each gamer taking a different part of the music.

   Around fifty instruments will be included in Pocket Music. On the list so far are: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, distortion guitar, electric bass, chopper bass, synthesized bass, acoustic piano, electronic piano, rock organ, violin, viola, contrabass, drum, Latin percussion, trumpet, tenor sax, vibraphone, trombone, oboe, clarinet, piccolo, flute, marimba, harmonica, and whistle.

   Game Boy Music is due out in September in Japan, complete with a "Pocket Speaker", a portable speaker that offers sound quality superior to that of the GBA's internal speaker. Nintendo has confirmed that it will release the title in North America but no release date, nor any word on whether the Pocket Speaker will be included, has been divulged yet.