TGS 2008: Hula Wii Hands-On

TOKYO--As its title intimates, Hula Wii is a hula dancing game developed for the Nintendo Wii. We found the game tucked in a corner of the Sega booth on the 2008 Tokyo Game Show floor and just had to give it a shot. One flowered lei and one Wii Remote later, and we were hula'ing it up with the best of them. Well, sort of.

Our hula deficiencies were immediately apparent, despite the incredibly simple controls in Wii Hula. Because you control the game only with the Wii Remote, all you need to do to be successful in the game's various dance patterns is follow the onscreen avatar's hands and match your motions with hers. Every so often a hand icon will also appear briefly onscreen in various positions to give you an even more obvious clue as to which direction you need to point the Wii Remote.

And while you can look at Wii Hula as merely a pointing game, for the ambitious hula students out there, the game has a bit more depth to it. In addition to the dancing avatar, the game features a full-motion video of an actual hula performer dancing the same routine as your avatar. Also, on the bottom of the screen, there's a section that shows you exactly how you should be moving your feet. You aren't penalized for not following the video dancer's flowing movement or for missing the steps--they seem to be there just to help you focus on the more complicated dance aspects of hula.

Being the hula novices that we are, though, the videos just reinforced that even with the simple yet melodious strains of traditional Hawaiian music, we're still wholly lacking rhythm. Still, Wii Hula might appeal to those who are looking to learn more about the elegant dance of the islands. No word yet on whether Wii Hula is coming to the mainland (or even to Hawaii), but we'll keep you informed if things change.