Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Super Mario Bros, has created a Nintendo game for the Wii console that is supposed to compete with “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero.” Of course the longhaired guitarists and blond bombshell singers are replaced with cute Mii avatars, just like in other Nintendo Wii games.

There’s no need to buy a fake guitar or any other musical replica because the Wii’s hand controller and nunchuck mimic all 66 instruments from banjo to harp to – you guessed it – cowbell.

We haven’t had a chance to try it out yet. There’s still 30 constellations left to conquer in Super Mario Galaxy. And there’s still guilt that we haven’t really started with the “Legend of Zelda,” one of the first games sold for the Wii. But to hear Brownstein tell it, Wii Music was made for gameplay like Grizzly Bear was made for Pitchfork.

“When the Tutes [your backup band] finish a song, they throw back their heads in convulsive glee no matter how expertly or poorly you played,” Brownstein writes in a lengthy review for Slate.com. “Like watching Kristen Wiig’s ‘Target Lady’ on Saturday Night Live, you’re filled with a vague dread despite being in the presence of happiness.”

“At best, Wii Music draws you into the conventions of music while simultaneously allowing, even daring you to break them,” she concludes. “But the game doesn’t go far enough; despite exalting creativity, you still feel more like an audience member than a band member – on the sidelines, watching yourself on-screen, where it seems like you’re having more fun. The game shows you a fantastical sonic world but falls short of letting you invent your own.”

As for Gamespot?

“Wii Music is fun,” the gaming review site says. “It’s fun even though you don’t actually play music. It’s fun even though it’s not really a game, and it’s fun even though it’s not a good value, either. Very young children (from 3 to 6 years of age) will probably get the most out of conducting an orchestra, waving controllers to mimic playing steel drums, and using their Miis to make a goofy arrangement of the Super Mario Bros. theme song, but even a group of adults can get a few hours of joy from Wii Music before the novelty wears off.”