MAJOR MINOR'S MAJESTIC MARCH

By GARRETT MARTIN

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MAJESCO

NINTENDO WII

3.31.09

In 1997, an uneasy alliance of hipsters and children made PaRappa the Rapper a minor hit for the PlayStation. Unlike contemporary craze Pokemon, PaRappa's striking design made it easy for adults to enjoy without either irony or chemical substances. PaRappa creators Masaya Matsuura and Rodney Alan Greenblat have teamed up again to make the marching band game Major Minor's Majestic March. With its coterie of trombone monkeys, percussionist tigers and floutistflautist flowers, Major Minor might be the cutest damn thing ever, and fans of PaRappa or Katamari Damacy will love the way it looks, though not the way it plays. Major Minor swaps out PaRappa's rapping dog with a drum- major cat and rhythmic button-mashing with nonstop Wii thrusting. You pump the remote like a drum major's mace, occasionally pointing to the side to acquire new band members or power-ups. My own gamer-enabled arm tires out after a few minutes. PaRappa had charming design, characterization and gameplay, but Major Minor's Majestic March manages only one of those three.