Before I begin talking about Nintendo’s new “WarioWare: Smooth Moves,” for the Nintendo Wii, I want to explain why the fact that I said that the game’s fun comes in “doses.”
I said “doses” because this game looks like it is on drugs.
I will not make the assumption that the people who worked to develop the game were doing any illegal substances or anything like that, but the final product itself looks like some form of hallucinogenic dream. The whole thing is amalgamated into a series of mini-games that will test both your wits and sanity.
“WarioWare” games are a series. The games have been released for most of Nintendo’s game systems ever since the first game in the series was released for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance in 2003. Since then, the “WarioWare” titles have been released on all of Nintendo’s systems as a way to show off the systems’ abilities and features.
The “WarioWare” series setup is simple. Wario, a sort of malicious and greedy (but not quite evil) twin of the famous Super Mario, starts his own video game company in order to make money. The games he makes are where the game takes on its crazy twist. He’s a bad game designer, so all his games come out short and weird. That tradition is continued here.
The premise of the game, however, isn’t really important. All players need to know is that they are going to be faced with a barrage of mini-games. And by “mini,” I mean “really short” games. Seriously, most of them don’t last more than a few seconds. But there are more than 200 mini-games, so there is a lot to do here.
Also, players will find themselves using the Wii-mote in many different and silly ways.
You will start simple, holding the Wii-mote like a television remote control. From there, you will need to move the remote appropriately in games where you flip food in a frying pan, shine a flashlight or (gasp!) stick a finger into someone’s nose. It’s hilarious.
From there on you’ll need to hold your remote in new ways, called “forms,” in the game.
Sometimes players will need to hold the Wii-mote on their heads — in the “mohawk” form — and do squats or jump rope. Sometimes, the Wii-mote will be held at the hips — the “big cheese” form — and drawn like a gun in a wild west-style duel. Players will even have to put the Wii-mote in front of their face — the “elephant” form — to run through an obstacle course.
It’s all crazy fun, and if you play with friends and family who might be novice players, it is a riot to watch them figure out the weird games.
But, that “fun to play with others” facet is this game’s biggest drawback. While playing with a group of friends allows you to all enjoy the game, as well as enjoy joking with each other as the game goes on, when you play this game alone, it is hard not to feel silly. It’s fun, but playing alone does diminish the potential of the game.
Also, this game is short. Even with all the mini-games and the various storylines that you’ll go through during the course of the game, you can finish it in around three hours or so.
But, honestly, that is just your first time through the game. This isn’t a game that is great because of its initial run through. This game excels at its replayability. After you work your way to the end of the main game, a number of games unlock, including a set of addictive multi-player games where you will pass the Wii-mote between your friends a la Hot Potato, and you’ll find games like “Pong Tower,” where the point of the game is to survive as long as possible, turning the mini-game into a possibly infinite adventure.
Overall, this game is great. It might take a little bit of getting used to because, let’s face it, it’s weird. Some players might be taken by surprise with just how weird this title really is, but put it in the Nintendo Wii and invite some friends over, and weird or not, everyone will have a blast playing this game.
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