Post by Pilgrim John on Feb 7, 2007 17:39:33 GMT -5
WARIO WARE SMOOTH MOVES
For Nintendo Wii
Genre: Alternate
1-4 players
Developer: Nintendo/Publisher: Nintendo
Rated E10+ for Crude Humor
****Review by Pilgrim John
A long time ago, in a long-forgotten land, an ancient civilization danced like there was no tomorrow. Their very way of life all depended on the Form Baton (That is, the Wiimote) and the interesting powers it bestowed unto its dancers.
Such is the oddball backstory to Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, the newest installment for Nintendo’s second-most popular B-list franchise (Pikmin’s in first). It all begins when Wario discovers the ruins of this once-great civilaztion. You know, just to take the treasure, which is the form baton, and run.
Wario Ware, as a series, might be less than 10 years old, but there’s no denying that its zany humor, crude presentation, and nonstop creativity make it an important staple of the gaming world: for without it, invention would surely crumble, followed closely by the world as we know it.
Well, not really, but it’d be one hell of a bummer if Wario Ware was dropped. Let’s just get to the review…
GRAPHICS:
Look, there’s this… thing about Wario Ware you’re all gonna have to come to grips with: Nintendo has even stated multiple times that they don’t really think graphics matter. That philosophy is epitomized in this game. If you came hoping for something on the level of Twilight Princess or whatever, forget it. Nintendo keeps it really simple here.
Not that it’s a bad thing, mind you. The crude “omgosh-I’m-a-cartoon-lol” art style for many of the microgames brings out the personality of Wario Ware. If it had great graphics, well… It just wouldn’t be Wario Ware.
But the cutscenes are what really makes this game stand out. At first, it might even trick you into thinking they’re anime cutscenes instead of the cheap Flash animations they actually are. However, they’re still pretty good, even though they’re running on so little. Which brings us to another point: Why have they not made a Wario Ware TV show yet?
GAMEPLAY:
Grizzled WW vets know what to expect when they pop in a Wario Ware title: fast-paced, crazy action. Well, that IS what you get, but this time with yet another innovative twist: the Form Baton. As you play the game, you assume crazy positions in order to complete each task.
For example, there is the relatively normal Remote Control stance. You point it at something on the screen, and then… something happens! But, there’s more: there are also the Elephant stance (Holding the Wiimote to your shnoz), The Big Cheese (Stand pompously with the Wiimote at your hip), the Discard (Leave the Wiimote on a flat surface and pick it up when called for), the Chauffeur (Hold the Wiimote like a steering wheel), the Sketch Artist (Hold the Wiimote like a pencil), plus many, many more. Each one has a specific use and task to resolve the microgame at hand: Whack your grandpa. Ring a bell. Play Starfox. Shoot cans. Answer the phone. Dodge a meteorite.
See? Wackiness all over the place. To make matters crazier, each Form is introduced with a philosophical drivel that sounds more like Eeyore making a haiku. However, each microgame seems to reflect the Forms more than the characters, with the obvious exception of series mainstay 9-Volt, of course. (I still think Young Cricket’s stages should have included more kung-fu action-y types.) That’s okay, though: the Forms take full advantage of the only unique technology that made this fantastic game possible. (Let’s see how a SixAxis would fare in the Finger Food stance.)
Now, to the bad part: as fun as Smooth Moves is, there are a number of matters wrong with it. The first being that it’s not quite as replayable as the others have been: the unlockable minigames have been cut down to a pathetic five or six, and the microgames aren’t actually up for high scores on The Grid. Sure, they’re playable, but you go through three difficulty levels, and that’s it.
What’s more, sometimes, even if you’re standing within perfect range of the Wii’s sensor, it won’t read the Wiimote in certain microgames. This makes for some cheap “deaths” (The loss of one out of four “lives” on the main stage), and an overall gimmicky feel of a few of the stages. One in particular, called “Octopus” and modeled after the Game&Watch game of the same name, has you trying to pilfer sunken treasure via the Discard. Strangely enough, I didn’t even have to do anything, and I finished the microgame before I even knew it started.
Fortunately, those stages don’t happen too often, leaving you with some crazy action, nonstop laughs, and a few… interesting boss challenges. (Wait until you see Ashley’s, Wario’s, and 9-Volt’s boss stages. I think you’ll agree.)
Now, the multiplayer: you don’t need any more than just one controller for this mode, since you’ll all just be passing it around anyway. It’s every bit as crazy and fun as Wario Ware: Mega Party Game$ on Gamecube (Therefore making Party Games redundant), with microgames flying at each participant, crazy minigames and elimination rounds, and unending laughs from everyone playing. Why? Well, look, they’re not laughing AT you, they’re laughing WITH you. You’re guaranteed to look like a jackass in front of your friends, but they’re not that cruel… or they wouldn’t be your friends, right?
MUSIC & SOUND:
Wario Ware is a hodgepodge of four-second games, so most music pieces (That don’t play during the cinematics, boss challenges, or minigames) are about just as long. It’s pretty easy to not pay attention to any of the music at all during the gameplay, but the character themes are definitely worth listening to.
Sadly, although the cinematics themselves are quite interesting and anime-like, there isn’t any voice-acting during said sequences. (Grunts, yells, burps, and laughter alone don’t count as “acting,” people.) Why Nintendo chose not to include any is beyond me.
Oh well, I suppose there’s always the next entry. I vote Tara Strong for Ashley and Vic Mignogna for Young Cricket (Don’t know ‘em? Look ‘em up.)
STORYLINE:
Well, Wario’s at it again, this time stealing the enigmatic Form Baton. He doesn’t really know what it’s used for, or where it even came from (Seriously, does he care?), but he does know one thing: it’s going to bring him money!
The rest of the character’s stories all present the characters with problems that they solve as you play their microgames. Kung fu wunderkind Young Cricket seems to believe that kung fu can solve all of life’s little problems; Ashley tries to learn a new spell; 18-Volt accidentally destroys one of 9-Volt’s Game&Watches; a football player falls in love with Mona… You know what? These people are all crazy, so we’ll just leave them alone.
OVERALL:
Okay. Here’s the gist: despite its minor issues, Smooth Moves is more fun than it has any right to be. You’re not gonna find a game quite like this, not even in comparison to all the other games in the series. Is it worth the 50 bones retailers are asking for? Certainly, but I’d go with the Used copies any day.
GOOD:
*Crazier microgames than ever before
*The forms open up a whole new world of game interaction
*The cutscenes are very befitting of the series as a whole
*Awesome boss challenges
*9-Volt’s levels. Always a blast
*Best played with friends. Like 90% of all Wii games worth playing
BAD:
*Sometimes the Wiimote won’t read, particularly in the Orchestra conducting level, shake-the-bottle-and-spray, and Octopus
*Still no voice-overs
*Not as replayable as Touched, Twisted, or Mega Microgames
OVERALL SCORE: 8.5/10
Wario, you’ve come a long way, and have entertained the world for years. Here’s to hoping your winning streak doesn’t stop… (Oh no, I’m tempted to make a crude underwear joke here…)
For Nintendo Wii
Genre: Alternate
1-4 players
Developer: Nintendo/Publisher: Nintendo
Rated E10+ for Crude Humor
****Review by Pilgrim John
A long time ago, in a long-forgotten land, an ancient civilization danced like there was no tomorrow. Their very way of life all depended on the Form Baton (That is, the Wiimote) and the interesting powers it bestowed unto its dancers.
Such is the oddball backstory to Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, the newest installment for Nintendo’s second-most popular B-list franchise (Pikmin’s in first). It all begins when Wario discovers the ruins of this once-great civilaztion. You know, just to take the treasure, which is the form baton, and run.
Wario Ware, as a series, might be less than 10 years old, but there’s no denying that its zany humor, crude presentation, and nonstop creativity make it an important staple of the gaming world: for without it, invention would surely crumble, followed closely by the world as we know it.
Well, not really, but it’d be one hell of a bummer if Wario Ware was dropped. Let’s just get to the review…
GRAPHICS:
Look, there’s this… thing about Wario Ware you’re all gonna have to come to grips with: Nintendo has even stated multiple times that they don’t really think graphics matter. That philosophy is epitomized in this game. If you came hoping for something on the level of Twilight Princess or whatever, forget it. Nintendo keeps it really simple here.
Not that it’s a bad thing, mind you. The crude “omgosh-I’m-a-cartoon-lol” art style for many of the microgames brings out the personality of Wario Ware. If it had great graphics, well… It just wouldn’t be Wario Ware.
But the cutscenes are what really makes this game stand out. At first, it might even trick you into thinking they’re anime cutscenes instead of the cheap Flash animations they actually are. However, they’re still pretty good, even though they’re running on so little. Which brings us to another point: Why have they not made a Wario Ware TV show yet?
GAMEPLAY:
Grizzled WW vets know what to expect when they pop in a Wario Ware title: fast-paced, crazy action. Well, that IS what you get, but this time with yet another innovative twist: the Form Baton. As you play the game, you assume crazy positions in order to complete each task.
For example, there is the relatively normal Remote Control stance. You point it at something on the screen, and then… something happens! But, there’s more: there are also the Elephant stance (Holding the Wiimote to your shnoz), The Big Cheese (Stand pompously with the Wiimote at your hip), the Discard (Leave the Wiimote on a flat surface and pick it up when called for), the Chauffeur (Hold the Wiimote like a steering wheel), the Sketch Artist (Hold the Wiimote like a pencil), plus many, many more. Each one has a specific use and task to resolve the microgame at hand: Whack your grandpa. Ring a bell. Play Starfox. Shoot cans. Answer the phone. Dodge a meteorite.
See? Wackiness all over the place. To make matters crazier, each Form is introduced with a philosophical drivel that sounds more like Eeyore making a haiku. However, each microgame seems to reflect the Forms more than the characters, with the obvious exception of series mainstay 9-Volt, of course. (I still think Young Cricket’s stages should have included more kung-fu action-y types.) That’s okay, though: the Forms take full advantage of the only unique technology that made this fantastic game possible. (Let’s see how a SixAxis would fare in the Finger Food stance.)
Now, to the bad part: as fun as Smooth Moves is, there are a number of matters wrong with it. The first being that it’s not quite as replayable as the others have been: the unlockable minigames have been cut down to a pathetic five or six, and the microgames aren’t actually up for high scores on The Grid. Sure, they’re playable, but you go through three difficulty levels, and that’s it.
What’s more, sometimes, even if you’re standing within perfect range of the Wii’s sensor, it won’t read the Wiimote in certain microgames. This makes for some cheap “deaths” (The loss of one out of four “lives” on the main stage), and an overall gimmicky feel of a few of the stages. One in particular, called “Octopus” and modeled after the Game&Watch game of the same name, has you trying to pilfer sunken treasure via the Discard. Strangely enough, I didn’t even have to do anything, and I finished the microgame before I even knew it started.
Fortunately, those stages don’t happen too often, leaving you with some crazy action, nonstop laughs, and a few… interesting boss challenges. (Wait until you see Ashley’s, Wario’s, and 9-Volt’s boss stages. I think you’ll agree.)
Now, the multiplayer: you don’t need any more than just one controller for this mode, since you’ll all just be passing it around anyway. It’s every bit as crazy and fun as Wario Ware: Mega Party Game$ on Gamecube (Therefore making Party Games redundant), with microgames flying at each participant, crazy minigames and elimination rounds, and unending laughs from everyone playing. Why? Well, look, they’re not laughing AT you, they’re laughing WITH you. You’re guaranteed to look like a jackass in front of your friends, but they’re not that cruel… or they wouldn’t be your friends, right?
MUSIC & SOUND:
Wario Ware is a hodgepodge of four-second games, so most music pieces (That don’t play during the cinematics, boss challenges, or minigames) are about just as long. It’s pretty easy to not pay attention to any of the music at all during the gameplay, but the character themes are definitely worth listening to.
Sadly, although the cinematics themselves are quite interesting and anime-like, there isn’t any voice-acting during said sequences. (Grunts, yells, burps, and laughter alone don’t count as “acting,” people.) Why Nintendo chose not to include any is beyond me.
Oh well, I suppose there’s always the next entry. I vote Tara Strong for Ashley and Vic Mignogna for Young Cricket (Don’t know ‘em? Look ‘em up.)
STORYLINE:
Well, Wario’s at it again, this time stealing the enigmatic Form Baton. He doesn’t really know what it’s used for, or where it even came from (Seriously, does he care?), but he does know one thing: it’s going to bring him money!
The rest of the character’s stories all present the characters with problems that they solve as you play their microgames. Kung fu wunderkind Young Cricket seems to believe that kung fu can solve all of life’s little problems; Ashley tries to learn a new spell; 18-Volt accidentally destroys one of 9-Volt’s Game&Watches; a football player falls in love with Mona… You know what? These people are all crazy, so we’ll just leave them alone.
OVERALL:
Okay. Here’s the gist: despite its minor issues, Smooth Moves is more fun than it has any right to be. You’re not gonna find a game quite like this, not even in comparison to all the other games in the series. Is it worth the 50 bones retailers are asking for? Certainly, but I’d go with the Used copies any day.
GOOD:
*Crazier microgames than ever before
*The forms open up a whole new world of game interaction
*The cutscenes are very befitting of the series as a whole
*Awesome boss challenges
*9-Volt’s levels. Always a blast
*Best played with friends. Like 90% of all Wii games worth playing
BAD:
*Sometimes the Wiimote won’t read, particularly in the Orchestra conducting level, shake-the-bottle-and-spray, and Octopus
*Still no voice-overs
*Not as replayable as Touched, Twisted, or Mega Microgames
OVERALL SCORE: 8.5/10
Wario, you’ve come a long way, and have entertained the world for years. Here’s to hoping your winning streak doesn’t stop… (Oh no, I’m tempted to make a crude underwear joke here…)
