System: Wii
Dev: Nintendo
Pub: Nintendo
Release: Jan.15, 2007
Players: 1-12
ESRB Rating: E 10+
Review by Maria Montoro

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Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

The multiplayer mode is disappointing, if you've been a fan of Wario Ware Inc. for the Gamecube. There are only four different modes of playing, which all blend in basically the same thing: playing the mini-game, passing the Wii-mote to the next person so they can beat their mini-game, and continuing on until one fails. Then the game ends or the player is forced to play one mini-game after another until he beats one. There is no split-screen action offered in Wario Ware: Smooth Moves so don't expect a bunch of monkeys dancing around your living room at the same time, competing for the first place. Instead, it will only be one of you at a time, and then you better pass the controller quickly because the other Wii-motes you own won't even turn on.

There is a couple of multiplayer battle mini-games and co-ops where one of you uses the Nunchuk and the other one uses the Wii-mote, but it's nothing too exciting or worth mentioning.

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves is a very fun game to play by yourself or with family and friends. However, it places itself on the short side, as it took me less than three hours to beat completely. Nevertheless, there are over 200 wacky mini-games that you can always practice individually at seven different speeds by going to the Temple of Form located on the map. You can also play the special and somewhat addictive mini-games that you unlocked, and you can dare your friends to a multiplayer challenge every once in a while. There's no limit in the number of players! So there's definitely more to it than just the story mode and this gives the game a higher level of replayability, even though it's short.

I'm glad I own this game and you probably will be too, unless you didn't like the previous Wario Ware games. You better give it a try and see what you think!

Features:

We want Wario with our Wiis. by D'Marcus Beatty

The original WarioWare on the Gameboy Advance was a strange, innovative, and oddly fun title. Composed of a fast progression of wacky minigames, dubbed as microgames, all that are only few seconds long, WarioWare was enough of a hit to inspire a sequel on the DS and the Gamecube. Now the WarioWare series makes its debut on the Wii, and the Wii-mote's motion sensing abilities would be a natural fit with the WarioWare's characteristically weird microgames.

The appeal of WarioWare is in its frenetic pacing. The game presents you with a simple goal, such as aiming a finger to pick a nose. As soon as that action is completed, the Wario throws another game at you, which, like the first, only lasts for a few seconds. In those few precious seconds, you have to figure out what is required of you and perform the action. The pace doesn't let up either, progressively getting faster and faster.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves follows Mario's famous doppelganger, Wario, as he accidentally stumbles across a mystical device strangely resembling a Wii-mote, which, incidentally, sets the stage for Wario to test it. With Wii-mote in hand, Wario plays a number of stages until he reaches and defeats a boss, whereupon he repeats the process. Each stage consists of a number of microgames that must be overcome before Wario can progress.

For the Wii version of WarioWare, the motion sensing Wii-mote is going to be the focus. Unlike the previous versions of WarioWare, however, Smooth Moves will open each microgame with a screen showing the player how and where to position the Wii-mote before beginning. Sometimes you'll hold the remote casually, pointing it at the screen, and other times you'll hold it sideways, at your hips, or even on the tip of your nose. All told, there will be about 18 different positions for the Wii-mote as well as a few more positions that make use of the Nunchuk attachment as well. This should definitely ensure a great amount of variety in the microgames and might even be ultimately responsible for increased agility in some Wii owners as they scramble from position to position trying to keep up.

There are over a hundred microgames in Smooth Moves, which makes for tremendous replayability. Some examples include using the Wii-mote as a frying pan handle to cook food, pumping up a balloon by moving the Wii-mote like a pump, putting out a fire with the water pump from Super Mario Sunshine, and shaking to Wii-mote to scare children away. Some of the microgames have longer version of them that can be unlocked as well and played separately from the main game.

Visually, Smooth Moves is made up of a hodgepodge of different visual styles that change from microgame to microgame. The games that reference classic NES games look like those games, while other games may have simple 2D lines, photorealistic images, or 3D renderings. However, this erratic changing is part of the gameplay, enhancing the feel that each game is distinct and separate from the previous one.

The WarioWare series is known for its fast, mindless fun, and Smooth Moves looks like it won't disappoint. It seemed inevitable that the series would find its way to the Wii, as its odd gameplay is the great match for the Wii-mote. Gamers have a fairly long wait for Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but WarioWare: Smooth Moves will undeniably help the wait seem shorter. Look for Wario to make his Smooth Move in the middle of January.

By D'Marcus Beatty
CCC Assistant Site Director

More like Wario Wear you out! by Vaughn Smith

Think Wario Ware....but with more interaction than you've ever dreamed about. Now you'll actually have to get off your duff and get moving, cuz Wario's large and in charge!

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves looks like it could be a great contender for the ultimate next gen party game where adults and kids alike will by vying for a chance to pick up the wii-mote and go for it! The story, if you want to call it that, involves Wario finding a "Form Baton" and this is what he'll use to learn his new exciting moves. Okay so it really doesn't make all that much sense in terms of mixing our two realities - but what the hey? As long as it's fun.

Nintendo promises over 200 fully interactive microgames in which gamers will have to swing, swat, spin and squat their way to victory.

Expect to see old characters return as well as some new ones. Smooth Moves will retain the usual WarioWare formula; you'll have to progress through a number of minigames, unlocking new games as well as souvenirs.

Stay tuned for more.

By Vaughn Smith
CCC Site Director