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| game |
| Wario Ware: Smooth Moves | | genre |
| Mini-games | | date | | Out now! |
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Wario Ware: Smooth Moves - Review | |
Written by Adam Carr |
I often like to sum reviews up in one word, but with Wario it’s too easy, so I’ll compare it to an animal. If Warioware were an animal, it would a rabid, schizophrenic possum.
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| Seriously, don't. |
Ok, so you may be thinking 'What the hell is this guy raving about' - well, if you have never encountered Wario’s brand of mini games, you have a lot to learn.
Mental; frantic; frustrating; crazy; addictive, that’s how Warioware games roll. That’s right, you guessed it, much like its DS counter-part, Smooth Moves is a game full of
mini games (or Micro games). You must progress through levels on a 2D map, of which contain approximately 20 of said mini games.
At first glance the main graphical body of the game is all in 2D, with bold outlines and nice bold, bright colours - like Paper Mario on speed. The mini games, however, are
a mis-match of 2D & 3D which works quite well, although some of the 3D isn’t great.
The mini games are simultaneously bizarre and captivating, disturbing and innovative. Examples include using the Wii mote to cheese-grate a mobile phone;
inserting virtual fingers into virtual noses; shaking the Wii remote and spraying strange men with champagne; ninja fighting; squat-thrusting; hoopla-hoping; beard-shaving;
quick-drawing and inserting a granny’s teeth (so she can chomp on her corn gosh darn it!) all using the Wii remote.
The innovative ways you use the Wii remote have really been thought out well, although the wrist strap can get in the way of some usages. Here’s the low down:
the Wii remote is called the “Form Baton” in Smooth Moves. As you progress you learn how to carry out different “forms”, basically making you look a fool by using the
“Form Baton” in weird ways. Examples include “The Elephant”, where you must hold the “Form Baton” in front of your nose and “The Umbrella”, where you hold
the “Form Baton” upright, like a graceful…umbrella.
There are 11 levels to complete before you “finish” the story mode, which is pretty lame, both in length and substance. There is no real story, and the game
took me no longer than 3 hours to clear.
Once the game is “finished” you can go back and try the levels again, to unlock more mini games, or play through the extra levels that open up.
Completing these levels will unlock more, up to a maximum of around 20, including the arcade games and the fitness program and random game generators.
The presence of a multiplayer mode is a great addition, as without it I could see this game heading for a lot of second hand bargain bins. Don’t get put off by the
packaging which states it is 1 player, the multiplayer game is unlockable once the main story mode has been completed by at least one player. It consists of a survival game,
which pits up to 12 players against one another in a sudden death style game. There are 3 other modes to unlock including a pass-the-bomb mode.
First impressions of this game were not very good. The fact that the multiplayer was locked from the start was a huge disappointment, as I had people round my
house gagging to play each other. The game is extremely fast and extremely peculiar which some players may find frustrating and annoying.
I know that most of the people who have played my copy have commented on this fact.
The single player game is too short, but what it lacks in this department, makes up for it in the multiplayer side of things…it’s a howl with loads of mates round.
If you don’t have any friends then the single player game has enough unlockables and random game generations to last a fair while – but don’t expect more than a months worth.
This game is a party game. The single player is merely practice for the main event! It’s good fun to watch your sister trying to balance a broom on her hand, but no fun on your own.
It's definitely worth a look if you like quick game fixes and don’t take things too seriously. Steer clear if your want an engrossing, action thriller.
It's not one that'll last, but it's worth it for watching people
do the elephant.
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