Wii Played The Wii - WarioWare

Yesterday, we informed you of our Wii session at Nintendo BeNeLux and let you know all about Wii Sports. Today we'll discuss WarioWare: Smooth Moves.

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Nintendo BeNeLux's headquarters in the Netherlands in order to try out their upcoming console, the Wii. In my previous report, I have already discussed my findings on Wii Sports. Today I'd like to tell you about WarioWare: Smooth Moves.

When I got to Nintendo, the company had a demo-version of WarioWare: Smooth Moves available for play. Unfortunately, the demo contained a mere 20 different games, 1 boss match and no multiplaying features. Nonetheless, I was interested in seeing how Nintendo tries to get the gamer warm for this new addition to the WarioWare-series.

The WarioWare series When it all started with WarioWare on the Game Boy Advance, gamers were blast away with the inclusion of the many wacky minigames. Then came the GameCube version of WarioWare, which added multiplayer competitions to the game and finally, the Nintendo DS version WarioWare Touched, which introduced gamers to alternative controls. And (for Europe in the future), WarioWare Twisted for the Game Boy Advance with it's motion-sensing capabilities. Each one of the previous games added a unique part to the series. For example, the Nintendo DS's controls opened up a whole range of new possibilities but what does the Wii version have to offer?

Playing the game WarioWare: Smooth Moves is played by the wiimote only. Just before the start of every minigame, the screen will tell you how to hold the wiimote to play the upcoming minigame. Although holding the wiimote correct is one thing, actually understand what you need to do with it is another. I've been a WarioWare veteran from the start of the series, but I have to admit that the new controls are not as intuitive as expected. With a controller, you've got a limited set of buttons and thus a limited amount of possibilities on how to play the minigame. With the wiimote, there are buttons, directions, movements, twists and many more possibilities. Of course the game itself does give you a hint on what it expects you to do (of course we know what to do with the wiimote to make a car turn), but some of the games do require you to play a few more times before you actually get it. But the real question is: is that a bad thing? The answer is quite simple: No, it's not. Of course it can start to annoy you if you get 5 games in a row wrong, but it does make the game less simplistic and fun to explore. For me, this was the sole reason why I liked the demo of WarioWare: Smooth Moves more than the full version of WarioWare Touched.

So, last time I spoke about a Wii game (Wii Sports), I mentioned that you need a lot of room to play the game. Does WarioWare: Smooth Moves put any restrictions on your gaming area as well? No, it doesn't. Most of the game's minigames are played by small movements. Laying the wiimote on the palm of your hand and act as if a broom is balancing on it requires little room. Driving a car using the wiimote as a steering wheel does not require much room either. Most of the games could (theoretically) be played from your livingroom chair as well, a big plus for casual gamers, however...

However, there are some minigames that do require a little more room. Running in place, hoola-hooping and weight lifting require one to stand in place and actually move his or her body. But that's about it, you won't need much more room than the place you're standing. Aside from the facts that you need to stand up for some game and that you look a bit crazy for people across the street spying on you playing WarioWare, there are no real downsides on the controls used for the game.

'Cheating' My main problem with the latest trends in videogaming, is that game developers keep expanding the borderlines. With the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo added the motion sensor, which led to turning your GBA around. The Nintendo DS requires you to write on the machine and, even more embarrassing, to shout in the microphone (try playing that particular minigame in Feel the Magic: XX/XY). However with the Wii's possibilities, developers go even further.

Imagine walking into a room where a relative is running in place, hoola-hooping or orchestrating. Perhaps it's me being old-fashioned, but seeing something like that would make me giggle at the very least. Actually being the one running in place is something which strikes me even more and that's exactly what I felt during the entire WarioWare: Smooth Moves session: a feeling of being weird.

But luckily there are ways for you to 'cheat'. The wiimote does not care whether you're actually jumping, it gets its needed information from the wiimote's movement. Nor can it identify whether you are truely holding a wiimote on your head with two hands while bending through your knees. The only thing the wiimote wants to know is whether it is going up and down. And so I did. Jumprope was fun... in kindergarten. During my WarioWare: Smooth Moves session I got to play the jumprope minigame twice. The first time, I made a small jump and felt looked upon. The second time I just lifted the wiimote, while keeping my usually cool stand. The result? The Mii on the screen jumped as if I was the new olympic record holder. Dennis vs Wii: 1-0.

Although this could lead to 'cheating', it also allows me to play the game without feeling too much embarrassed. For me, it's a good thing this is possible, to determine my borders myself.

The verdict Unfortunately, I do not have the feeling that the demo of WarioWare: Smooth Moves could tell whether or not the game will be a guaranteed hit or not. Fact is, that I enjoyed playing the Wii version more than the Nintendo DS game. The promised multiplaying options (2-5 players for some games, one game allowing for 12 players) and over 200 different games should keep me busy for a while. Yet gamers who played a previous version of WarioWare and did not like the concept at all, should keep avoiding the game. After all, it's just another WarioWare.

Questions Of course I can't cover every single issue, but I'm willing to answer every question you may have on the games and/or gaming experience. So if you still have questions, please submit them using our contact-forms and I'll try to answer them a.s.a.p.

Next time, I'll try to discuss Wii Play.

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