Review: Wario Ware Smooth Moves (+ Apology)

Oh my crap, I completely forgot to do the Daily Grind yesterday. That defeats the whole purpose. To make up for this injustice to anyone who may be reading, I will post my recently written newspaper review for the new Wario Ware, plus more later! Enjoy.

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Part of the genius of the Wario Ware series is that no matter what new gimmick is foisted upon every new iteration of the series, it is able to make it work, and work well. I can say for sure that Smooth Moves continues the tradition, making the weirdest use of your Wii Remote you could possibly think of. There are actually several uses, but we’ll get to that shortly.

For those unfamiliar, Wario Ware is a collection of ‘microgames’ that usually last only a few seconds and are played in succession at rapid-fire speed, testing your reflexes. You get the one to three word instructions for each game (Collect! Shoot! Dance Monkey Dance!) flashed briefly before it starts, so you only have a miniscule time to figure out what you’re doing. However, it really doesn’t take long for you to get into it, and when you get into it, things seem to come naturally.

This Wii edition, of course, takes advantage of the remote and all its motion sensing goodness. The series’ humour meshes well with this, as it forces you to hold the remote like a weight, a pencil, a handlebar, and even atop your head (all the various forms are explained to you in hilariously serene vignettes). Believe me; you will look insane playing this game, which increases your enjoyment, especially in a group setting.

The single player, which follows the surreal adventures of the Wario and his cohorts, is fairly short. But even after initially completing the game, you’ll want to go back and beat your best scores while simultaneously discovering every one of the around 200 games, and unlocking some longer mini-games (including a shooting gallery and an endless tower you must bounce a ball up). After beating the single player you also unlock the multiplayer mode, which allows you to share the insanity with up to 11 other people (alternating with one remote). These modes run from basic elimination to frantic contests that might actually serve as the highlight of the whole game when you gather together with peers.

I’m a big fan of the series, so there was already a guarantee that I would enjoy this. Like all the others, I recommend this to anyone who looks for someone simple and addicting, or to anyone looking for another great Wii game for parties. If you do not enjoy shoving fingers into 3D noses…play it anyway, because I said so.