WarioWare: Smooth Moves

When I first heared about the Wii back at E3 2006, the first game I saw on offer was Warioware Smooth moves, and I instantly wanted to try it out. It looked just as crazy as the other games in the series, and seemed to make interesting use of the Wii Remoe. Let me promise you, this game does not disapoint.

The point of Warioware games is simple: complete a series of very short 'microgames' that gradually get faster and faster, until you quite literally have just over 2 seconds to complete each game. You have very few instructions for each game, so you must spend your time figuring out what to do, complete the task, then instantly move on to the next game. The frantic pace is what gives the series its charm and appeal.

All the microgames make use of the Wii remote, and there is about 15 different ways to hold the remote. This ranges from simple poses such as pointing the Wii remote at the screen or turning it like a steering wheel, to downright crazy positions, such as holding it to your nose like an elephant. Once you complete the main game, you will unlock a section which makes use of the Nunchuck atachment. To be honest, a lot of the positions are the same basic concept, for instance one pose tells you to hold the Wii remote in 2 hands, where as you could just as easily hold it in one. The elephant pose can also easily be completed by simply pointing the Wiimote at the screen. But I think following the instructions correctly immeres you more into the game, and makes it more worthwhile.

The game starts off very easy; you have ample time to complete each task, there is no manic rush that fans of the series will love. But once you get about half way through the game the difficulty starts to pick up. Near the end of the game is the "Super Hard" level, which uses the full range of poses and starts you at an amzingly fast pace, which only gets faater.
Once you complete the level the first time round, you can revisit it for an endless run, where the difficulty can pick up quickly.

Graphically, Warioware is by no way the most technically impressive game, and when compared to something like Gears of War, it simply pales in comparrison. But the ammount of different art styles used in the game is another strong point. The cutscenes use a very attractive 2D style; the sort of thing you might see on a Flash cartoon. The microgames themselves range from simple 8bit drawings to Gamecube-like graphics, and much like the microgames themselves, you really never know whats going to come next. Games like this dont need amazing technical graphics, and in my oppinion the simplistic style only adds to the game.

The use of music and sound in the game is done really well. Each microgame has its own little tune, and they all seem to slot together very nicely. Of course, as the pace of the games picks up, so does that of the music, adding to frantic nature of the game. Sound effects are all done well. They are nothitng revolutionary, but all sound right, and there is a great veriety of them.
There is limited voice acting in Warioware, but all of it sounds good and professional. The best use is possibly the sleepy-sounding guy who explains the different poses. These short turorials may slow down the pace of the game a little, but are informative and very funny.

FINAL NOTES:
If you're a fan of the Warioware series, you will no doubt love this game. The same frantic, random gameplay is just as great as the other games in the series. It makes great use of all the Wii remote has to offer, and is great for multiplayer parties.