WarioWare:
Smooth Moves brings hundreds of silly, irreverent mini-games to the Wii.
The game uses different types of forms of controller configurations under
the control of what is called the Form Baton. As usual, the game consists
of hundreds of short-attention span mini-games where the reaction time is
minimal, but the silliness and craziness of the game makes up for its lack
of depth. Look inside and find out why Smooth Moves' absurdist sense of
humor, untaxing gameplay and sometimes fun play makes it a perfect party
game.
You
can either look at the WarioWare series of games as a surreal and
superficial diversion in Nintendo's lineup, or see it for what it is: a
strange, somewhat cool and highly entertaining series of self-referential
mini-games that allows gamers to let off steam with hyper-fast gameplay
that leaves you enjoying it despite yourself. Like many the previous
WarioWare titles, Smooth Moves consists of a series of small mini-games
that players have to beat in order to unlock more levels and games. You
are only given a few seconds to complete your task, and part of the fun of
Smooth Moves is figuring out what you're supposed to be doing. If you
complete a game, you move on to the next one. As you complete and beat
mini-games, the game's speed will increase to make things even more manic.
However, when you fail to finish, you'll lose one of your lives - when all
of these are depleted, the game is over. Smooth Moves diverges from the
previous games in that at the end of each stage, you face a boss, which
will complete the level. When a level has been completed, you can then
move on to the map to another level. Each level in the game has its own
unique style and characters, which appear between rounds in mini-cinemas.
One of the cool things about Smooth Moves is that you can use the onscreen
map to navigate through the city, and can also find a tool shed where you
can change your name, Mii character and more. You can also go to the
temple stage and practice any mini-games you have encountered, which helps
to figure them out if you are having problems with them. Most stages have
very simple and sometimes oblique instructions so you need to experiment
with different motions and tactics in order to understand what you need to
do.
In order to help you discover what each
mini-game is about, the Wii version of the game adds what are called
Forms, which are basically ways to hold the controller in order to beat
the mini-games. There are about eight different kinds of forms in the
game, and each is described hilariously in oddly mellow cut-scenes with a
weird humor that makes you laugh. One of the cool aspects of this is that
you are told which form to use ahead of time which helps to give you a
hint on how to approach the mini-games. There are many types of Forms
ranging from the basic holding the Wiimote forward or sideways, to the
more bizarre like pressing the controller (or "Form Baton" in
this weird games' lingo) against your nose to imitate an elephant. This
gives Smooth Moves a great diversity in its mechanics and the mini-games
themselves offer a varied style of play. Many of the games are simple
mechanical exercises where you need to move the controller or catch
something. Others require a bit more skill where you have to pick
something up or hit an object before it escapes. Several themes begin to
emerge as you play through with many imitating simple exercises, motions
or tasks such as drinking or swatting flies in humorous ways. Each of the
mini-games gives you a very simple instruction before it begins, which is
sometimes deceptive and makes you think more than you should. The game is
definitely tricky at points, so you need to pay attention to these and
figure out what needs to be done without expecting too much. There are
over 200 unique mini-games, and each one has different speed levels and
variations, with their recurrence not always as simple as it might seem on
the surface. With such a large selection of games, it's difficult to
memorize the mechanics and rules of each one, though you can get the hang
of things and anticipate what you need to do instinctively after you've
played the first few levels for awhile.
Obviously,
one of the most enjoyable and endearing parts of Wario Ware is its'
strange and bizarre sense of humor. This is most evident with its surreal,
minimalist graphics which are quite funny and enjoyable. While the
mini-games themselves present a variety of styles, most of the game keeps
to a light-hearted, almost childish look that makes for a zany feel.
Smooth Moves doesn't change the basic look and feel of previous games but
makes some allowances in its cut-scenes for a slightly more advanced look.
Most of the games are very simple and there's a distinctly 'classic' feel
in some of the mini-games where famous Nintendo characters make cameo
appearances. The music is manic and crazy as well, making Wario Ware feel
more like an over-heated sugar rush than a traditional video game. Smooth
Moves isn't the most elaborate or deepest game around and like its
predecessors, it succeeds in creating a kind of weird satire of video
games while paradoxically offering an enjoyable experience in its own
right. Its quick mini-games offer a quick rush of knee-jerk gameplay
that's quite enjoyable in short bursts. While the game is enjoyable in
solo mode, its main appeal lies in its party-game presentation and
mechanics that makes this a fun experience that should appeal to casual
gamers as well as hardcore Nintendo players.
Grade:
C
