It’s no secret that Nintendo.....

Reviewed by dusktilldawn on April 05, 2007  |  report this review

..... is a fan of using their first-party characters in a variety of ways outside of their original games. You’ve got Mario Kart, Mario Party, Super Smash Brothers and a variety of other games where Mario, Zelda and friends make appearances. Another one that came about in recent years is the Wario Ware series. You see, Wario is a ‘bad’ Mario, complete with a W on his hat and similar outfit to our beloved red-overalls clad hero. The Wario Ware games have traditionally been what are called microgames – literally just a few seconds of action with only a couple of words of instruction.

The first one of these appeared on the GameCube a few years ago and, since then, each new game in the series has showed off a new system or peripheral. Twisted on the GBA showed off the tilt-pack, letting you turn the GBA from side to side for a lot of the games. Touched on the DS put the unique features of Nintendo’s new dual-screen system to use – a stylus and microphone paved the way for a few unique microgames. And now, Nintendo’s Wii has Wario Ware Smooth Moves – and the Wiimote is definitely put to good use.

Wario Ware Smooth Moves takes place in Diamond City shortly after our good friend Wario stumbles across the form baton in a temple. As you get a bit of story, he’ll make an escape while being chased by an Indiana Jones style boulder. Here’s where gamers familiar with the style of Wario Ware will feel at home. For the uninitiated, the single player game puts you into some sort of cheesy situation and gives you a chance to fail as many as four microgames. After a set amount of games (success or failure), you’ll move on to a boss stage which is often longer and more involved than the regular microgames. If you fail this one, you’ll get to try again if you have lives left. Beat this one and you’ll conclude that stage, opening it up for a sort of endless play mode where you can just try to get through as many microgames as possible.

However, before each game starts, you’ll be told which ‘form’ to use. The different forms are actually various ways to hold the Wiimote. You’ll start off simple – point it at the screen like a remote control or hold it like an umbrella for example. However, things start to get silly really fast, with you holding the Wiimote on your nose like an elephant trunk or at your side like a samurai would hold his sword. The first time you are introduced to a new form, there’ll be a description of the way to hold the Wiimote. These are all absolutely hilarious, too. The voiceover is serene and soothing while also being totally entertaining. This game is definitely not for people that don’t like to be laughed at as they play the game, though – my girlfriend would often chuckle as I played through some of the microgames. In all, there are over 200 different microgames with multiple difficulty levels. They’ll still be easy and quick to beat, sure, but they’re still fun for the time they last.

The real reason to pick this game up is the

part 2.....

Reviewed by dusktilldawn on April 05, 2007  |  report this review

is the multiplayer. Getting a few non-gamer friends together into one room to play Smooth Moves is an absolute blast. While I’m still not too excited about quickly passing around an expensive Wiimote (especially when things start to get fast and you have just a couple of seconds to pass before the game starts), the multiplayer was still great. One loss spells elimination here, making this great to play during halftime of that football game your buddies are over for or good for a quick matchup between TV shows. A neat touch is that each player will be represented by an angel on the screen with a Mii-head. As players lose, the angels fall away until only one is left.

Miis are used quite often in Smooth Moves. Of course, they’re used in the already-mentioned multiplayer – you’ll also see them appear throughout various microgames too. One of them involved finding the “weirdo” while other microgames just put the Mii heads on bodies of characters in the game. Sure, it’s a small touch, but I’m really glad to see the created and mingled Miis from my system being used in the game.

Wario Ware Smooth Moves is definitely an ideal party game. If you’re buying this Wii for a parent, grandparent or other non-gamer in your life, grab this game with it – they’ll definitely get a kick out of it. Sure, some of the games are hard at first until you figure out what to do, but most of the actions you take are common sense type ones. After a couple of tries, most of the stuff you do will be memorized and you’ll be able to have some quick and frantic fun with Smooth Moves. And, after you’ve gone through the game, you can have some friends over to play. Smooth Moves is a game that should be in every Wii owner’s library – while it is simplistic and easily finished for a single player, the multiplayer will last a lot longer.

Fantastic Party Game

Reviewed by djender on April 18, 2007  |  report this review

When it comes to group gaming, Nintendo really has the market cornered. Wario Ware is an amazing way to get your friends together and just have a good time. The last time a game was this good at bringing together a group of my friends was Smash Bros. (which is still being played). It's a great mix of speed and fun, so the game rarely gets boring. The mini-games are goofy, but there is so little time to analyze them that it doesn't get old. This is definitely a must have for any large household or as a party game.

There's no better way..

Reviewed by blufaery83 on May 16, 2007  |  report this review

...to use your Wiimote to it's full capabilities than by playing WarioWare Smooth Moves. This game uses the Wiimote like you have NEVER seen it used before! There are TONS of micro-games, all of which are quick and entertaining. I will say that the game is rather short, but it is more than worth getting. Even after opening everything that you can possibly open, I find myself playing each stage over again to beat my past scores. Not only is single player mode fun, but multiplayer mode takes the cake. First of all, you only need 1 Wiimote for up to 12, yes I said 12, players at once! Things get crazy as you pass the controller around. This game is a total blast and I would recommend it to ANYONE who owns a Wii!

Wario is back and crazier than ever.

Reviewed by R0DJOh on July 15, 2007  |  report this review

Ever since the original one came out, I've been a big Warioware fan. I own all of them (Megamicrogames, MegaParty games, Twisted, Touched) and now this one. Smooth Moves focuses on the Wii Remote. So much that it calls it the "Form Baton" and creates a legend behind it.

Ok not really, it's just an excuse to justify the bunch of stupid poses it tells you to do when playing. But yeah, just like the previous ones this is a collection of mini-games that come at you one after the other. Mini games usually last a few seconds (like 5 or so), with little to no instructions. You have four "lives". You lose one for each microgame you lose. Lose all four and the game is over. Not only that, but as you play more and more the microgames get harder and faster (rawr).

While at first there is an attempt of a story (which is just an excuse to not give you all the minigames from the start) you then just play endlessly to beat your hi-score.

This game is charming and hilarious. It is GREAT to play in parties with friends that dont mind making fools of themselves for a bit. Lose your inhibitions! (the game actually tells you to)
Probably the only bad thing I can say about it is that it doesn't really take advantage of the Wii's graphical power and uses very very basic cartoonish graphics on the menus and stuff.

Fun but easy

Reviewed by ringsofterror on July 17, 2007  |  report this review

This game has great multiplayer but I beat the first player in a couple of hours. This is really for the lower soft core gamers out there unless your out there for the multi-player games which are a blast. I am a Hard Core gamer and I hated the single player but the multi was one of the best I have seen in a long time

very FUn!!

Reviewed by jeff gamer on August 01, 2007  |  report this review

This game is really fun i love playing the minigames over and over. The single player game will take you all of 4-5 hours but there is multiplayer and unlockables and stuff. Overall a fun game for you and your friends.

great game 4 all

Reviewed by bigry on August 03, 2007  |  report this review

this is one of the best games for the wii i played this game 8 hours straight the first day i got it there are many different mini games and i enjoyed everyone of them this game is a must have and it was worth every penny.

more fun than the gameboy versions

Reviewed by paisjose on August 13, 2007  |  report this review

I loved this series from the very first game for the gameboy advance. The odd collection of minigames was perfect for a 5 minute break or for hours on a roadtrip. Smooth Moves improves on this platform. With the motion sensor of the wiimote, a whole new dimension comes into play. You hold the wiimote verious ways throughout the game, rarely using any buttons. Its all about timing and motion. The learning curve is a bit higher than its predecessors, but it is well worth it in the long run.

Warioware:Smooth Moves

Reviewed by Aaron117 on August 23, 2007  |  report this review

First off Wario Smooth Moves is insanely short. It only takes a few hours to beat it. Go rent the game before buying it because you might be disappointed by the length. Also Warioware Smooth Moves is not for everyone, which is also a reason to rent the game. Some be will think the 3 second micro games are loads of fun. But some people will say the game is stupid(I did). You should REALLY just rent the game because the is a good chance that you will hate the game, and after beating it in a few hours the really isn't much to do. There is a multi-player mode, but I doubt it will fun for long. So overall fun to some, stupid to others, rent it before buying it. Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves Warioware:Smooth Moves

Great Party game

Reviewed by logicbomb on November 01, 2007  |  report this review

This game is a must for any party people who likes to have 4-10 people for some wii party fun. The game is very lack lust for single player mode and it does require you to beat many things in single plater mode to unlock multiplayer features which kind of sucks. Overall thought it's the best party game for the wii currently.