Many people will say that Wii Sports was the tech demo that showcased the potential of the console’s motion controls. Judging by the accessible basis of sports and the fact that Nintendo put a copy of the game inside every box the console was shipped in, this was Nintendo’s clear intention for Wii Sports, and they succeeded without a doubt. As I’ve said before, Wii Sports had a shelf life of approximately an hour before the novelty of the motion controls wore off, and the initial excitement ran thin. Fortunately, early Wii owners had the alternative of playing Twilight Princess, but at the cost of alienating everyone else from the family-friendly intrigue that radiated from the Nintendo Wii. What if I told you that there was another early Wii game that one could enjoy with others that showcased the vast parameters of Nintendo’s ambitious motion-controlled console? No, it’s not Wii Play because that game had an even slimmer shelf life of fun than Wii Sports did. I’m talking, of course, about WarioWare: Smooth Moves, the fourth installment of the absurd party game franchise that more or less exists to display innovative ways to use Nintendo’s hardware for many of its consoles. If Wii Sports was the vehicle to exhibit that the motion controls of the Wii were competent, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is the vehicle to show that they were fun.
Reviewing WarioWare based on its contents would prove superfluous upon its fourth entry. Smooth Moves is the same game as the previous three entries and upholds what we’ve expected from the series. It’s a cavalcade of wacky microgames made to be completed in mere seconds. The player must complete a certain number of them and only gets four chances to screw up. The time to complete these microgames gets thinner as the player progresses, and a boss microgame usually takes longer and requires the more substantial use of the controls. These microgames are divided into minuscule stories between the eclectic cast of Wario’s compadres. This summary basically sums up the premise of every game in the series, so what gives each game its unique appeal? Smooth Moves was the first game in the series to be developed for a mainline Nintendo console instead of being relegated to a handheld system. The first WarioWare game was ported to the Gamecube, but that was merely the GBA game on more advanced hardware. Smooth Moves was designed with the Wii’s hardware in mind, and the kinetic nature of the system fits this series like a glove. The previous WarioWare games on Nintendo’s handheld systems were party games in theory, but having a party around the pocket-sized screen of the GBA or the DS sounds lame as hell. One of the cardinal rules listed to the player when starting Smooth Moves is to “lower your inhibitions,” which implies that they will be using the Wii’s motion controls to make a complete jackass of themselves. The prerogative of Smooth Moves is like dancing: one can do it alone, but it’s better to perform with others. Smooth Moves is the first WarioWare game that is fully realized as a party game, giving Smooth Moves more vibrant energy than none of the previous games had.
Conducting the various microgames in Smooth Moves is done more methodically than in previous titles. The Wiimote is a comparatively more versatile tool than something like the DS stylus or the body of the GBA, and the microgames take advantage of this range of uses. The Wiimote is a swiss-army knife of practicalities, illustrated by a calming tutorial that sounds like the “deep thoughts” segment from SNL. The player will put the Wiimote in positions ranging in kinetic involvement, starting with using the Wiimote like a remote control to more involved uses like placing it on the player’s head like a mohawk. The smattering of stances can be used for many purposes. For example, The player will use the umbrella stance to simulate drinking liquid, the discard stance to pick up the Wiimote with precise timing, the boxer stance to toss a shuriken, etc. An optional story with Orbulon involves microgames that utilize the nunchuck, incorporating the additional connection in a few ways. The suggested stance to complete each microgame is great at assisting the player, and getting involved with performing each stance with the Wiimote is amusingly silly fun in itself. The unfortunate thing about using the Wiimote to complete microgames is that the more involved stances tend to conflict with the sensory aspect of the Wii. I could’ve sworn that I was executing the “mortar and pestle” stance correctly, but I could never get the hang of the microgames that involved the stance and never figured out how to perform them accurately. Other than those minor instances, most of the forms are fluid.
WarioWare games are also pretty light on plot, and Smooth Moves follows that consistent formula. As mentioned before, the various microgames are divided into subplots involving the kooky staple characters of the series. Mona is cheerleading for a high school football game, and Kat and Ana defend their fort from a monstrously tall demon. 9-Volt and 18-Volt have a spat over a busted Game and Watch resolved over a series of Nintendo game-themed microgames they’ve become known for like they are the Treehouse of Horror episodes of WarioWare segments. The vaguely overarching plot with Wario involves him taking an ancient relic shaped like a Wiimote. The scene is escalated with him sprinting away from a boulder booby trap like Raiders of the Lost Ark. He then divides himself into mini Warios because a faulty motorbike culminates in rebuilding and returning the Wiimote relic to where he found it. The plots here are as light, roundabout, and appropriately bizarre for the WarioWare series and are unfortunately as short as the other games. Unlike the other games, Smooth Moves augments the game's length with tons of side content. Besides the additional Orbulon story, progressing through the game will unlock tons of minigames that have unique uses for the Wiimote. Many multiplayer games use most if not all of the microgames from the single-player game. The staggering wealth of extra content is exactly what the game needed to expand its playtime beyond the main short story typical of the series.
The ultimate prerogative for the Nintendo Wii was to usher in motion controls in gaming beyond any peripheral before. Wii Sports was a nice sampler of what the Wii was capable of, but I doubt anyone regularly played any of the game's sports on display. In a way, WarioWare is a series made to showcase the parameters of kinetic prowess for any Nintendo system. Nintendo would’ve been foolish not to utilize the series for their killer app. Executing WarioWare’s signature microgames had never required such involvement from the player before. Doing so will have the player in stitches from laughing at the game and themselves. In many ways, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is the perfect Wii game because it best uses the novelty of motion controls.
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Attribution: https://erockreviews.blogspot.com
Reviewing WarioWare based on its contents would prove superfluous upon its fourth entry. Smooth Moves is the same game as the previous three entries and upholds what we’ve expected from the series. It’s a cavalcade of wacky microgames made to be completed in mere seconds. The player must complete a certain number of them and only gets four chances to screw up. The time to complete these microgames gets thinner as the player progresses, and a boss microgame usually takes longer and requires the more substantial use of the controls. These microgames are divided into minuscule stories between the eclectic cast of Wario’s compadres. This summary basically sums up the premise of every game in the series, so what gives each game its unique appeal? Smooth Moves was the first game in the series to be developed for a mainline Nintendo console instead of being relegated to a handheld system. The first WarioWare game was ported to the Gamecube, but that was merely the GBA game on more advanced hardware. Smooth Moves was designed with the Wii’s hardware in mind, and the kinetic nature of the system fits this series like a glove. The previous WarioWare games on Nintendo’s handheld systems were party games in theory, but having a party around the pocket-sized screen of the GBA or the DS sounds lame as hell. One of the cardinal rules listed to the player when starting Smooth Moves is to “lower your inhibitions,” which implies that they will be using the Wii’s motion controls to make a complete jackass of themselves. The prerogative of Smooth Moves is like dancing: one can do it alone, but it’s better to perform with others. Smooth Moves is the first WarioWare game that is fully realized as a party game, giving Smooth Moves more vibrant energy than none of the previous games had.
Conducting the various microgames in Smooth Moves is done more methodically than in previous titles. The Wiimote is a comparatively more versatile tool than something like the DS stylus or the body of the GBA, and the microgames take advantage of this range of uses. The Wiimote is a swiss-army knife of practicalities, illustrated by a calming tutorial that sounds like the “deep thoughts” segment from SNL. The player will put the Wiimote in positions ranging in kinetic involvement, starting with using the Wiimote like a remote control to more involved uses like placing it on the player’s head like a mohawk. The smattering of stances can be used for many purposes. For example, The player will use the umbrella stance to simulate drinking liquid, the discard stance to pick up the Wiimote with precise timing, the boxer stance to toss a shuriken, etc. An optional story with Orbulon involves microgames that utilize the nunchuck, incorporating the additional connection in a few ways. The suggested stance to complete each microgame is great at assisting the player, and getting involved with performing each stance with the Wiimote is amusingly silly fun in itself. The unfortunate thing about using the Wiimote to complete microgames is that the more involved stances tend to conflict with the sensory aspect of the Wii. I could’ve sworn that I was executing the “mortar and pestle” stance correctly, but I could never get the hang of the microgames that involved the stance and never figured out how to perform them accurately. Other than those minor instances, most of the forms are fluid.
WarioWare games are also pretty light on plot, and Smooth Moves follows that consistent formula. As mentioned before, the various microgames are divided into subplots involving the kooky staple characters of the series. Mona is cheerleading for a high school football game, and Kat and Ana defend their fort from a monstrously tall demon. 9-Volt and 18-Volt have a spat over a busted Game and Watch resolved over a series of Nintendo game-themed microgames they’ve become known for like they are the Treehouse of Horror episodes of WarioWare segments. The vaguely overarching plot with Wario involves him taking an ancient relic shaped like a Wiimote. The scene is escalated with him sprinting away from a boulder booby trap like Raiders of the Lost Ark. He then divides himself into mini Warios because a faulty motorbike culminates in rebuilding and returning the Wiimote relic to where he found it. The plots here are as light, roundabout, and appropriately bizarre for the WarioWare series and are unfortunately as short as the other games. Unlike the other games, Smooth Moves augments the game's length with tons of side content. Besides the additional Orbulon story, progressing through the game will unlock tons of minigames that have unique uses for the Wiimote. Many multiplayer games use most if not all of the microgames from the single-player game. The staggering wealth of extra content is exactly what the game needed to expand its playtime beyond the main short story typical of the series.
The ultimate prerogative for the Nintendo Wii was to usher in motion controls in gaming beyond any peripheral before. Wii Sports was a nice sampler of what the Wii was capable of, but I doubt anyone regularly played any of the game's sports on display. In a way, WarioWare is a series made to showcase the parameters of kinetic prowess for any Nintendo system. Nintendo would’ve been foolish not to utilize the series for their killer app. Executing WarioWare’s signature microgames had never required such involvement from the player before. Doing so will have the player in stitches from laughing at the game and themselves. In many ways, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is the perfect Wii game because it best uses the novelty of motion controls.
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Attribution: https://erockreviews.blogspot.com