WarioWare: Smooth Moves

I don't normally review games on this blog, i mostly just give my impressions and opinions and let you, dear reader, decide for yourself. This time, I'll go out on a limb and say that WarioWare : Smooth Moves is quite possibly the best Wii party game out there, beating Rayman: Raving Rabbids. The gameplay structure is exactly like other Wario games, spastic and frantic minigames hurling at you at light speed. From picking Wario's nose, to washing a cow's butt, to waving away a toxic fart, the gameplay keeps the ultra-weird style that the series is known for and adds more characters ( with their own bizarre story lines), more levels, and some truly unique gameplay modes that will leave you rolling with laughter. The game also integrates your Mii Channel characters at all levels, so you'll see yourself and other Mii's everywhere. The only glaring problem i was able to see was that the games which used the Nunchuk were a little confusing, and the HUGE variety of "form baton" stances that you get into before the game starts can confuse someone who's a noob. The colorful and bright graphics bring to mind a often mentioned "weakness" of the Wii, which is the older tech and visual inferiority compared to the PS3 or Xbox 360. Visually WarioWare is a looker, but not because it manages to shift millions of polygons at once, or uses advanced shaders, but because it has a sense of style that works with the gameplay really well. The sharp 2D visuals during cut scenes look great, and contrast well with the atmosphere and humour of the game. And the wacky mix of visual styles within each mini game throws around a huge amount of visual effects, and different art in the process, much like the previous games did. 2D isn't dead yet, and WarioWares imaginative mix of both 2D, and 3D graphics shows this. The sound effects fit in perfectly with the rest of the game, with NES bleeps and bloops thrown in with sound effects and cameos from virtually every Nintendo game ever made ( even the Virtual Boy is in there!!!!) The total playtime is short, i finished the main game in about 3 hours, but unlocking all the extra games, Pose cards, and the 200 game will keep me going for a long time..... as a bonus, most of the games can be played with a beer in one hand, and a Wiimote in the other!!!! (maybe that's why i have a hangover.......)

So here are a few pics of last night's shenanigans, and some videos of WarioWare gameplay.....
and by the way, mah Bears won today, and we're going to Miami!!!!!! ( i hope....)