WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!

"Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Party RENTAL!"

Last year Nintendo released Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Micro Minigame$ last year, and seeing that it did fairly well, the big N decided to milk the cash cow for all its worth and release a party version of it for the Gamecube: Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Party Game$. But seeing as those who would be interested have probably plowed through the GBA version, the added party factor adds little appeal to this title.

Wario Ware, Inc for GBA was an innovative game. A ''fast reflexes'' game where you were given a few seconds to perform a simple command using the D-pad and the A and B buttons. Through different levels, represented by a rag-tag group of characters, players would play faster, longer versions of the reflex games and unlock fun bonuses such as Dr. Wario and 2 player versions Jump, and other games.

The innovation in to a party game formant doesn't bode nearly as well. A few new games are added to the Gamecube release to at least give it a little polish and are barely distinguishable from the old game ported for the GBA version. The screen accommodates the relative size of the GBA screen and surrounds it with various borders or characters, to add the ''party'' feel. The problem is, the screen may be a little too small for some players. One of the games has you controlling a character that has to cross a group of whales and get to an island. The character is too small to decipher if you haven't ever played the game, and leads to many ''misses'' or ''failures'' that could've been avoided had Nintendo made the screen a little bigger.

The new multiplayer options that make up the ''Party'' element of the title leave a lot to be desired. The different modes, however, are innovative and fun, they just seem to be underdeveloped. E-card reader's is a fun mode where players pull ''mini-games'' cards off a stack, if they pull a GBA card they have to play the games that are in the draw stack. If they win, they keep the cards, if they lose; they go in to a discard pile to be won later in the game. While the player is trying to win a certain number of games, the other players are trying to steal that player’s cards, lessening his/her score. While this game is fun, the point is confusing and winning is a matter of luck at times. Listen to the Doctor! mode has the players doing a selected task that the Doctor tells them to, much like Simon Says. Examples are ''Nod your head up and down'' While the player plays the mini game they must nod their head up and down. At the end of the game the other players clap to judge if they did what the doctor said. Another mode is Balloon Bang where players take turns playing mini-games. One player plays the mini-game while the other tries to inflate a giant red balloon attached to a TV. If the player wins the mini-game they switch with the other player until the balloon bursts. The game is great, but yet again, the small screen leads to many a robbed win.

While innovative and fun, Wario Ware, Inc leaves a lot to be desired. Especially those looking for a fun party game. The big N has once again made a party game out of virtually nothing, and left out a lot of the fun that should be in a title such as this. If you beat the GBA title you will find little if nothing new, except an edge knowing how most of the games are played. Purely a rental, seeing as there isn't enough to warrant playing it longer than a weekend. Definitely not worth the 29.99 price tag.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/15/04