"Wario's Wii Debut!"

The WarioWare series has been on every modern Nintendo console, but Smooth Moves may be the "smoothest" sailer of them all. Arguably the best installment in the series, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a smooth game that works well with the Wii's innovative control scheme, albeit being too short.

Graphics-------8/10

The graphics in Smooth Moves are not the best the Wii can offer, but the zany, cartoony visuals really fit in with the crazy, fast-paced nature of the game. Clearly, if you've ever played a WarioWare game, you know the game isn't about the graphics, not by a long shot. So in Smooth Moves, the graphics fit and they work well with the game.

Audio----------7/10

Even though the audio in Smooth Moves is not all bad, it is nothing new in terms of the other games in the series. A song or two is even stolen from the previous WarioWare games, and lots of the sound effects sound like they're coming from a soundboard in a crazy radio station. The sound isn't bad, it just isn't anything different from the norm.

Gameplay---------9/10

To be honest, nobody plays WarioWare for the graphics or audio. The gameplay is where Smooth Moves really shines. All the microgames, (WarioWare's term for minigames) are new and improved, and there are 19 different stances you can perform while playing the various microgames. Most of the positions feel totally natural, using the Wiimote to perform such crazy tasks as putting false teeth in an elderly woman's mouth to using an elephant's trunk to collect apples. The positions flow well, with each position being announced only seconds before you have to play the next microgame. As with each WarioWare game, the microgames come at you in a fast and furious onslaught, giving you only mere seconds between frantic jumping, pointing, and even dancing. Multiplayer is also great, as Smooth Moves can support up to 12 players at once in one of 4 multiplayer modes. The competition can get pretty intense, with everyone using the same Wiimote. The only complaints are with the games' shortness, because the enitre Story mode can be completed in one sitting, even finishing in about an hour or less. Besides the minor gripes, Smooth Moves steps up to the plate in terms of gameplay.

Final Score--------8/10

Though beating the main game isn't much of a challenge, even to inexperienced gamers, gamers will flock back to WarioWare: Smooth Moves because of the aspect of unlocking all the minigames, as well as the above-average multiplayer. Because of this, I would definitley classify this game as a buy, but it would definitely work well for a long-weekend rent. Smooth Moves is a great game, one of the Wii's best games out right now.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/29/07