"Wii were waiting, Wario."

Since his debut in the Mario series, Wario has quickly begun his own world to the Nintendo family. He's moved beyond a simple anti-hero and greedy powerhouse and has created his own franchise featuring his party-hardy crew of characters. The WarioWare series has grown from quiet cult following, and has begun to be one of Nintendo's best franchises. Now Wario's back with another WarioWare outing, this time on the Nintendo Wii. What will Wario and crew do on such an innovative new system? The answer is WarioWare: Smooth Moves.

For all who don't know, Wario isn't just the greedy counterpart to Mario. Despite playing that part in other games, Wario is also the entrepreneur of the microgame market. Wario likes making extremely short and extremely weird games and mashes them together into one series: the WarioWare series. The collection of short and sweet microgames is a rapid-fire barrage of ridiculously short game, usually requiring a simple push of a button to complete. If the game is won, a new game approaches a few seconds later. If the game is lost, the player loses one piece of life. If all the life is depleted, it's game over. It may sound overly simplistic, but when all the microgames come together in such quick succession, you realize what WarioWare is about: a fast, reflex-testing collection of games that require split-second comprehension and even quicker gameplay. When you think about it, the entire game is for all gamers where shooting a gun or catching a football for a prolonged time is boring. If you want constantly changing gameplay that is never the same twice, WarioWare is the series that will simply stun you in its design.

But the big craft of this WarioWare is the Wii Remote and its many forms throughout the game. Forms are specific positioning of the Wii Remote, whether it be a simple remote controlled pointer, a sketching utensil, or in the more obscure forms, atop a players head or used as an elephant's trunk. The true gist is that each form lets the player approach the microgames. Before each microgame, the game shows a specific form and the player is then thrown into one of the many microgames. The rest of the gameplay is this repeated, but with different microgames in typical WarioWare fashion. The microgames for something as simple as the Remote Control form can range from shooting cans off a fence to shining a light like a flashlight to find a concealed creature. It's the more obscure ones that really show off the developer's creativity. The Samurai form makes you hold the Wii Remote on the side like a samurai sword, and can be used to draw and slice a log, or surprise a burglar. The Mohawk (where you put the Wii Remote on your head), the Elephant (where you use it as a trunk on your nose) and the Big Cheese (where you place it on your hips and stand up) are just a few of the forms that don't play by normal rules. Sometimes the player is even told to put the Wii Remote down, and not pick it up until something on-screen happens. These are all extremely fun to play, which makes it a bummer that many of the creative forms aren't used nearly as much as the simpler ones. The Samurai, for example, is only used a handful of times, and after such fun microgames, it would have been a great thing to show more of the creativity in the form with more microgames. But if you can forget the rather neglect for the really cool forms, you'll find tons of entertainment in Smooth Moves' gameplay.

The game shows the different crew members of the WarioWare games going about their business, which for all of them can be a pretty wild ride. Whether it be popular cheerleader Mona or creepy little girl Ashley, there's a ton of funny moments in the game. The gameplay itself involves you to explore the town and use the Wii Remote to perform the characters' tasks. Different microgames appear throughout, which can be practiced in the local Temple of Form. Despite there being a small bit of repetition in some of the microgames, there's always a laugh-out-loud or “what just happened?” moment to be seen in WarioWare: Smooth Moves. And don't forget: 9-Volt and 18-Volt still love Nintendo, and still show off some microgames featuring classic Nintendo titles.

The multiplayer in Smooth Moves is quite different than Wario's other multiplayer game, Mega Party Games. The game still uses the rapid-fire gameplay, but now with only one Wii Remote. Players take turns completing microgames and those who cannot complete a microgame is out. It's crazy for up to 12 players, and the constant party style of the game makes it better. The multiplayer is a huge departure from that of Mega Party Games, where players could obstruct the players' screen, the over-the-top game design and quirky minigames make the game a hit for a party.

The WarioWare franchise grew up on the simplicity of handhelds, so the game doesn't try to push very many polygons. The graphics themselves are portrayed in many different styles, many of which possess their own unique functions. Some games use the polygonal face, similar to Brain Age on the DS. There's a load of diversity in the game's appearance. Some games even use the Mii characters' faces, and it can be pretty weird seeing your character in some of the game. Sound also is pretty straightforward. The sounds are plentiful and the music, whether it be disco or classic Japanese music, can be pretty catchy. WarioWare has never been a series who prides upon presentation, but the game's many twists show plenty of unique parts to the constantly changing gameplay.

Pros
+ Quick and always interesting
+ Plenty of creative uses of the Wii Remote
+ Multiplayer is a ton of fun
+ Over-the-top graphics illustrate well

Cons
- Some forms aren't used as much
- On the whole, needed to be a bit longer

WarioWare: Smooth Moves simply could not be played on any other system than the Wii without retaining the ridiculous pace and hilarious style. The great design of the many microgames is complemented by a constant amount of WarioWare style and amazing characters. The microgames are some of the most creative yet, and show off plenty of unique concepts not yet discovered on the Wii. The hilarious stories of all the characters are enjoyable in their entirety. If the WarioWare series hasn't hooked you yet, WarioWare Smooth Moves is still worth a look, as the Wii Remote offers plenty of new ways to play. It's one of the best Wii games yet, and despite a few problems (like some underused forms or small lack of other modes) is a laugh-out-loud world featuring one of Nintendo's craziest stars and his growing team. Anyone with a Wii should try out WarioWare: Smooth Moves. And remember, the nose-picking minigame returns!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/26/07