WarioWare: Touched!

"He's been Twisted...now he's...Touched!...Ahem..."

I had always heard about the WarioWare games, but I never had the opportunity to try one out. Now that I've had the chance to play WarioWare: Touched! I have to say that I'm not too impressed with the series, but it's not all that horrible either.

In WarioWare: Touched! you play a series of mini-games in order to unlock more mini-games. There are a TON of mini-games in WarioWare: Touched!, but some of them are too easy or just not fun. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of the mini-games that are a blast and are amazingly addicting, but they're overshadowed by all the meaningless ones that are packed into this title.

By completing a character's story mode you unlock another character (until you reach the end, of course) and you play their mini-games. You have to do things like cutting, rubbing, spinning, dragging, and a ton of other stuff that you do with your stylus. This is the first game I've played for the DS that really implements the stylus well, just doesn't do so in a very entertaining way all of the time.

Of course, other mini-games aren't all that you unlock, you also unlock small “toys” that you can mess around with that provide a little break from the mini-games. However, most of these toys are pretty lame, but there are some toys that you can play with two-players. However, you use one DS and it's just lame, especially since the DS has wireless connecting, and I feel that the developers didn't explore the rest of the DS's possibilities enough; only focused on the stylus.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Nintendo game if there weren't some secrets that would be nearly impossible to figure out. If you have the Game Boy Advance game WarioWare: Twisted! inserted into the Game Boy Advance slot, you get another useless toy. What is my reason for mentioning this, you ask? Simply that almost all the toys, even the ones that are supposed to be special, fail to be entertaining.

Almost each character has their own story, but these stories aren't anything special. Basically, there are little stories that try to be funny, but rarely are, which is disappointing…very disappointing.

Now, the game wasn't all that bad. There was a certain character's mini-games that I enjoyed very much and that would be the character that had mini-games centered around old-school Nintendo. Not that the mini-games themselves were all that fun, but they were simply just cool. Who doesn't love mini-games based around your favorite old Nintendo games? Stuff like Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. fill these levels, which, in my opinion, really get the game some big points. Also, major Nintendo fans should check this title out simply because it's filled with references to older Nintendo games that the fans will love.

However, there are some of the mini-games that aren't even worth your time, but needed in order to unlock the better mini-games. Sometimes the mini-games are overly easier, overly simple, too complex, too stupid, or to put it simply, not fun enough. The remixes (mini-games from different characters are all put together in one mix) are a waste of time, though they claim to be tougher (I failed to see a difference). Later in the game, you'll get to play remixes that are noticeably tougher, but even less fun because you don't get far enough to enjoy the more fun mini-games that are few and far between.

I know I've been complaining about the stylus a bit, but at least this game responds to the stylus controls nearly flawlessly. Also, the ENTIRE mini-game play isn't solely based around the use of the stylus. There are some mini-games (one of the less fun ones) that require you to simply press a button or two on your DS.

One of the more odd mini-games are the mini-games that require the use of the microphone. This, actually, is one of the more entertaining mini-game sets that is in the game. You may have to blow into the mic, or even sweet-talk (which I don't really understand why that's in there because you automatically win, anyway---at least, I've never lost from it and I've tried to lost on purpose).

The graphics for WarioWare: Touched! aren't anything to get excited about, but they are okay. The whole thing is basically drawn with some real pictures thrown in here and there, but almost zero animation is present. The loading screens in the title, which appear all too often and unnecessarily so, become quite annoying with their simple animations and failed attempts to provide humor. Sadly, one of the easiest things to make right was done wrong by the developers of WarioWare: Touched!

The music is one of the high points for WarioWare: Touched! The music really gets you pumped up when you're playing a hard mini-game with one life left. The music simply makes the whole thing more exciting for a little while. The tunes are catchy and all the sound effects sync perfectly.

The game's main downfall? WarioWare: Touched! is painfully short. You can beat the game within two hours, maybe three. There is some replayability with replaying through some of the character's mini-games to unlock the ones you haven't seen before, but this requires you to play through some of the more boring mini-games repeatedly, which is more irritating than possibly imaginable. The toys are somewhat entertaining…for a few seconds, and I really doubt that they will draw you to the game again once you're finished with it.

Honestly, WarioWare: Touched! isn't worth the price, but it is an okay game for a little while. If you could get a hold of it without having to pay, then it's the perfect title for your Nintendo DS. Sadly, there isn't really a multiplayer that's enjoyable enough to add replayability, there's not Wi-Fi capabilities, the constant use of the stylus, the lack of truly fun mini-games and the over-filling of boring mini-games drags a potentially great title to mediocrity.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/29/07