Note: This page will be updated throughout E3 as further editor impressions are gathered.
Jesse Rifkin, The Wiire Chief Video Producer
As they say, you never forget the first. WarioWare: Smooth Moves was the very first game I played at my very first E3 and the experience was unforgettable. I'm a huge-normous WarioWare fan on the 'Cube. I consider it to be one of the best multiplayer games of all time (second only to Super Smash Bros. Melee). When I heard that WarioWare was going to be playable at E3, I nearly flipped my lid.
Unlike Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, I found this WarioWare to be a major step ahead from its previous incarnations. A whole revolutionary step ahead, one might say. It wasn't only the new controller functionality that made this game great, but also the new set-up for the minigames. For those not in the cool, WarioWare is a game where you and friends play a multitude of three-second mini-games, which are usually very silly and unbelievably bizarre coupled with Japan-style humor.
There are two major things that make this game a real pants-puller-downer for me. The first is something that is a bit of a change from the previous WarioWares. In "Mega Minigames" for the GameCube, part of what keeps the game at such a frentic pace is that the games begin with almost no warning, and since there are two hundred mini-games it's hard to know whether you are playing a button mashing game, a control stick twirling game, etc.
This is where Smooth Moves takes a sharp left. When a mini-game begins, a cool splash screen comes up telling you what type of game it is. Now, it seems like that would remove one of the elements of fun from the game, but it doesn't. What it does do is add more elements of humor. Each "controller position" has a funny name and an equally humorous illustration to go along with it. This is the second point that really proves how much of a reinvention this game is - all the different uses of the controller, especially being only one-handed. For example, "The Waiter" is a game that requires you to hold out the palm of your hand with the Wiimote lying on top. Other positions include placing the Wiimote on your head, or on your hips. I'm not going to ruin all the surprises for you, but lets just say the flashy in-game images are shockingly hilarious.
This game is full of cheap laughs and ridiculous stunts that you just have to play to believe. WarioWare: Smooth Moves was probably the most impressive game I've played on the Wii, going above and beyond my already huge expectations. GET THIS GAME!
Rob Galbreath, The Wiire Managing Editor
WarioWare has always been a favorite of mine. Simple, fast-paced gameplay is something I really enjoy. When WarioWare made a GameCube appearance and allowed four players to duke it out, I spent endless hours on the game in really heated competition.
WarioWare, though only a one-player demonstration, really pushes the series a step ahead. The E3 demonstration showed players how to hold the controller just before each mini-game began. For example, one screen before the mini-game began showed the controller near a person's hips. This prepared me for a hoola-hop game where I had to move my hips around in a circular fashion. Another had me holding the controller really still in one hand, balancing a broom with your hand (which was extremely hard, if you haven't tried balancing a real broom with the palm of your hand).
Another fun game demonstrated involved holding the controller as a baton, like a relay race, pumping your hands back and forth trying to reach the finish line. This had to be most bizarre of the games, so of course it had to be my favorite.
The one that that really got me, or rather had me fail, was the ball-into-hole mini game. If you've ever played those cheap, miniature plastic games you have to tilt back and forth in order to get all the marbles into the holes, you might know what I'm talking about.
As far as the controls, I'd say they were pretty good. I can only blame my stage failures on learning the controller techniques and getting used to the creativity in using the Wii Remote. Though a few manuevers were repetitive, they helped quite a bit with the learning curve. The Nunchuk was not used in the demonstration, though I'd say it really helps reduce confusion as to what you're supposed to be doing for the upcoming game.
Overall, I was impressed. Though the game was simply a demonstration of the final product, I'd venture to say that any WarioWare fan won't think twice about purchasing this game. I seriously hope Nintendo goes through with multiplayer like the GameCube version. This title would really give the system a fun game everyone can play together.
If you're not a WarioWare fan, I don't think you'll enjoy it that much. Unless of course you're looking to fully utilize the controller, which has to be really cool for anyone. The mini-games are set up very similarly to how they have been in the past, so there's nothing really different there. It's still a fast-paced game with a lot of really crazy events. You either like it or you don't. But if you do, I'm sure you'll love it.
