Impressions

-- David Dayton

WarioWare: Smooth Moves is the perfect game to show off the different ways that the Wii controller can be used. Just like the previous games in the series, players are presented with 5 second microgames that must be completed to progress. However, in this iteration, players are directed on how they must hold the Wii remote before each game. Each method is given a descriptive and sometimes humorous name. In total, there are 17 different ways of holding the controller, some requiring full-body motions in order to perform properly. As such, the “how to hold the remote with the wriststrap on" screen that was present in most of the other demos didn’t make a lot of sense here.

At E3, there were a bunch of microgames playable, and all of them wouldn’t come up on a single play through. Here is a list of some of the wacky microgames I saw:

• The Chauffer — 1. Drive a car. 2. Knock over a person.
• The Handlebar — 1. Balance on a ball. 2. Inflate a ball with a pump. 3. Run in a race.
• The Umbrella — 1. Shake suds off of a man. 2. Shake bugs off of a banana. 3. Swat a bug.
• The Waiter — 1. Roll a ball from a flat surface into a small hole at the center. 2. Balance the tip of broom on an open hand.
• The Sketch Artist — 1. Cut out cookies from dough. 2. Trace around a square. 3. Insert dentures into an old woman’s mouth. (especially good for showing off Wii remote distance detection)
• The Samurai — Slice objects.
• The Big Cheese — Hula-hoop (literally!).
• The Mohawk — Perform squats (again, literally!).
• The Remote Control — 1. Stab fruit thrown by a fencer. 2. Keep a ball bouncing on a racket. 3. Sautee food on a frying pan. 4. Hook a hoop.
• The Boxer — Run paper through a shredder.
• The Finger Food — Turn a key.
• The Dumbell — Lift weights.

Most of the microgames were easy to complete, though rolling a ball into a small hole (like the cheap kids games using BBs) and balancing on a ball were a little tricky. After losing too many times or completing a certain number of games, the demo ended. WarioWare: Smooth Moves is sure to be a blast, especially at parties, and does require more physical activity than most of the games shown. Expect the extreme weirdness present in the previous WarioWare games to be found here.

-- MEGAߥTE

Photos

-- MEGAߥTE

Videos

Video #1: Stab a fruit, steer a car, bounce a tennis ball, balance on a ball, shake off, roll a ball into a hole.

• Download video (01:06, 10mb, 640x480, DivX)

Video #2: Push, cookie cutter, slice, hula hoop, balance on a ball, shake off, trace, insert dentures, saute, etc.

• Download video (03:40, 30.1mb, 640x480, DivX)

Video provided by Chupperson.