WarioWare: Snapped! review

As a series mainly used to showcase new technology, Nintendo brings Wario out once again, in the form of one of the first DSiWare titles, to show off the Nintendo DSi's camera. Does WarioWare do the camera justice, or does this game make the feature feel unnecessary?

First Thoughts
One thing you will notice when you boot this game up, is that it's not like any WarioWare game you've played before. There's no real menu listing, there's no special features, or even options menus. There's just four character icons, a button to read the in-game manual, and another button to the credits, but I'll get into that later.

Gameplay
That thing about this not being like any other WarioWare game ... yeah, let's get into that. Basically, those four character options lead into different character's microgames, only 5 games per character. Yeah, only five, meaning just twenty microgames total. And if you're alone, it's technically 15, because the Kat & Ana microgames are designed for two people; though, since the way the camera works, three fingers can become a head and two hands with some clever distancing tricks.

Which brings me to the main focus of the game, the cameras. You'd think if your game utilizes a camera as it's central control system, you'd at least test the thing in numerous lighting situations to make sure it works... Because I shouldn't have to move to three different rooms just find a place to play that only kind of works. Before you can actual play a set of microgames, the game will have you set up in the right position, which for whatever reason has trouble finding the pale guy in a black t-shirt in a beige painted room. But once that's all settled you can finally play.

Before each microgame, a little face and/or hand icon will show up, allowing you to get in place. However, unlike say WarioWare: Smooth Moves on the Wii, which showed you the Wiimote position quickly before you had to play, Snapped! gives you infinite amount of time to set up due to the camera's somewhat unreliability. For me, this ruins the frantic style of the WarioWare gameplay, considering in the end it won't matter what body part is actually being read, as the camera is just looking for a light and dark separation.

But, the game doesn't stop at the 20 microgames. No, in fact, the credits are a game in themselves ... a game that actually seems to last longer and is in my opinion a bit more fun than the rest of the title since you only have to get set up once. The credits game is essentially an on rails shooter ... without shooting, that you control with your head and aim for names and items as they come towards you. And it hit me while playing this, if this works so well, why didn't Nintendo just make some sort of on rails shooter that you control with your head and .. maybe with the mic make sounds to fire? I'd much rather play a hands free shmup than have to constantly set up for a 2 second microgame.

Extras
There's not much extra to this downloadable title. However, after playing each series of microgames, you will get to see how you looked while playing. But as amusing as that is, the game won't allow you to save the photos; and even if you just close the DSi the pictures are erased. You'd think a system that can hold up to 32GB on an SD card would at least let you save these photos to play with on the Nintendo DSi Camera.

But the game's memory loss does even end there. With the credits game I mentioned before, you'll rack up a score that will have taken sometime to get; and that score will be shown above the Credits option on the main menu. But guess what happens when you leave the game? Your score is gone! Making the entire part of showing your score, or even trying to get one in the first place, completely pointless. I mean, if I'm giving up five dollars for this title, the least you can do is save my score! What's that memory file even doing, huh?

Final Thoughts
Well, I'd by lying if I said this was my favorite of the WarioWare titles (my real favorite is Twisted! on the Game Boy Advance). When the camera mechanic works, especially in the credits game, it works well and the game is quite fun. However, when the game makes you run around to find proper lighting and then that aspect screws up the gameplay, then it's not fun. And while I understand it's just five dollars, I could find a NES game on the Virtual Console that lasts longer than Snapped!'s 20 microgames, for the same price... and that would even save my progress; this game won't even save my score, let alone my photos. Also, no 9-Volt level? Tsk tsk.

If you were a fan of the WarioWare titles, like me, and wanted some gameplay with your DSi Camera, then maybe you already bought this game. However, if you're looking for an engaging camera played experience, I say hold onto your 500 Nintendo Points until something better releases (even if they are from the 1000 points Nintendo gave you).

Overall Score: 6.8/10

Wario Contest Cancelled

Sorry folks, looks like there was some miscommunication with Nintendo, and we are forced to call off the Wario Mustache Contest. So sorry to those looking to score a free copy of Wario Land Shake It! , but the decision is out of our control.

However, if anyone still feels like submitting a photo of themselves and their mustache, I will personally reward them with a free, custom made wallpaper of their choosing! This program will run now until November 1st, the date the contest was supposed to end. It's not a free game, but more thought goes into it on our end.

Sorry.

Wario Land: Shake It! Review

Hey there, been playing Wario Land for the past couple days and finished my review last night. It is now up at Classic VFH so go take a look.

Currently, I've actually been having trouble viewing the Classic site, so if you are having problems as well, then please let us know by simply leaving a comment and we'll get to work on that.

I also want to mention that we are running a contest right now where you can win a BRAND NEW, FACTORY SEALED COPY OF WARIO LAND: SHAKE IT! FOR THE WII!!!!!! Just click that link, or the one from the main page in the top right corner, for details and enter. All you have to do is find an item(s) to create a mustache with and send us a pic; it's that easy, and you can get a free game outta the deal, so you have nothing to lose. Enter. Do it.

UPDATE: Contest cancelled, Sorry.

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UPDATE (3/22/10) VFH Classic is dead:

Wario Land: Shake It! has just been released for the Wii, and is one of the first from Nintendo in a little while, with only Wii Music and Animal Crossing coming out later in the year. Does this new Wario Land game have what it takes to fill in the gap and give gamers, both core and casual alike, a good dose of gaming? Read on to find out.

The game starts up with an anime-inspired video that shows how the evil Shake King has taken over the Shake Dimension and imprisoned Queen Merelda and the Merfles and stolen their prized possession, the Bottomless Coin Sack. Fortunately, one Merfle avoids capture and runs off to get help from the ever lovely Captain Syrup, who in turn calls on Wario and gives him an antique globe and special telescope that allows him to be transported to the Shake Dimension.

The Shake Dimension consists of five continents, which each house 4 levels, plus a boss stage. Once you beat all five bosses, you can move on to the last area where you will face the Shake King himself in a fiery battle. The levels themselves play out the same; you work your way to the end, where you rescue a Merfle from his imprisonment, and then must race your way back to the beginning of the level to the exit before time expires. However, there is a lot more to these levels than simply reaching the end. Every level has three hidden treasures and a number of missions to complete, however, obtaining and completing all of these objectives is not necessary to beat the game. These missions range in number and assortment, from 3-6 per stage, and from completing a level without taking damage, getting a certain number of coins, beating the level in a certain amount of time, and many others. Completing all of these missions can be very, very difficult and will require you to replay levels many times in order to complete everything, so this is where the replay value really comes in. If you are a completionist, then you have your work cut out for you.


One of Wario's new moves is this super smash that stuns enemies and allows for special things to happen with structures marked with a "!", so be on the look out for such objects.

Some stages have multiple ways to get around, but most are fairly linear, with some offshoots to hidden areas that house a treasure chest or coin bag. Also, if you really didn’t care about anything, you could speed through a level to the end fairly quickly without much thought, for the earlier levels at least. However, once you make it to the spot in which you rescue your little Merfle friend, some more strategy and precision comes into play, at least if you do want to make the most of your trip back. On the way back, there is almost always a speed boost box that will propel you forward very quickly, until you run into a wall or solid object, so you will need to be quick with your jumps and prepared to take immediate action if you wish to complete certain assignments. For one, you can get the speed mission completed, and almost all of these trips will lead to a treasure chest that can only be gotten while running fast after one of the boosters. Also, your trip back will have many routes to take, so you’ll have to go through it a few times, if not only to memorize the track and when you need to jump and such.


Here, you can see Wario making a break for it. He has gone through a speed boost and is hauling, so be careful not to run into any walls, or you'll lose your boost, and also, keep an eye on that timer if you hope to clear that mission, or at the least, make it out alive.

There are a few stages that break up the monotony of this formula though, and those consist of underwater levels, where you get to man a submarine. These levels are on rails, constantly propelling you forward, and are fairly fun to play. There are also a lot of enemies coming at you, most of which are varied, which is unusual for the game. All of the regular levels only contain a few enemies, all of which are variants of a standard little goomba-looking fellow, and they don’t really pose much of a threat. There are some enemies that you should avoid and some with spikes that will hurt you if you come into contact with them, but for the most part, the enemies are slow push-overs who can be taken out in a variety of ways, and even running into them might not hurt you, so I usually just jump over them or charge into them with ease, which simply makes them a nuisance that get in the way, as opposed to actual obstacles or enemies.


The submarine levels are a nice break from the regular platforming gameplay, but they are all pretty much the same, with a mini-boss at the end. It would have been nice to see some different vehicle levels too.

Anyways, once you beat a continent, you can go to the Pirate Shop, where Captain Syrup will sell you some valuable objects, such as maps to new continents, potions, and extra heart containers. The potions act like fairies in Zelda, where they refill your health meter if you die. An unfortunate thing though is that you must purchase new maps to continue forward with your quest. In theory, this is ok, but with my experience, I found that two or three times I would have beaten a boss and continent, only to not have enough money to purchase the new map, so instead of playing the much anticipated next and new levels, I had to go back to old levels to get some more coin. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if you want to revisit a level to get treasures or complete some missions, but I just found it annoying.

Once you beat the final boss, you are rewarding with a few new things. For starters, you are now allowed to replay any boss you like as many times as you like, and there is even a purpose for this, as there are now boss missions. Most of these missions consist of defeating a boss within a certain time limit or to not take damage, however, some are more boss-specific which make for some fun and challenging times. Overall, the bosses are really cool and unique and fun to battle against, so I was more than excited to see you able to replay them, as you couldn’t until after you beat the final boss. The most exciting difference though, is that some levels now contain hidden maps. These maps open up new levels, which are much, much more challenging and awesome than any of the other levels, so finding these maps should be your first priority after taking out the S. King.


One of the six or so bosses you'll face. All bosses have a pattern to their attacks, so once you learn those, you should be able to take them out, although some are a bit trickier than others.

To back things up a little bit, let me talk about the controls. For starters, you play the game with the Wii remote exclusively and held on its side, retro style. You move with the D-pad, jump with the 2 button and charge with the 1 button. You can also perform a special smash move by quickly shaking the remote. This move as a variety of effects, namely flipping over and stunning enemies and making special "!" emblazed structures temporarily move, allowing you access to previously closed off areas or working in some simple puzzle solving. You can also perform a ground pound by jumping and then pressing the down button on the D-pad. Also, you can pick up dazed enemies, money bags, and other items simply by walking into them. Once you have them in your hands, you can either shake them about by shaking the remote or throw them by holding the 1 button. Once you press the 1 button, a directional arrow comes up, which shows you in which direction you will be throwing that object. You can reposition this arrow simply by tilting the remote, although if you are sitting in an awkward position, this can be a bit difficult.

Luckily, the waggle function isn’t really overused. The only times you will use it is to shake enemies, bags, and to twirl around bars, although this can sometimes get annoying, but it’s ok. You also use the tilting function to direct the submarine and other vehicles, your throws, and your cannon blasts, all of which work very well.


You must shake the crap out of those bags to get all the coins. This isn't too bad, but having to shake enemies for a second or two to get a piece of garlic to replenish health is a bit of a pain.

Two other great things about Wario Land are the music and graphics. The soundtrack is very expansive and plays both to the classic gaming era and to each environment very well, with some memorable tunes. Luckily, there is a sound room where you can listen to any of the songs you like, however, you must unlock them first, which is yet another reason you will be coming back to beat this game and complete all of the missions. The game also features a very colorful, cartoony, hand-painted look, which is very expressive. The environments and backgrounds are very beautifully drawn and bright, and this style allows for a lot of different, distinct animations, which really flesh out Wario’s behavior and mannerisms.

I was really excited for Wario Land: Shake It! and now having played it, I wasn’t disappointed. Some of the levels can seem dull and easy to beat, and if you are just a casual gamer who wants to get through the game, then you will be able to do that with relative ease, although some of the bosses may give you some trouble. However, if you are a hardcore gamer looking for a deep experience, then you will find that here too. The missions are very, very difficult to complete, and with 3-6 in each level, you will find plenty of replay value and platforming goodness. Like I said, it doesn’t take much skill to simply get through the levels, but if you want to complete this game 100%, you will need some major skills and quick reflexes; now, it’s no Mega Man 9, but there is still plenty of difficulty and challenge to be had. Nintendo did a great job of shaping this game up to cater to both parties, the casual and core, and they did it while keeping the Wario-style platforming and gameplay intact, making for a great Wii title.

8.5/10

Crazy YouTube advertising

For Wario Land: Shake It!, Nintendo has launched a new channel on YouTube. What neat though is that the channel disguises itself as a video page, and when viewing the video, everything just goes wild. It's a pretty neat way to advertise, so check it out for yourself.

YouTube - experiencewii's Channel

Wario Land: Shake It! website

The Japanese website for Wario Land: Shake It! has opened. The last few pages are currently blocked off, but if you scroll through the first tab you'll find the first gameplay footage of this title. And clicking a tab in the 2nd window gets you footage from the games anime style cut-scenes. It looks interesting, but what I think will be more interesting is how Nintendo justifies this game being disc based and looking as simple as it does, and the price point they plan to sell it at.

Wario Land: Shake It! - official Japanese website

New Nintendo media

Nintendo's Press site just released some media, descriptions, and release dates for four upcoming titles!

"Wario Land™: Shake It!, a classic side-scroller for the Wii console launching Sept. 29, stars Wario, the smelly, bad-mannered alter ego of Mario™. With the Wii Remote™ controller turned sideways like an old-school controller, veterans and newcomers alike can run, jump and smash their way through hectic side-scrolling stages. Players shake the Wii Remote to help Wario take down his enemies, empty bags of treasure or cause earthquakes. Best of all, there are numerous stages each offering multiple missions to keep players coming back again and again to unlock everything, collect more coins or just improve their best times."

"Kirby Super Star™ Ultra for Nintendo DS, launching Sept. 29, re-imagines one of the most beloved Kirby games of all time. Kirby Super Star Ultra features new graphics and fully rendered animated cut scenes. With so many adventures waiting to be unlocked, there will never be a dull moment as Kirby runs, floats, copies enemies and uses Helpers to fight King Dedede and Meta Knight. New modes like Revenge of the King and Meta Knight Ultra await, along with classics like The Great Cave Offensive and Milky Way Wishes. On top of the main modes, there are also three new touch-screen-controlled mini-games that can be played with up to three friends via DS Download Play. Not only that, but players can go on Kirby adventures with a friend via local wireless as well."

"Mystery Case Files™: MillionHeir™, launching Sept. 8, uses the unique Nintendo DS interface to expand upon the seek-and-solve game play of the popular series from Big Fish Games. Players seek out cleverly hidden items in a multitude of painted scenes. Players progress through an interactive detective story investigating a cast of characters and uncovering new evidence to find the rightful heir to a million-dollar fortune. This new portable installment is available only for Nintendo DS. With interactive logic puzzles that use both the touch-screen interface and built-in microphone and include the first ever multiplayer mode for a Mystery Case Files game, Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir presents a new generation of seek-and-solve games for casual gamers and franchise fans."

"Mario™ Super Sluggers, launching Aug. 25 for the Wii console, stars the ever-lovable Mario and his crew of friends. It builds on the social-gaming fun and movements people learned in Wii Sports™ and turns them into a full-fledged baseball game that can be played by every member of the household. Players make a throwing motion with the Wii Remote controller to pitch the baseball and make a swinging motion to swing at the pitch. The game boasts more than 30 playable Nintendo characters and all the madness of a Mario sports game. Just like Mario Kart® Wii, it bridges the gap between experienced players and those new to the Wii console, with fun challenges and beautiful graphics."

All in all a decent batch. Wario Land still seems interesting to me, but I'm not sure how Nintendo plans to market something so simple in design, and at $50... It's nice to see we're getting the new Kirby, as i'll finally get the chance to own Kirby Super Star. Mystery Case Files from what I know is a Windows series... so as to why it's on DS and published by Nintendo is beyond me. And Mario Sluggers... I'm not sure what to think of it, I never played Mario Superstar Baseball; and unless the game has wi-fi and Wii Sports like control, then I probably won't even care.

via Nintendo Press Room