Review: WarioWare Smooth Moves

February 19, 2007

Mimic games provide plenty of slapstick fun for everyone, writes Jason Hill.

Task master ... WarioWare Smooth Moves

Task master ... WarioWare Smooth Moves

WarioWare Smooth Moves
Rating: 4/5

Wii Sports might be the perfect game to attract newcomers to Nintendo's radical new console, but Smooth Moves is even more successful in showing the wildly varied ways to use the Wii's remote control.

This slapstick game is as entertaining to watch as it is to play. Players perform actions such as mimicking spinning a hula hoop, fishing, balancing a broom, answering a telephone, drinking a glass of water, sawing through a log, inserting false teeth, picking a nose, dance moves and steering a car. Delightfully, anyone can join in the fun.

Before every five-second micro-game, players are advised how to hold the

Wii-mote. Positions include holding it as you would chopsticks, a motorbike handlebar, broom handle, torch or umbrella. You can put it on top of your head or even on the floor.

Some of the 200-odd tasks, such as guiding a marble through a maze or tuning a guitar, require deft precision. Others demand wild flailing and are guaranteed to raise your pulse.

As in previous WarioWare games, the rampant pace is exhilarating and the humour infectious. Tributes to Nintendo classics such as Zelda, Pikmin, Metroid, Animal Crossing, F-Zero, Nintendogs and Super Mario Bros will raise a smile. It is best enjoyed with a crowd - the only multi-player component of Smooth Moves is passing the single baton between friends. It's a shame, as most players are likely to romp through most of the game's tests in just a few hours, with the only attraction remaining to better your high scores.

Bonus mini-games have the most long-term appeal, particularly a sublime version of darts. There's also a shoot-'em-up challenge, plus a tricky contest where you have to balance falling blocks on a wobbly pedestal. Tower Tennis is also fun, requiring players to climb a tower while hitting a ping-pong ball.

Endgame: Frantic fun for all ages at a wallet-pleasing price.

