All the same craziness with extras in tow
For the fans of 2007’s Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, it’s been quite the dry spell in between console entries. Having recently seen release in Japan, Nintendo is now showing off localized versions of Game & Wario. Here’s a rundown on some of the new modes.
Disco:
A rhythm game in a similar vein as Guitar Hero, Disco places two players against each other in a rhythm battle. As the music plays, each player takes turns adding notes for the other to match. The trick here is that the notes you lay down have to be in sync with the music, so you have to get a rhythm of your own going, while laying notes all over the screen to trip up your opponent. Each round also has a finite amount of notes you can lay down, so best to think fast, as it can turn into quite a juggle act balancing your rhythm and trying to trip up you opponent.
Sketch:
It’s Pictionary. And do you like Pictionary? Of course you do, because you have a soul. Up to four players compete at once, with each taking turns drawing on the GamePad. As the one drawing, you get points for each image that is correctly guessed, while the other three get points for every drawing they get correct. If you find the word you are given is beyond your ability to depict (so if you suck at drawing like me), you can skip it, but at the cost to 20 seconds of your drawing time. Time is already finite with only two minutes to start out with, so best to use skips sparingly.
Pirate:
This one is pretty interesting. A dance and rhythm game, Pirate uses the GamePad for a series of quasi-VR mini-games. Entirely single-player, you’ll hold the GamePad center to the TV screen, moving it left, right, and center as needed to catch volleys of incoming arrows from enemy pirates. You’ll have to catch the arrows in rhythm with the music too, so stay quick. Once you’ve dealt with the arrows, the game ends with you dancing the rest of the song, because why the hell not. None of that two left feet stuff either. The GamePad tracks your movement, so if you try to fake your way through it like I did you’ll get a nice “Meh” rating. If Wario wants to see those hips moving, then he must not be denied.
Taxi:
Like Crazy Taxi had some of the finest mushrooms in the kingdom, Taxi sets you in a surreal farmland where cows and pigs need to be brought back to their stables by catching a fare. But this isn’t as simple as rounding up little piggies in your cab and driving them back. No, this is a Wario game. So naturally aliens attack, forcing you to shoot down saucers trying to abduct your livestock. You’re working on a timer too, so you’ll have to be both quick on the trigger, and fast on pedal to rack up combos and multipliers.
Gamer:
Now this game is hands down the best reason to care about Game and Wario. Remember sneaking in extra game time on school nights? Hiding under the covers with your Game Boy Color light and magnifier to catch those last few legendary Pokemon, or burn through one more world in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. Gamer essentially tasks you to do the same, playing as the young lad 9-Volt, as he tries to avoid Mom, while squeezing in those precious extra hours on his 3DS. For you the player, this means juggling a series of meta-games.
First, there’s the game playing on 9-Volt’s handheld, which you will play on the GamePad. These are a series of mini-games, similar to what was in 2007’s Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. Second, there’s the whole avoiding mom thing. Mom can come from anywhere. The door, the window, and even the flatscreen in 9-Volts room. To dodge her, you’ll have to hide under the covers. Simple enough, except going under will gradually make you more tired, eventually sending you asleep. To use it effectively, you have to listen for sound cues, and look for hints that she’s coming. And remember, this is all happening while you play Smooth Move-style mini games. Gamer is far and away the most fun I’ve had with Wario & Game.
There’s a lot more on offer in the final game, with a total count of 16 game modes on release. Still, if this showing proves anything, it’s that the trademark insanity of the Wario series is in full effect. If that’s just what does it for you, the make sure to keep up on Game & Wario.
