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GameCube | Family | Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Party Game$

Boxart for Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Party Game$
Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Party Game$ 15 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 3.5
  • SOUND: 4.5
  • CONTROL: 5.0
  • FUN FACTOR 3.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 5.0
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.7

Review: Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Party Games$

Review by SIMONLIMON | 03/27/2004 | 06:42:53 AM PST

The Neo Nintendo insanity has returned with a new multiplayer mode and not much else. See what?s new, or rather, completely unchanged in our exclusive first review!

Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Party Game$ serves as the pseudo-sequel to its Game Boy Advance forefather. Simply put, the exact same nerve-splintering gameplay is now in four-player form. This is certainly great news for gamers who are familiar with the original and eager to destroy their friends, but Mega Party Game$ falls a bit short with rehashed content that brings the party to a halt too soon.

WarioWare Won-Oh-Won
If you're not familiar with the revolutionary GBA version of WarioWare, let's get you up to speed: First, forget everything you know about traditional video games, including the characters, the continuity, and the concept of mastering one set of controls. Second, understand that adapting to the various micro-games is the very game itself.

Each micro-game, be it the capturing of an alien or the rapid brushing of plaque-covered teeth, lasts around only five seconds. One after another of these micro-games are hurled at the player's visual cortex, allowing barely enough time for their adrenaline-charged brains and quivering thumb muscles to react.

While most of these micro-games are quite simple, the constantly increasing game speed coupled with the complete lack of instructions make for a unique experience and an undeniably compelling game. This is the world of WarioWare and the start of a new genre some are labeling ?Neo Nintendo.?

Wario, Where Are the New Micro-Games?
In this incarnation of WarioWare, gamers with one to three real-life friends can compete (and sometimes cooperate) in the very same micro-games that made the GBA version so damn popular. One multiplayer mode forces players to balance atop a precarious stack of turtles between rounds; another features a doctor who commands the active player to perform silly tasks in real life, such as staring at your own nose while the other players clap to judge how well you performed.

Unfortunately, these modes grow tiresome, and players will soon realize that each mode is just a slightly different way to serve up the same micro-games. In fact, the micro-games in Mega Party Game$ look exactly like they do when you play the GBA version via the Game Boy Player ? the simplistic yet adorable graphics of the low-resolution original have not been spruced up nor the total number of micro-games increased.

Overall, the single-player mode lacks the charm of the portable edition, and, especially for those new to the series, the multiplayer can?t compete with the welcoming embrace that the Mario Party series is known for. If you?re new to the world of WarioWare, buy the GBA version; I promise that you won?t be disappointed ? it was one of 2003?s best titles. After that, pick up this one at its already low price.