Four Reasons to Pull WarioWare, Inc Mega Party Game$ for Gamecube out of the Attic (Hint: Because it Might Just Make you a Better Gamer)
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| In 2004, when Nintendo's WarioWare, Inc Mega Party
Game$ hit the shelves in the US, there was nothing quite like it.
What made it unique, and what still sets its franchise apart, is its
micro games. They are miniature games of 4 seconds or less, that
ask you to quickly and accurately complete tasks ranging from the
sports-based to the truly bizarre (Mario Wiki). The game has both a single player
mode, requires defeating sets of 25 micro games (including a boss
level) and a multi-player level, which is equipped to handle up to 16
players at a time in some instances..
I loved this game as a young teen and
recently pulled it back out to test it, wondering if I'd still enjoy
it. I wasn't disappointed. It's fun and I highly recommend for four
reasons, that I explain below. |
It upends what we think of as worth
making a video game about.
Very often, games
are about things that seem “important” or exciting - saving
princesses, winning races, building cities, winning wars, obtaining
money or glory. That is not the case with WarioWare. The bulk of
the focus is on those micro games, which are not long enough for
performing the traditional tasks, and so, instead depict the mundane
or even bizarre. They ask you to a pick nose, brush teeth, shave a
head, drive a nail, and many other things that you probably never
expected to do in a video game. This is fun, because it's different,
and also because it's a bit philosophical. It begs us to consider if
the small things deserve more attention. Should I be pondering the
significance of my morning cereal bowl? When was the last time I
actually paid attention to a head of lettuce?
It has retro Nintendo content.
I can
guess that what you're thinking is “Duh, it has retro Nintendo
content. It's a retro nintendo game!” And yes, that's true. But
it contains content that was retro when the game was released. An
entire set or “genre” of the micro games are based on or pulled
directly from classic Nintendo games. We see direct references to
Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, Metroid, Duck Hunt,
and The Legend of Zelda, as well as the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance
handhelds. While these micro games are too short to give you much of
a sense of the original things they refer to, they are fun. Also,
because the graphics based on the early games were already obsolete
when WarioWare released, they don't seem particularly out of place
now.
Its multi-player mode is stellar.
This game shines
in its multi-player mode. This mode is jam-packed with games,
ranging from the highly competitive to the incredibly silly, that ask
you to play the large variety of micro games available. My favorite
two multi-player games are the most silly ones. “Listen to the
Doctor” asks you to follow an additional command, such “exert
yourself” or “don't touch your controller.” while playing the
micro game. (It's sort of like Quelf, the board game, in video game
format.) The other players “clap” for your performance, and the
winner is calculated based on who gets the most applause. In“Wobbly
Bobbly,” my other favorite, your avatars receive a turtle shell
for each micro game they lose. In between rounds you must balance
your avatar on their stack of shells, trying to stay up the longest
in order to win. I also think it's cool that 1 Controller Survival
and 1 Controller Jump Forever, both pass-the-controller type games,
let up to 16 people play at once. That means that you can involve
all of your friends or family in game play.
It might just make you a better
gamer.
Because the micro
games give you four seconds or fewer to figure out what the game is
asking and do it, often with minimal directions, they require quick
thinking, quick reflexes and accuracy. This is especially true in
the increasingly advanced single-player games, which ask you to
perform increasingly quickly, under conditions that become more and
more complicated. By virtue of playing, you are improving your
reaction and problem solving skills, both of which are fundamental
to successful game play. In fact, the mastery mode, which asks you
to defeat games anywhere from 15-20 times in a row, is practically
designed for building these skills, and I can almost guarantee that
you'll gain speed if you play it for a couple hours.
The Bottom Line
In other words, if
you still had this game around like I do, I suggest you break it out
again. In fact, I highly recommend buying it online, if you don't
already own it. I think those who frequently play in groups, those
who are stuck in a genre rut (you know, those times when you find
yourself playing RPGs CONSTANTLY), and those who appreciate the
bizarre, would enjoy it, especially.
What games would you like me to talk about? Please tell me in the comments.
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