Perhaps it could be a little smoother?

When the original WarioWare was released several years back on the GBA, it was an incredible breath of fresh air. It was difficult to hold back smiles while faced with a rapid-fire succession of simple -- and often hysterical -- microgames. One moment, you were shaking hands with a dog, the next you were picking a crudely drawn nose. The game was ported over to the GameCube, picking up a good number of amusing multi-player options in the process, allowing you to share the high-speed lunacy with some friends.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves arrives for the Wii with the same goal. It succeeds in large part, but only despite a rather surprising number of missteps.

Gameplay:

Like WarioWare games past, Smooth Moves presents the player with a random assortment of extremely short "microgames." These games rarely last more than five seconds, and usually have you performing a simple action with the Wii-mote (which the game strangely calls the "form baton"). The nunchuck attachment is not used for the main game, but there is a small group of separate mini-games which does allow it (and, equally strangely, calls it the "balance stone")

In the first stage, the remote is pretty much used as a simple pointer. But as the game progresses, you learn almost twenty different ways of holding the remote, and need to rapidly switch between "forms" before each new microgame. One game may have you grasping the remote, two-handed, like a bicycle handlebar. The next wants you to hold it flat in the palm of your hand like a serving tray. And the next may ask you to perch the remote atop your head. You can potentially get away without holding it properly (obviously, the Wii can't tell), but the games are generally more fun if you play along.

The first time you encounter a new form, you'll be treated to a detailed explanation (in Jack Handy "Deep Thoughts" style). After that, you'll just get a quick flash before each new game. The constant form-switching is a little bit cumbersome, but it doesn't appreciably slow the game down, and it allows the game to really make full use of the remote's possibilities. After all... without holding the remote by your hip, how could you ever have a hula-hoop microgame? I think the compromise is a fair one.

After your first trip through the game, the goal is just to survive as many microgames as possible before screwing up too many times. Striving for high scores is fun, and challenging because of the random nature of the encouters, and the gradually increasing speed.

You'll also unlock a decent number of bonuses. The shooting gallery is decent. And there's an amusing 3-D update of Balloon Fight. But the number of extras is limited compared to the endless supply of gadgets and gizmos in Twisted.

Graphics and Sound:

WarioWare prides itself on surprising the player at each turn, and the microgame graphics range from impressive 3-D renderings to ludicrously primitive spritework. The effect is always deliberate, and always funny.

Between games, the cutscenes are rendered in a unique style with crisp 2-D images and dynamic animation. It's like cheap anime crossed with Paper Mario. While it doesn't push the hardware, it isn't intended to. But it looks great.

The sounds are excellent, and varied according to the microgame in question. There is occasionally some clever use of the remote's built-in speaker. And the music is weird and wonderful.

Controls:

WarioWare requires rapid and precise controls to succeed, and Smooth Moves generally succeeds. But there will be moments where you swear it just isn't working correctly. Sometimes this is human error, and other times it's faulty technology.

In previous WarioWare titles, you had a limited means of interacting with the game. Cross pad, one button, and maybe a tilt sensor. But with the introduction of multiple forms and a controller that detects motion in any direction, there are suddenly an insane number of possibilities. While most of the games flow naturally, it is occasionally difficult to figure out exactly what is expected of you. This problem resolves with practice, but it definitely dampens the instant gratification of the experience (particularly if you have friends over that haven't played before).

It is also important to note that the varied range of forms may lead some people to mis-aim the remote. In many games, the controller needs to maintain visual contact with the Wii's sensor bar. If you keep your sensor beneath the TV, you may have trouble with the form that has you put the remote on your head, for instance.

These problems are overcome with practice, but are still unfortunate nuisances in a game which wants to be about rapid-fire fun.

By and large, the remote is up to the task, and you'll generally be impressed at what kind of range and precision it offers. This game would be impossible on any other console.

Multiplayer:

I'm torn. Of all the Wii games I own, Smooth Moves is the only one to seriously challenge Wii Sports in the multiplayer department. I've played Smooth Moves with a few different groups of friends, and each time, it's smiles all around.

But the nagging sense that it could have been better will eat at you.

For starters, the multiplayer modes are in limited supply relative to the previous GameCube offering. And two of them are so similar that I'm not sure why they're separate games. What's here is good, and your friends will surely be entertained. But the variety of experiences in the GameCube edition completely eclipses this one, and it feels like a big step back.

My favorite was one that had players exchanging turns to earn points by completing microgames. Once the microgame round is finished, each player is suspended over an alligator pit by a number of ropes determined by their point total. Players then take turns snipping ropes, and the last player hanging wins. It's a fun mix of microgames and friendly rivalry, and there should have been more.

A bigger problem, though, is the absolutely baffling decision to only support the use of only one controller. The multiplayer modes require that you pass one controller around, even if you have enough remotes for four players. If you try to connect other remotes, they'll just blink at you in electronic frustration. This makes some sense in the "hot potato" style minigames. But it's just idiotic in the others.

This is stupid for self-evident reasons, and discussion is almost pointless. If the WarioWare team member who made this decision is reading this... please consider a new job, because you're very bad at the one you have. Very, very bad.

It is additionally stupid, however, because of the game's frequent reminders that you always wear your wrist strap! It is completely impossible to pass the controller around fast enough to have everybody properly secure the wrist strap before their turn.

And as a final reminder of how colossally stupid this is... one of the mini-games actually asks that you let go of your controller, allowing the wrist strap to save it! I haven't seen this game pop up yet in multiplayer, but I'm dreading that day that one of my friends tosses the remote on the floor...

Summary:

Smooth Moves is a highly entertaining addition to the WarioWare series, and may be the best technical demo for the potential of the Wii remote's motion sensing capabilities.

The single-player game is a riot, and will keep you busy for a little while as you unlock new games and strive for high scores. But it's short-lived, ultimately, and you'll rather play with friends.

It loses points because of the unfortunately half-baked multiplayer, which should have been the heart of the experience. There is no question that you will have fun with your friends, but you'll be scratching your heads in confusion about the paltry play options and boneheaded insistence that you all share one remote.

Smooth Moves is a must-own for the Wii, but it smells like a launch title. I look forward to seeing these problems corrected in WarioWare: I Finally Figured Out How To Program A Multiplayer Game.