WarioWare: Touched! (DS) Review
Back in 2002, the original Wario Ware caught GBA owners off guard and surprised them with its weird collection of micro-games (mini games that can be completed in 5 seconds or less).
The DS version is no different from the original, but it takes advantage of all the portables unique features (but the wireless one). And even though there are over 180 micro-games and over 30 toys (that are mostly little technology demos), the game will leave you wanting more. At the end of the day, Wario Ware Touched is a great pick up and play title and a great technology demo of the consoles special capabilities.
Graphics: variety would the best way to describe the games graphics. It displays simple 3D animations when the characters go for a walk around town and most of the games are sprite based. Their quality ranges from average to very good but the consoles graphic capabilities are never pushed to the limit.
The cast has several new characters like Mike the robot and the dark and creepy Ashley. The inclusion of Jimmys wacky family members is also another great addition to the game, which helps to create the games unique feel.
Sound: the music and sound effects fit perfectly with the overall art direction. What it is very interesting is the inclusion of songs with lyrics. This is a step above in sound quality in comparison with its gameboy counterpart. The rest of the sound samples, music and Warios grunts are nothing special but give each one of the characters its own personality.
Gameplay: as in the original gameboy title, Wario tries to make money by developing games with some help from his friends. Each one of them has its own set of micro-games and they have a specific theme: 9 volts games are based on old Nintendo titles, Mikes challenges are all voice activated and Jimmys are all sport themed.
In story mode, after a series of games, a Boss game will appear. These are a bit longer a more complex than micro-games.
These micro-games will later be available in Album mode, where you can replay them and experience all their different twists and difficulties. By beating the high scores set in all the different modes special toys will become available. Some of these are no more than little tech demos. A few of them are longer mini-games that can also be played over and over to beat your own records.
Multiplayer value: the only multiplayer offering included in this cart is a simple ping-pong mini-game. Each player controls one of the paddles with one of the DSs triggers.
The lack of multiplayer offerings is a surprise considering the GBA version had a bunch of quite entertaining multiplayer mini games that encouraged the player to share the games wackiness.
Replay value: story mode can easily be beaten in a couple of hours. But unlocking all the micro and mini games takes longer (and lots of patience). Wario Ware is one of those games that can bore after a couple of weeks, but it is also one that can be played endlessly trying to beat your own records. It is true that some of the games are better and more creative than others, but if considered together it is one of the wackiest more entertaining collections you will find in any portable system.
