WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Microgames
Rating: Rating Pending
Number of Players: 1 (some, 2-5)
Expected Release: January 15, 2007
WarioWare: Smooth Moves Gallery

Launching along side the Wii in Japan and stocking U.S shelves January 15th, 2007, the WarioWare series heads into the "next-gen" market for the first time in all its 3D glory. Unlike previous installments on the Game Boy Advance, DS and GameCube, WarioWare: Smooth Moves will feature fully 3D graphics, rendered in the likeness of 2D to stay true to the artistic formula. First seen in action at the E3 press event earlier this year, Smooth Moves stands to teach Rayman Raving Rabbids a thing or two about mini-games. And by thing or two, we mean a hundred or so.

Headed up by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo, WarioWare: Smooth Moves will entertain up to five (yes, five) players in hundreds of different mini-games (or around a dozen in assumed tournament play). Just like in the past, players will compete in plenty of "microgames" - three second or less game trials designed to put a hampering on your brain (and with the Wii remote, your body) - among many other little quirks. The premise behind WarioWare's jump from the WarioWare: Touch! DS stylist to Wii remote is cleverly placed within the story.

"Wario [Mario's despicable and unruly negative and main star of the series] stumbles into an old building called the Temple of Form. Inside, he finds a mystical treasure called the Form Baton. There are many ways to hold and move the baton (called forms), and legend has it that if the holder follows the forms, he can overcome any challenge. With this discovery, the form craze spreads and soon everybody is doing their best to master the moves."

With 200 different games and dozens of different unique Wii remote applications, players young and old alike will find themselves in prime position for a Kodak moment every step of the way. Drop to your knees and push up with the remote above your head to lift a heavy weight! Or guide a few fingers into a nose or even navigate Grandma's dentures back to her gums before time expires! And do it all with a returning cast of classic WarioWare characters, or even throw yourself into the mix.

One of the first few games to utilize the Wii's Mii character feature, players will be able to load up their look-a-like Mii's directly into the action. It hasn't been confirmed whether or not Smooth Moves will make use of the Wii's custom playlist, though for the ultimate party game one would expect so much. Other crazy game types include: shaking all the ants off of a banana, spraying naked men with champagne (we didn't want to ask either), giving a Nintendog a high-five and placing the remote by your hip and following through with a hula motion to play a game of hula-hoop. Not to mention this writer's personal favorite, pulling in the line to catch a fish right out of the Animal Crossing universe.

On two interestingly related notes, Wario's upcoming appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl seems to be modeled after his WarioWare popularity. The Japanese version of Smooth Moves will also be launched under a different name, Odoru Made in Wario!