System: Nintendo Wii

Publisher: Nintendo

Retail Price: $49.99

ESRB Rating: Everyone

Players: 1, 2-12 (Multiplayer)

A new Nintendo console can only mean one thing: another franchise adored by millions has the opportunity to get milked. Given the quality of Nintendo's long time franchises, it's a cause for celebration - even if it is a more recent franchise like "Warioware." After the introduction of the original "Warioware" on Game Boy Advance in May 2003, the series has become one of Nintendo's most beloved and popular franchises thanks to its simple-yet-brilliant gameplay, not to mention its lovable weirdness involving its characters, artwork and the games themselves. So now, the heavenly powers at Nintendo have blessed us with the fifth in the series: "Warioware: Smooth Moves."

If you are not much of a gamer or one of the few Nintendo fans who are not familiar with the Warioware concept, here goes: through a series of stages (which has a theme, involving either Wario or one of his Diamond City neighbors in outlandish plots), you're presented with microgames, which are mini-games that barely last a few seconds. You're often not given instructions what to do, but figuring out how to beat a game is part of the fun. You are given four tries in each stage, and in your first go around, the goal is get to the boss round - which is what would be considered a standard mini-game (one that actually lasts a minute or two). And once you beat the boss round, you can replay the stage where you can play (and ultimately unlock) more microgames. But the more you go on, the pace of the microgames quicken and do get harder. There are hundreds of microgames, and they vary. You can be putting out a fire on one, and then be picking fruit on the next. For the most part, the microgames are creative and clever.

How you control these microgames have given the series such longevity. While the original GBA game involved basic controls with the D-pad and A and B buttons, since then, the series has made use of unique control schemes. The 2005 entry "Touched!" made great use of the Nintendo DS touch screen, while the GBA sequel "Twisted" had a built in motion sensor, which had you turn and flip your Game Boy Advance to play the games.

Of course, the Wii's innovative controller is the main draw here. In comparison to the other Warioware games, it feels a bit similar to "Twisted" because you are very much controlling the action. But given that you're playing on a bigger screen and really interacting, it's a more fulfilling experience.

Given the Wii remote and all the various ways you can hold the unique controller, you are given a bit of leeway. Right before a microgame starts, you are shown a picture of what "form" to use - basically how you should specifically hold the controller to succeed in the microgame. In a sense this does ease the frustration, but some might be disappointed that this doesn't exactly give you the full sense of discovery in how to play the game - even though you do need to figure out how to move the controller and the microgame's specific objectives. (For those looking for a challenge, there is one unlockable mode that gives you a random assortment of microgames, and DOESN'T tell you which form to use - at that point though, you'll probably be familiar in deciding how to form yourself in a split-second.)

Graphically, the game doesn't use much of the Wii's prowess. But keeping in mind that the crudely done art that appears in a lot of the games is a hallmark of the series' wackiness, it only adds to the enjoyment. Still, some microgames do use 3-D graphics that are a bit abstract, but still look nice and add flavor. If anything though, the advantage of the Wii's power is for the 9-Volt stages, where you have microgames based on Nintendo games of yesteryear. Graphics for microgames based on such classics as "The Legend Of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time" and "Pikmin" are pulled off with ease. As far as sound, the game's musical compositions are quite bouncy, the sound effects suitably hilarious and the voice acting, as usual in Nintendo games, is top notch (the game's narrator instructing the player on the forms to take with the Wii remote, and of course, classic lines like "Eetz a meeeee - Waarrriooo!"). Oh, and the classic Nintendo game themes are mixed and emulated well.

Fans of the series can also expect the usual load of unlockables in the game. This includes the usual array of challenging modes where the pace of the games are quicker, but also quite a few mini-games that will eat up a lot of your time. To name a few, one is a Simon Says-esque game involving flags, one is a moving paddle and blocks game, and most challenging is a 3-D remake of the side-scrolling, platform portion of the NES classic "Balloon Fight."

Unfortunately, there aren't really any toys, like the ones you could unlock in "Twisted" and Touched!". And given the nature of the Wii controller, it seems like a missed opportunity. To help with the replay value though, you can unlock "pose cards" - which are fun little visuals as ways to pose with the Wii remote for your own embarrassment (which means you should definitely pose in front of your friends). This all lends into the game's unifying theme (played for great deadpan laughs) that treats the Wii remote and nunchuck like ancient tools that need to be mastered - almost as if it is taken directly out of an epic movie, or sacred text that's centuries old. It's fantastic that the series still doesn't take itself serious and that its bizarre humor is still in top form - and perhaps more "out there" than ever.

As an added bonus, there's a pretty fantastic multiplayer mode that's perfect for parties or those unfamiliar with the Warioware experience (multiplayer is only unlockable once you complete the main game, which shouldn't take anyone that long to do). Much better than the GameCube incarnation of the original Warioware where the multiplayer was decent if tacked-on, it is obvious that "Smooth Moves" was designed with a multiplayer mode in mind. In addition to some enjoyable mini-games to hang out with (such as darts), multiplayer is big on competition when it comes to the actual microgames. And since you'll be taking turns as you try to best your opponent(s), much of the games support up to twelve players. (Again, fun and perfect for large gatherings.) Like the single-player experience, the more you play of multiplayer, the more modes you unlock - so grab a few buddies, and go nuts.

Despite the nature of the Wii controller to make this entry in the series stand out, "Warioware: Smooth Moves" does suffer with a feeling of retread. The Warioware formula hasn't changed at all in the past four years, and while the quirkiness of the characters and originality of the games still has a decent amount of charm, the feeling of freshness from the concept has waned a bit. Nothing will ever match just how different the original Game Boy Advance game felt (same goes for every other groundbreaking gaming franchise that has spurned too many sequels and countless imitators), but at least you know what you're getting.

Nonetheless, it is hard to fault "Smooth Moves" since it is ridiculously entertaining and addicting, and more importantly, doesn't mess with the series' tired-and-true formula. "Warioware" is still great in concept, and all the more fitting on the Wii: a game that anyone can pick up and play, and have fun with for hours at a time. And when you throw in multiplayer, you honestly can't go wrong. Along with "Wii Sports," you and your friends will probably be going crazy with this game until "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" arrives. With that said, "Warioware: Smooth Moves" is a must own for every Wii owner out there.