WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Encyclopedia
WarioWare: Smooth Moves, known in Japan
as , is a party
video game developed by Nintendo SPD and Intelligent Systems
. The game was published by Nintendo
for its Wii
video game system in Japan in December 2006, and in Europe, North America, and Australia in January 2007. It is the fifth game in the WarioWare series of games, and the only game in the series to be released for the Wii. Like its predecessors, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is built around a collection of microgames that last about five seconds each, and which require that the player hold the Wii Remote
in specific positions. The game offers the microgames to the player in rapid succession, by first instructing the player to hold the Wii Remote in a specific manner, and then showing them the microgame. The microgames are divided into several stages, which each loosely connect the microgames with the help of a story.
Smooth Moves was given generally favorable reviews, receiving aggregated scores of 83% from Metacritic
and 82% from Game Rankings
. Praise focused on the game's entertainment value, especially at parties, while criticism targeted its length. WarioWare: Smooth Moves received a ToyAward in the Trend and Lifestyle category from the 2007 Nuremberg International Toy Fair
. It was also given the award for Best Action Game at IGN
's Wii Best of E3 2006 Awards; the website later named it their Game of the Month for January 2007. WarioWare: Smooth Moves was the United States' 4th best-selling game in its debut month of January 2007. In Japan, it sold 63,954 copies in its debut week of November 27 – December 3, 2006, making it the 4th best-selling launch game for the Wii after Wii Sports
, Wii Play
, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
.
Similar to previous games in the WarioWare series, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a puzzle game focusing on microgames
, which are short games that last for about five seconds. Each microgame requires that the player position the Wii Remote
in a specific way, such as holding it vertically, or placing the bottom end of the device against the nose. The player is required to use the Nunchuk attachment for the Wii Remote in certain microgames. Before each microgame begins, the required position for the Wii Remote is shown to the player, to allow them time to position the device. The game is broken up into stages, each represented by a WarioWare character and loosely connected by a story, with the microgames divided among the stages. After the player completes a stage's microgames, they advance to the boss stage, which is a microgame that is longer and more complex than the others. After the player completes all of the single-player stages, the game unlocks a multiplayer mode, in which only one Wii Remote is used and shared by up to 12 players. While a player plays a microgame in this mode, other players watch, and after the microgame is completed, the player passes the Wii Remote to the next person.
first revealed WarioWare: Smooth Moves for the Wii
at the 2006 E3 convention. The game was co-developed by Intelligent Systems
and the Software Planning Development department of Nintendo. Development on the game began in late 2005 with a team of 20 people, directed by Goro Abe and produced by Yoshio Sakamoto
. Abe first came up with the idea for the game when the Wii Remote
was revealed to him. Since the developers believed that holding the controller in only one way limited the game's entertainment value, they decided to introduce new positions and motions to the game for the Remote to be held. The software used to register the Remote's movements was written from scratch because of the unique movements required for the game. Similar to previous games in the WarioWare series, the game's subtitle, "Smooth Moves", was used to represent the basic movement that players perform in the game. The developers wanted players to move as if they were dancing when playing the game, so they decided that Smooth Moves was the best phrase to use to describe the game's actions. Because of its party genre, the developers made the game's multiplayer mode its "best point".
There are about 200 minigame
s included in WarioWare: Smooth Moves, an amount similar in previous WarioWare titles. Abe determined which minigames were included after each team member wrote down an idea on a piece of paper and sent it to him. The minigames were inspired by "very original, everyday life issues". To offer a different visual style for each minigame, developers were asked to make their own design for the minigame that they were working on. During development, one of the game's basic concepts was to "make a different taste for every single game". The only rule that Abe imposed on the minigame designs was for the developers to make it instantly obvious as to what is happening in the minigames. The Wii Remote
's speaker is used in the game to "add a greater sense of feel". For example, in one microgame, the player must bounce a tennis ball on a racquet. When the ball touches the racquet, the Wii Remote's speaker emits a bouncing sound and a rumble to "add a very strong reality to the game". The game mostly forgoes the Wii nunchuk attachment and functions strictly with the Wii Remote. Its visual presentation is similar to WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games! for the Nintendo GameCube
, and it does not run in widescreen
mode.
for the Wii
in Japan on December 2, 2006, in Europe on January 12, 2007, in North America on January 15, 2007, and in Australia on January 25, 2007. The game was given generally favorable reviews, receiving aggregated scores of 83% from Metacritic
and 82% from Game Rankings
. Praise focused on the game's entertainment value, especially at parties, while criticism targeted its length. WarioWare: Smooth Moves received a ToyAward in the Trend and Lifestyle category from the 2007 Nuremberg International Toy Fair
. It was also given the award for Best Action Game at IGN
's Wii Best of E3 2006 Awards; the website later named the game their Game of the Month for January 2007. WarioWare: Smooth Moves was the United States' 4th best-selling game in its debut month of January 2007. It dropped to 8th the following month, selling 109,000 units. In Japan, WarioWare: Smooth Moves sold 63,954 copies in its debut week of November 27 – December 3, 2006, making it the 4th best-selling launch game for the Wii after Wii Sports
, Wii Play
, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
. It dropped to 20th for the week of December 18–24, 2006.
Several reviews praised the game as one of the Wii's best. The Official Nintendo Magazine said that Wario
should "now take his place alongside Mario
and Link as a true Nintendo great". Appreciating the game's "terrific use of the Wii's unique control features", GameSpot
remarked that the game also had "amazing" graphics, concluding that it belongs in the game libraries of Wii owners. This sentiment was shared by GameTrailers
, which said that WarioWare: Smooth Moves was "without a doubt" the best collection of minigame
s for the Wii. GameSpy
found that the game had "a lot of value", especially for people who host parties or have groups of friends or family who already enjoy games such as Wii Sports
or Rayman: Raving Rabbids. Naming WarioWare: Smooth Moves the Game of the Week from January 28 – February 4, 2007, The Observer
gave particular praise to the game's graphics, stating, "There are nicely colourful cartoon intros to each level, and the microgames utilise a plethora of visual styles. You'll notice snippets of favourites from yesteryear, whether it be pulling the Master Sword out of the stone in the N64
's Zelda: Ocarina of Time or jumping to collect coins as NES
-era Mario
." Australia's The Age
found the game "as entertaining to watch as it is to play", rating it four stars out of five. The Sunday Age newspaper predicted that WarioWare: Smooth Moves, which is "totally unlike anything else out there", could convert non-gamers into fans of video games.
Computer and Video Games
predicted that the game "will be the one you come back to when you've got a full house", and appreciated its "crazy genius" gameplay. Nintendo World Report
was pleased with the game's variety, but found the small number of unlockable items and lack of high scores disappointing. Although video game review website IGN noted that the game was not the best in the Wario series of video games
, they still considered it an "essential piece of the Wii collection". The website was also entertained by the single-player mode as well as the multiplayer, especially when "shov[ing] the controller off on unsuspecting houseguests or non-gamers months and years down the road". They considered the game's use of the Wii Remote to be "slick and intuitive", the graphics to be "nearly inexplicable", and the sound to be "totally off the wall". GameZone
called the game "original and addictive", but noted that it would not appeal to everyone. The Courier Mail praised the game's use of the Wii's motion-sensitive controllers as one of its best features, which helps push it "over-the-top" as "one of the most inventive games designed for the Wii's interactive controls". Canada's The Toronto Sun also appreciated its "novel use" of the Wiimote.
A lack of "eye-popping unpredictability [like] its predecessors" and difficult controller positions disappointed 1UP.com
, but the website still called WarioWare: Smooth Moves a "welcome addition to any Wii library". Described as a "certifiably insane party game that is a must buy for any Wii owner", GamePro
felt that the game further proves that the Wii is the "must-have" console when playing with friends. GamesRadar
shared this sentiment, noting that although the game's single-player mode is only several hours long, its multiplayer mode is the "definite Wii party experience" for up to 12 people. Game Informer
felt excited, surprised, and a "little stupid" when waving the Wii remote with the game, concluding that the game will make "friends laugh pretty much non-stop for an hour or two, and that may very well be worth the price of admission". Despite writing positively about how the game utilizes the Wii remote, Eurogamer
was disappointed with its weak long-term appeal because "it never really dares to test players".
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a party
Party game
Party games are games that some people play as forms of entertainment at social gatherings. Party games usually involve more than one player. There are a large number and styles of party games available and the one selected will depend on the atmosphere that is sought to be generated...
video game developed by Nintendo SPD and Intelligent Systems
Intelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
. The game was published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for its Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
video game system in Japan in December 2006, and in Europe, North America, and Australia in January 2007. It is the fifth game in the WarioWare series of games, and the only game in the series to be released for the Wii. Like its predecessors, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is built around a collection of microgames that last about five seconds each, and which require that the player hold the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
in specific positions. The game offers the microgames to the player in rapid succession, by first instructing the player to hold the Wii Remote in a specific manner, and then showing them the microgame. The microgames are divided into several stages, which each loosely connect the microgames with the help of a story.
Smooth Moves was given generally favorable reviews, receiving aggregated scores of 83% from Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and 82% from Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
. Praise focused on the game's entertainment value, especially at parties, while criticism targeted its length. WarioWare: Smooth Moves received a ToyAward in the Trend and Lifestyle category from the 2007 Nuremberg International Toy Fair
Nuremberg International Toy Fair
Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair Nürnberg is the largest international trade fair for toys and games. Only trade visitors associated with the toy business, journalists and invited guests are admitted...
. It was also given the award for Best Action Game at IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Wii Best of E3 2006 Awards; the website later named it their Game of the Month for January 2007. WarioWare: Smooth Moves was the United States' 4th best-selling game in its debut month of January 2007. In Japan, it sold 63,954 copies in its debut week of November 27 – December 3, 2006, making it the 4th best-selling launch game for the Wii after Wii Sports
Wii Sports
is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console , and part of the Touch! Generations. The game was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month...
, Wii Play
Wii Play
Wii Play, released as in Japan, is a party video game for the Wii console. It is a counterpart to the games Wii Sports, Wii Music and Wii Fit. It features minigames that use characters from the Mii Channel. Several of the games featured are from E3 2006 demos such as the Duck Hunt-styled shooting...
, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development, and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii video game consoles. It is the thirteenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series...
.
Gameplay
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
, which are short games that last for about five seconds. Each microgame requires that the player position the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
in a specific way, such as holding it vertically, or placing the bottom end of the device against the nose. The player is required to use the Nunchuk attachment for the Wii Remote in certain microgames. Before each microgame begins, the required position for the Wii Remote is shown to the player, to allow them time to position the device. The game is broken up into stages, each represented by a WarioWare character and loosely connected by a story, with the microgames divided among the stages. After the player completes a stage's microgames, they advance to the boss stage, which is a microgame that is longer and more complex than the others. After the player completes all of the single-player stages, the game unlocks a multiplayer mode, in which only one Wii Remote is used and shared by up to 12 players. While a player plays a microgame in this mode, other players watch, and after the microgame is completed, the player passes the Wii Remote to the next person.
Development
NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
first revealed WarioWare: Smooth Moves for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
at the 2006 E3 convention. The game was co-developed by Intelligent Systems
Intelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
and the Software Planning Development department of Nintendo. Development on the game began in late 2005 with a team of 20 people, directed by Goro Abe and produced by Yoshio Sakamoto
Yoshio Sakamoto
is a Japanese video game designer working for Nintendo. He is a key member in the development of the Metroid series, having worked as director, scenario designer, and script writer for many of the games. Sakamoto grew up with Nintendo toys, which he noted to be inventive and occasionally "strange"....
. Abe first came up with the idea for the game when the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
was revealed to him. Since the developers believed that holding the controller in only one way limited the game's entertainment value, they decided to introduce new positions and motions to the game for the Remote to be held. The software used to register the Remote's movements was written from scratch because of the unique movements required for the game. Similar to previous games in the WarioWare series, the game's subtitle, "Smooth Moves", was used to represent the basic movement that players perform in the game. The developers wanted players to move as if they were dancing when playing the game, so they decided that Smooth Moves was the best phrase to use to describe the game's actions. Because of its party genre, the developers made the game's multiplayer mode its "best point".
There are about 200 minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
s included in WarioWare: Smooth Moves, an amount similar in previous WarioWare titles. Abe determined which minigames were included after each team member wrote down an idea on a piece of paper and sent it to him. The minigames were inspired by "very original, everyday life issues". To offer a different visual style for each minigame, developers were asked to make their own design for the minigame that they were working on. During development, one of the game's basic concepts was to "make a different taste for every single game". The only rule that Abe imposed on the minigame designs was for the developers to make it instantly obvious as to what is happening in the minigames. The Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
's speaker is used in the game to "add a greater sense of feel". For example, in one microgame, the player must bounce a tennis ball on a racquet. When the ball touches the racquet, the Wii Remote's speaker emits a bouncing sound and a rumble to "add a very strong reality to the game". The game mostly forgoes the Wii nunchuk attachment and functions strictly with the Wii Remote. Its visual presentation is similar to WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games! for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, and it does not run in widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
mode.
Reception
WarioWare: Smooth Moves was released by NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
in Japan on December 2, 2006, in Europe on January 12, 2007, in North America on January 15, 2007, and in Australia on January 25, 2007. The game was given generally favorable reviews, receiving aggregated scores of 83% from Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and 82% from Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
. Praise focused on the game's entertainment value, especially at parties, while criticism targeted its length. WarioWare: Smooth Moves received a ToyAward in the Trend and Lifestyle category from the 2007 Nuremberg International Toy Fair
Nuremberg International Toy Fair
Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair Nürnberg is the largest international trade fair for toys and games. Only trade visitors associated with the toy business, journalists and invited guests are admitted...
. It was also given the award for Best Action Game at IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Wii Best of E3 2006 Awards; the website later named the game their Game of the Month for January 2007. WarioWare: Smooth Moves was the United States' 4th best-selling game in its debut month of January 2007. It dropped to 8th the following month, selling 109,000 units. In Japan, WarioWare: Smooth Moves sold 63,954 copies in its debut week of November 27 – December 3, 2006, making it the 4th best-selling launch game for the Wii after Wii Sports
Wii Sports
is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console , and part of the Touch! Generations. The game was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month...
, Wii Play
Wii Play
Wii Play, released as in Japan, is a party video game for the Wii console. It is a counterpart to the games Wii Sports, Wii Music and Wii Fit. It features minigames that use characters from the Mii Channel. Several of the games featured are from E3 2006 demos such as the Duck Hunt-styled shooting...
, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development, and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii video game consoles. It is the thirteenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series...
. It dropped to 20th for the week of December 18–24, 2006.
Several reviews praised the game as one of the Wii's best. The Official Nintendo Magazine said that Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
should "now take his place alongside Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
and Link as a true Nintendo great". Appreciating the game's "terrific use of the Wii's unique control features", GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
remarked that the game also had "amazing" graphics, concluding that it belongs in the game libraries of Wii owners. This sentiment was shared by GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
, which said that WarioWare: Smooth Moves was "without a doubt" the best collection of minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
s for the Wii. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
found that the game had "a lot of value", especially for people who host parties or have groups of friends or family who already enjoy games such as Wii Sports
Wii Sports
is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console , and part of the Touch! Generations. The game was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month...
or Rayman: Raving Rabbids. Naming WarioWare: Smooth Moves the Game of the Week from January 28 – February 4, 2007, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
gave particular praise to the game's graphics, stating, "There are nicely colourful cartoon intros to each level, and the microgames utilise a plethora of visual styles. You'll notice snippets of favourites from yesteryear, whether it be pulling the Master Sword out of the stone in the N64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
's Zelda: Ocarina of Time or jumping to collect coins as NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
-era Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
." Australia's The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
found the game "as entertaining to watch as it is to play", rating it four stars out of five. The Sunday Age newspaper predicted that WarioWare: Smooth Moves, which is "totally unlike anything else out there", could convert non-gamers into fans of video games.
Computer and Video Games
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
predicted that the game "will be the one you come back to when you've got a full house", and appreciated its "crazy genius" gameplay. Nintendo World Report
Nintendo World Report
Nintendo World Report is a Nintendo-specific video game website that covers Nintendo's current consoles, the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, and Wii.-History:...
was pleased with the game's variety, but found the small number of unlockable items and lack of high scores disappointing. Although video game review website IGN noted that the game was not the best in the Wario series of video games
Wario (series)
The series is a series of video games created by Nintendo starring the character Wario. It started with Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, the first game with Wario as a playable character, and gained many sequels. The Wario series includes mostly platforming video games and minigame compilations,...
, they still considered it an "essential piece of the Wii collection". The website was also entertained by the single-player mode as well as the multiplayer, especially when "shov[ing] the controller off on unsuspecting houseguests or non-gamers months and years down the road". They considered the game's use of the Wii Remote to be "slick and intuitive", the graphics to be "nearly inexplicable", and the sound to be "totally off the wall". GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
called the game "original and addictive", but noted that it would not appeal to everyone. The Courier Mail praised the game's use of the Wii's motion-sensitive controllers as one of its best features, which helps push it "over-the-top" as "one of the most inventive games designed for the Wii's interactive controls". Canada's The Toronto Sun also appreciated its "novel use" of the Wiimote.
A lack of "eye-popping unpredictability [like] its predecessors" and difficult controller positions disappointed 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
, but the website still called WarioWare: Smooth Moves a "welcome addition to any Wii library". Described as a "certifiably insane party game that is a must buy for any Wii owner", GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
felt that the game further proves that the Wii is the "must-have" console when playing with friends. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
shared this sentiment, noting that although the game's single-player mode is only several hours long, its multiplayer mode is the "definite Wii party experience" for up to 12 people. Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
felt excited, surprised, and a "little stupid" when waving the Wii remote with the game, concluding that the game will make "friends laugh pretty much non-stop for an hour or two, and that may very well be worth the price of admission". Despite writing positively about how the game utilizes the Wii remote, Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
was disappointed with its weak long-term appeal because "it never really dares to test players".