Wario
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The first 'WarioWare' game in five years comes to 3DS in August
We last saw a new WarioWare title, Game & Wario, way back in 2013 on the Wii U. During today's Nintendo Direct the company finally ended that drought and announced WarioWare Gold for the 3DS. Yes, you read that right -- it's heading to Nintendo's eight-year-old handheld, which is still going strong even as the Wii U has been replaced by the Switch.
WarioWare 'flair' is reborn for the Wii U with Game & Wario
Following its E3 2012 media briefing, Nintendo revealed a slew of new titles for its upcoming Wii U console, including Project P-100, on its event site. Another title that snuck its way on the E3 page was the working title project Game & Wario."Wario and his Diamond City friends are back in action. Game & Wario (working title) features a collection of games that use only the Wii U GamePad controller. The games retain the original flair and character of the micro-games from the WarioWare series," the site reads.Single-player games found in the collection include 'Arrow,' which transforms the WiiPad as a hi-tech bow used to defeat swarming enemies; 'Ski,' where players lead a skier to the finish line tilting the WiiPad; and 'Shutter,' which uses the WiiPad as a camera to take shots of hidden criminals. A multiplayer game for up to two to five players dubbed 'Fruit' allows one WiiPad-wielding player to anonymously control one of the other players on screen to quietly steam scattered fruit. Sounds both wacky and strange, which is exactly what we'd expect from a WarioWare-style title.%Gallery-157167%
Creepy profit-tracking Wario controlled by Mac
Tiburciod likes to keep track of sales of his game so he wrote a script that checks every minute for a new transaction. Instead of a simple alert, he and his daughter Helena grabbed a Wario character, a bike bell, a few spare LEDs and a smoke maker from a model train. He assembled them all together into a creepy-looking, part-toy, part-gadget figure. He then threw in a wireless Arduino microcontroller that talked to his Mac. Now when Tiburciod gets a sale, Mr. Wario goes off with a bell, some flashing and occasionally some smoke when sales are hot, hot, hot. Check out the video below and let us know what you think of weird, yet ingenious creation. [Via Make Magazine]
Video game characters need business cards too
Getting in touch with heroes can be difficult. Typically, they only bother to roll out of bed and show up when something goes really wrong.
Nintendo of America opens new Redmond HQ
[TechFlash] We imagine the interior of Nintendo's new headquarters in Redmond, Washington to embody the four quadrants it's divided into: Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi and Wario. Unfortunately, Nintendo wouldn't allow press to take interior photos of the company's recently opened US headquarters, citing "security concerns," so we just don't know. Nor do any images exist of the "gigantic top-floor conference room" that's appropriately named "The Master Sword;" though, according to Techflash, it's said to resemble a Wall Street-style conference room more than anything you'd find in a Hyrulian office -- the 75,000 square feet of greenery on the roof would likely make Link feel more at home. As you can see above, Nintendo of America head Reggie Fils-Aime and Nintendo worldwide head Satoru Iwata were hilariously joined by Washington Governor Christine Gregoire and her friends the Mario brothers for the building's opening ceremonies last week. "Hopefully this new building will help [employees] to be even more creative and productive, and continue to put smiles on the faces of our consumers," Iwata said of the new HQ. The beautiful facility -- detailed in several photos here -- is said to house 650 staff members. No official number of hidden Yoshis has been given.
iPod touch ad puts a new slant on things
TBWA/Media Arts Lab created a spiffy new online ad for the iPod touch: it plays around with objects on the Yahoo! Games page as the ad plays. It's not unlike the Nintendo "Wario Land" YouTube video that has the same effect. AdAge notes that Apple has been clever about creating media-rich online advertising, including the New York Times ads that interact with each other, even though they're in different units. [Via Macenstein.]
Born for Wii: Wario's Woods
Few genres can match the gnawing, unquenchable addiction of the puzzler. The classics like Tetris and Puyo Pop have populated virtually every platform under the sun in one form or another, and modern-day classics like Hexic and Zuma have undoubtedly caused more than one dreary office worker to find himself ejected from his cubicle. Sadly, just as many wonderful puzzle games have fallen by the wayside. One of those games is Wario's Woods.Wario's Woods has an odd history for a game: released on the NES and the Super NES only a few months apart in 1994, two similar, though notably different, versions of the game were on the market at the same time. Though the game only differs slightly from Puyo Pop and its various clones, the mechanics unique to Wario's Woods make it one of the most addictive puzzle games ever made. The NES version of Wario's Woods has been available on the Virtual Console for two years, but the superior Super Nintendo version is nowhere to be found. We've seen nothing new from the series for nearly 15 years -- it's well past time for a revival. And for reals, this time. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } NEXT >> %Gallery-38304% Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Star Wars: Republic Commando, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
New WarioWare games coming to DS, DSi
Being the foul-smelling, eternally greedy anti-hero that he is, it comes as little surprise to see Wario delve into the lucrative field of video game development yet again. According to a recent operational briefing, delivered by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, DS owners can expect to see the mustache-twirling glutton in several upcoming titles -- and they'll even get to design some of them."WarioWare Myself" continues the franchise's celebration of all games deemed mini, with the addition of some user-created content. Players will reportedly be able to create their own frantic minigames and inflict them upon share them with others. There's also talk of a WiiWare application that allows these creations to be played, though not designed, on the Wii. As for Nintendo's new DSi, Iwata revealed plans to release "WarioWare: Photograph," a camera-enabled, gesture-based affair, as well as several WarioWare minigames that will be available for download on the system's online store. For the sake of productivity, we sincerely hope Nintendo fails to include that infernal, paper airplane game. You know the one.
Gaming to Go: Warioware: Touched
Wario is weird. Anyone who has ever given Mario's portly nemesis a spin in his numerous games can easily agree with that, though it's a truth most evident in the Warioware series of titles. Touched is Wario's first appearance on the DS and something of a landmark for the handheld, utilizing the stylus for almost everything and showcasing the unique strength of the system. It's also pretty freaking strange. The admittedly odd design choices complement the gameplay pretty well, however, which involve a series of blindingly quick microgames designed to test both your reaction time and tolerance for utter silliness.The sheer speediness of it all makes Warioware: Touched an ideal candidate for this week's Gaming to Go. Unfortunately, for everything Touched does to streamline the gameplay down to a few exciting seconds, it isn't a perfect experience. Want to hear why? Click that big button down there and see what all of the fuss is about.%Gallery-35828% #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } NEXT >>
Fanswag: Wario Land goes to ...
Another giveaway comes, another giveaway goes. Our latest fanswag, involving Wario Land: Shake It!, has concluded and it's about time we crowned a winner. Who's lucky enough to win our copy? The winner is: Adam N, who is a big fan of Wario Land 3 Congrats, Adam! To the rest of you, we wish you better luck next time. Thanks for entering, thanks for reading and be sure to keep an eye on Wii Fanboy for our next giveaway, which will start up shortly!%Gallery-26293%
Circuit City does buy one, get one 50% off sale on Wii games
For those of you with some extra money burning a hole in your pocket, know that Circuit City has a sale running from now until this upcoming Saturday. When you purchase any Wii game at full price, you can get a second game for 50% off. The sale also works with Wii Play, if you're not among the folks who've already purchased the bundle. Need some suggestions? Mario Kart Wii is a good choice (and you can play with us at Game Night!), as well as Wario Land: Shake It! (which we're pretty fond of). There's also ... actually, just head on over there. The list of games is fairly long.[Via GamerDeals]
Reminder: Wario Land is up for grabs
Heads up, folks! Today is your last day to enter in our latest giveaway for a copy of Wario Land: Shake It! If you've missed out up until now, you've missed a full week of being able to enter in the contest, but have no fear, for we select our winner via random drawing. You could still win!Head on over to the original contest post here to see what you have to do to enter for your chance at this great game!%Gallery-26293%
A brief history of Club Nintendo Awesomeness
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/A_look_back_at_Club_Nintendo_s_greatest_gifts'; By now, you've no doubt heard: Nintendo is rolling out Club Nintendo in the U.S. by the end of 2008. Wahey! Yeah, we know that Japan (generally speaking) gets the most excellent items when compared to elsewhere, but listen here, bub: it's free stuff. We're not about to complain, and nor should you (if you want to feel sorry for somebody, Australia's Club Nintendo scheme has gone AWOL, and check out South Africa's piss-poor Stars Catalogue).Anyway, as these are happy times for North Americans, we thought we'd reflect on some of the bestest Club Nintendo gifts and trinkets from both Japan and Europe to date -- some of which could end up in the U.S.! Hit the gray button to start DS Fanboy's whirlwind Club Nintendo Tour of Wonders! NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; }
Fanswag: Wario Land: Shake It!
Do you like free stuff? Of course you do, who doesn't? Well, we're giving away one copy of Wario Land: Shake It! for the Wii (valued at $50). Want to enter for your chance to win this great game?To enter, simply leave a comment between now and Sunday, October 12th at 11:59PM ET, telling us what your favorite game featuring Wario is. It can be one of his own games, or any other he's in. You can leave one comment per day. We'll select a winner the following day via random drawing.There are a few things you should know before entering. Entrants must be current and legal residents of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec) and at least 18 years of age or older. Read up on the rest of the official rules right here.%Gallery-26293%
DS Fanboy's Media Summit screen round-up
The worst bit about big industry events for impatient bloggers and readers? The game assets. Oh Lordy, the assets. An absolute landslide of screens, usually scattered about across, ooh, dozens of pages. But not at DS Fanboy! Not on our watch! Because we wub you, readers, we've collected a big old stack of new screens for your viewing pleasure and placed them all after the break of just one post. This post, in fact. From the well-known to the obscure, we'd be amazed if there's not at least one game that appeals to everyone past that line of blue text. Mario & Luigi 3, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (right), Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel, Shining Force Feather, and Picross 3D is only scratching the surface, so make the jump!
Wii Fanboy Review: Wario Land: Shake It!
Back during E3, I talked about how Nintendo had to actually kick me out of their demo area, because I wouldn't stop playing Wario Land: Shake It! and, to be honest, that was true. The game was absolutely amazing when I got my hands on it. Would my favorable impressions be the same when I got my hands on the final product? Well, now that I've had a few days to plow through it, I'm ready to determine that.%Gallery-26293%
It's a WARIO World: Transformations
We couldn't help ourselves--Mario fashion is so last Friday. In case you didn't notice, maybe because you were too busy getting domineered by the formidable boss roster of Mega Man 9, a little game called Wario Land: Shake It! landed at retailers on Tuesday. And you can bet we've been shaking it all week (besides listening to Charles Martinet ham it up, of course). What better way to welcome this momentous release than to dedicate our humble gallery to the big scoundrel himself? It is appropriate that we have transformed this feature to accommodate Wario's oversized rear end. Transformations are Wario's speciality; whether he is provoked by status-changing characters or influenced by elements of his environment, Wario relies on his many forms to effectively navigate level design. Adopting forms that range from animal to mechanical, this rude evil genius is unquestionably a Master of Disguise. Let's take a look back at the numerous transformations Wario has undergone in our new gallery chock full of yellow, purple and poor manners. It's-a WARIO World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's EVIL GENIUS is celebrated: We'll incessantly ruminate about mustache wax garlic pizza, debate the curious whereabouts of the princess MY treasure and covet troves of gold. Check back here every Friday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps shaking our butts.
Nintendo passes gas to promote Wario Land: Shake It!
It's no secret that Nintendo is the richest company since Ebenezer Scrooge found two nickels and rubbed them together. As part of a promotion for Wario Land: Shake It! and just to be nice, the company footed the gasoline bill for several individuals at a downtown LA Mobile gas station. They also hooked some lucky folks up with copies of the game, as well as Wii consoles. You can check out a video from the event above, as well as some pictures of folks taking advantage of the kind gesture in our gallery below.%Gallery-32718%
New Wario Land ad shakes up YouTube
Nintendo has unleashed a rather clever YouTube ad for Wario Land: Shake It. It starts out simple enough, with mid-quality gameplay footage (first sign of trouble: the embed code is for Facebook only). And then ... well, we don't want to spoil it for you. Needless to say, it was a fun surprise. If the reviews are any indication, it might end up being the best thing to come out of the tremor-phillic Wii game.
Metareview: Wario Land: Shake It!
Talk about dividing opinion. As we type these words, Metacritic features just ten reviews of Wario Land: Shake It!, yet already the top and bottom scores are separated by a yawning gulf of 30%. Two things most critics seem to agree on: Shake It! is beautiful, and Shake It! is short. The rest is clearly up for debate: IGN (84%) published one of the warmest reviews to date: "It's got its share of modest shortcomings. It's not very innovative -- you've seen all this before in other platformers. The lack of a proper widescreen mode is downright annoying. And the core game is over a little too quickly for my liking. But, you know, it's still a really fun experience thanks to excellent control and fantastic level designs, not to mention a beautiful visual presentation." Eurogamer (70%) noted that the title didn't measure up to Nintendo's rich tapestry of platform games: "A game which is good, but not great, and certainly not up to the standard of Nintendo's best 2D platformers." GamePro (80%) mentions the "c" word, as dreaded by most blog-reading types: "Despite its simplistic gameplay, the game is still worth playing, especially for the casual Wii gamer. It's fun, it's simple and it's charming, which pretty much describes most Wii games that hit big with that audience." Finally, Jeremy Parish of 1UP (58%) heaped scorn on the mustache-twirler's return: "Shake It!'s failure to innovate is particularly infuriating, because it'll only serve to confirm in most people's minds the notion that 2D graphics are synonymous with dated, uninspired game design [...] the staleness of this game's action has nothing to do with the visuals and everything to do with the fact that the dizzyingly imaginative designers who helped make those earlier titles so memorable have moved along to the WarioWare and Rhythm Heaven series." %Gallery-26293%
