WarioWare Inc.: Mega MicroGameS review (Game Boy Advance)

It doesn't happen terribly often these days, but you still occasionally see a game that tries its hardest to defy classification. The latest such game is Nintendo's WarioWare Inc.: Mega MicroGame$ for the Game Boy Advance. At first, it may seem like a minigame collection or some sort of party game. But the way the game tosses its huge slew of often hilarious minigames at you gives it the frenetic, unstoppable pace of a Tetris-like puzzle game, and in the end, it all comes together in a nearly magical fashion.

WarioWare has a bit of a plot to it, but like most puzzle games, it's fast and very, very loose. While lounging around on the couch one day, Wario sees a television report about an extremely popular video game. Sensing the opportunity to make a lot of cash, Wario enlists a ragtag bunch of misfits and gets into the game business. This translates into gameplay by a level with its own set of minigames being assigned to each one of Wario's pals.

The games in WarioWare are as simple--and as weird--as they can possibly get. They all revolve around one basic action of some sort. One asks you to shoot a golf ball into a hole. Another asks you to stop a sliding finger just below a waiting nostril so the nose is successfully picked. You'll have to match shapes, answer simple IQ-test-like questions, jump rope, ride a skateboard, keep a spotlight shining on an escaping Wario, and lots, lots more. The startling gems of the collection come in the form of minigames based on old Nintendo classics. Inside you'll find simplified games based on The Legend of Zelda, Wild Gunman, Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, Urban Champion, Metroid, Sheriff, Balloon Fight, Mario Paint, F-Zero, Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros., Dr. Mario, and more. On their own, the games aren't the most exciting thing in the world. For example, the Metroid game simply places Samus directly in front of Mother Brain at the end of the original NES game. All you must do is hammer on the A button to fire enough missiles to destroy Mother Brain. But there's another factor involved: time.