E3 2004: Wario Ware DS Hands-On

This third installment offers the most frantic fun, thanks in a big part to DS innovation.

Update: Video coverage added.

Wario Ware for the Game Boy Advance offered incredibly simple fast-paced gaming that required gamers to complete requested tasks in a few seconds with no prior training. Within a few tries gamers could catch on and keep at it while the action got more and more frantic. Now things are more frantic than ever and the action is at your fingertips.

The incorporation of the DS touch pad into Wario Ware gameplay is fantastic. Tasks such as catching a school of fish with a net, slicing pieces of fruit as they fly by, or scratching a scratch-tab clean is done with the touch of a pen, making the whole thing seem much more interactive and frantic.

During a round of games Wario stands above you on the upper screen and throws games down to you on the lower screen. Wario's reactions during gameplay change depending on your performance. While not the most mind-blowing use of the two screen format, it does add to the personality of the game to have Wario standing above you taunting while you race to complete each task.

In many ways Wario Ware was the best-suited Nintendo franchise for the DS technology, not only elevating brilliant existing gameplay to an even higher level, but opening up the possibilities and allowing for all new types of fast-paced minigames. The wireless multiplayer capabilities will be made full use of as well, with gamers picking up and playing a few quick rounds in between other daily tasks and chores.

Wario Ware DS is in top form and easily one of the most anticipated games for Nintendo's next portable, and will certainly be a favorite of anyone who discovers its brilliant gameplay for the first time.

Carl Johnson
Staff Writer, Kikizo.com