You don't pick up a video game expecting to pick a nose, but the joy of discovery combined with these laugh-out-loud situations elevated WarioWare into the realm of instant classic. Figuring out the goal and mechanisms of each microgame was every bit as fun as actually performing those tasks. WarioWare went down in history as insanely addictive, combining a charming yet barebones aesthetic with scenarios that went a step or two beyond merely 'quirky.' Everyone who's played WarioWare remembers being presented with a finger and a nose and having about two seconds to determine that they were supposed to guide the former into the latter. If you'd asked the average gamer (the theoretical average gamer, whom we've never actually met) if he was interested in playing a bunch of games that only lasted a few seconds apiece, he'd probably have given you an incredulous look before turning his baseball cap backwards and walking away slowly, muttering epithets not fit for even a Halo 3 ? deathmatch under his breath.īut despite our imaginary average gamer's initial resistance, playing is believing. With WarioWare, Nintendo unleashed a bold new genre upon an unprepared gaming populace: microgaming, a variety of short - as in five seconds apiece - but sweet scenarios thrown at the player in an unrelenting, rapid-fire assault. Yet seeds of this new direction are evident in a 2003 Game Boy Advance title called Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, an early example of how games could be both extremely simple and yet still fun to play. Nintendo's new focus on casual, pick-up-and-play experiences might seem a sudden shift in focus from the epic adventures of classic series like The Legend of Zelda or Super Mario Bros.

Rhythm heaven warioware