One series better left on the handhelds.
I came into the game thinking it would play very similarly to the other games in the series, neat hats that work as power ups tons of treasure to be found and all around fun gameplay. Unfortunately this game only has one of those, more on that later.
First off I have to really give the developers credit, because the hand drawn graphics look really really good. It has a such a cool look to it and I could not help but love it. The animations on everything that appeared in the game were also awesome. But that is basically where the praise ends, and the complaints begin. The gameplay, is relatively straightforward. You run, jump, shoulder charge and butt pound your way to the cage at the end of the level. Being as fat as he is, wario does not jump as high as Mario so most of the platforming is pretty limited. The levels themselves are also pretty short, they can be blown through in about 10 minutes each if you do not look for all of the treasure. And while the levels are short, they are made a little longer in the fact that when you get to the end of the level you are forced to run back to the start. And after the first 3 times, it really loses its charm. The game is just way too easy, the only time where I ever died was on a boss encounter, but as soon as you figure out the pattern it is just way too easy.
The enviroments that you explore are also relatively limited and cliche. You get some plains, some lava, a water level a train and a whole lot of caves. They are pretty cool to look at for the first level, but when you are seeing the same backgrounds and fairly similar hallways level after level it gets very annoying
The sound is another department that is lacking, the grunts and snorts and yelps that wario let out are full of character. But the music, is just so bland and boring I couldnt help but be disappointed. It is so repetitive and does not fit the settings at all.
As you can come to expect the story is not its strongest point. But that is fine because mario games are meant to be played for the gameplay not the story. But unfortunately, this story is almost too bad.
Oh and how could I forget this. The shake, in Wario Land Shake it. It is so poorly implemented I wish it would have just been left in the garbage bin. You shake the remote to shake bags, swing on poles etc. By the end of the game you will have wankers cramp. Hell after about 10 minutes of the second world I would have to take a break because my wrist would hurt really bad because of all of the shaking. Again wankers cramp is not fun Developers stop overusing this mechanic of the wii remote so much. Unless its for a game where, well you ya know. Nevermind.
I did not hate Wario Land shake it, but it could have been so much better than it was. For every step forward, they took two steps back and threw up all over itself. So skip this game, if you are overly curious rent it. But do not spend 40 dollars on a game that should have been Wii Ware.