Wario Land: Shake it changes the Wario formula up a bit with the Wii remote and it makes for a very well done platformer
Wario Land uses the Wii remote a lot like the way Super Mario Galaxy uses it. You will use it to point when throwing something or shooting out of a cannon by tilting the remote in the direction you wish to shoot. You also move the remote up and down fast to have Wario use a ground punch attack that shakes the screen. But most notably, when Wario wants to shake something, whether it's an enemy or a bag of coins, you simply shake the Wii remote to have Wario shake it.
All this integration of the Wii remote works great, and makes the game very intuitive. Using the Wii remote feels great and I hope to see more 2D platformers use it like that.
Wario Land is unique in that you aren't exactly trying to get to the end of the level. The goal of each level is to get to a little creature trapped in a cage, free them (by shaking the cage a lot), and take them back in a certain amount of time. They aren't exactly as fun as simply going to the end since you are timed, but it gets the job done. The real kicker, is that there are 3 treasure chests hidden on each level, and each level has a series of missions that can be completed on each level to earn a star.
Completing this missions will take lots of tries, and finding the treasure chests can be quite difficult, and with missions and treasure on each level, there is A TON to do after you beat the game, giving Shake it lots of replay value.
However, the game is short, about 20 levels and 6 bosses to get through the game, but the secrets levels up the amount of levels to 30. While you can breeze through the game, finding the treasure and completing the missions is where the bulk of the game is, so it's not a game for those that like to clear everything. However, even after you play all 30 levels and do some of the missions it will won't be too long, it will take you about 5 - 10 hours to beat the game, and than 5 - 10 more completing extras.
Speaking of bosses, the boss battles in Shake it are flat out amazing, challenging, and fun, and are easily the best boss battles out of any 2D platformer. They are just so well done in figuring out how to hit them and still keeping a good challenge, the first boss is the only one you can easily beat on your first try, while the others will give you trouble.
Speaking of difficulty, Shake it is very hard, the 10 secrets levels are all harder than the previous 20, and completing the missions can be very difficult, don't expect to clear the game with 100%, only the best players with lots of time and practice will be able to do it. With that being said you'll want to unlock all the levels and see how they are, and the level design is quite good.
Wario Land: Shake it's music is okay, it doesn't sound good, but it isn't bad. The graphics are amazingly done. The sprite animations of everything all just works so perfectly and it's great to at times just stop playing and watch enemies and what they do, it's really well done.
Wario Land: Shake it is a 2D platformer that uses the Wii remote in a brilliant way, has beautiful sprite animation, amazing bosses, a challenging difficulty, and a unique system in clearing each level. The game is surrounded on exploring rather than beating the game and so some may either really like this, or really dislike it. But whether you like it or not, the undeniable charm of the game will keep you hooked and above all you will enjoy the game.
Overall Score: 8.25 + Great Wiimote usage (0.75) + Great art (0.25) + Great bosses and replay value (0.25) - Too short (0.50) = 9.00