I've been a big fan of the WarioWare games ever since the original released on the Gameboy Advance. The series is known for featuring upwards of a hundred plus, fast-paced, micro games per title. These games offer a lot of variety and the story is often quite humorous. Of course each new console introduces new gimmicks to the series and WarioWare Gold attempts to bring together the best of a decade of various entries. Featuring touch screen, gyroscope, and classic button controls this is easily the most diverse entry to date.
What surprised me the most with WarioWare Gold was just how amusing all the cut-scenes were. In the story mode you have three different sections, one for button , touch, and tilt controls. In each section there are five stages with Wario featured first each time and unique cast members for all the rest. Each character gets their own introduction which are always quite silly if not a bit strange. Once you reach and defeat the boss stage, about fifteen micro games in, you'll be treated to an equally silly outro video to wrap up that characters story.
If you're new to WarioWare the fun of the gameplay come in the fast reflexes you'll need to quickly adapt to each unique microgame. The games all have simple mechanics but vary greatly in how you get to interact with each new scene. One level could having you jumping over a car, another could have you threading a needle, or maybe it will have you picking a nose. Right before the curtains draw back to reveal the game you get a short hint in the form of a verb so you have some idea of what you're getting in to. Once the scene starts you'll have a mere five to ten seconds to react and accomplish the goal. Win or lose you'll be thrown right into the next scene but if you fail a total of four scenes it is game over.
There is a decent amount of content to keep players coming back in the variety of playable modes and collectables. Every time you finish a run you are rewarded coins which you can use in a quarter machine for various knick-knacks. I liked some of the special games I unlocked this way but most of the other content is less engaging. Some of the extra game modes you unlock really find clever ways to challenge you. If you play a mode that utilities all mini-game types you really need to be on your toes. If you play enough that you can start memorizing the games and their opening descriptions you can probably go for a big high-score.
WarioWare is a lot of fun while it lasts. Their is a certain novelty that comes with the microgames that will make you smile the first couple times you play each one. After the novelty starts to wear off I feel like you really need to have an inner desire to out do previous high-scores to have enough motivation to play this game longer term. I'm kind of boring as I feel like I enjoy the button controlled game the most. That said I did find juggling all three games modes at the same time to be exhilarating; if it wasn't so difficult I think I would have played those stages more. This entry definitely offers the most bang for your buck so it really just comes down to whether you enjoy this type of silly, fast-paced, game.