AU REVIEW--WarioWare: Snapped is one of the first DSiWare games to use the new handheld's built-in camera, and it will have you striking many strange poses to complete its various microgame challenges. But while it may be a good way to show off the DSi's unique capabilities, it's also sorely lacking in variety, resulting in a game that probably won't hold your interest past the 20 minutes it'll take to play through it the first time.
Of course, shallow has historically been an apt way to describe the WarioWare series and its weird microgames. But where previous games at least had dozens of different microgame challenges to keep you interested, Snapped brings only about 20 to the table. You'll breeze through these in no time, and with no ramping difficulty, there's no reason to go back to them again. To play Snapped, you'll have to place the DSi on a flat surface (like a table or chair) in front of you, with the top half of the handheld opened to about a 120-degree angle. The different microgames will require you to move your head, wave your hands, blow at the screen, and more, so this is definitely not a game you'll be able to play whilst on some sort of public transport.
The microgames themselves range from the cute (placing your hands in front of your face and playing peekaboo with a baby) to the gross (sticking your two fingers up a large nose), and all exhibit the same simple graphics and wacky charm of previous WarioWare games. The top DSi screen will show your silhouette, giving you an indication of where your hands and head should be for any particular game. Most of the 20 games involve just one player, but five of them require you to play alongside a partner. The microgames are grouped into sets of five, and upon completing each set, you're treated to a slide show of stills and shorts the DSi has taken of you while playing. Sadly, you can't save these candid shots, which is a pity, because some of the images caught while you're pulling faces and contorting can be really funny.
You have only a short time in which to complete the required movements, but Snapped isn't particularly tough in this regard. In fact, Snapped isn't tough at all because most of the microgames are easy to beat. What will probably trouble you more is the game's camera calibration. Snapped plays well under most bright lighting conditions, but it works poorly in low-lit rooms. It can also flake out occasionally even in bright areas, at which point it becomes necessary to reposition either the DSi or yourself so the camera can get a better reading.
WarioWare: Snapped has plenty of the undeniable charm and goofiness the series is known for. But it simply doesn't last long enough for its asking price, and apart from making your friends play it for cheap laughs, there's no replayability here. You can get much better value from your 500 Nintendo points than spending them on Snapped.
