Warioware brings to the Gamecube its mark of insanity with newly added multiplayer modes!
The game sets you up as Wario's test subject for his microgames, which he essentially slave labored out of about ten different programmers. Your most important job, however, is to test the multiplayer with your friends. You don't have any? Then get some!
Well the answer to the question in the intro paragraph is yes... for the first few hours. Then you realize just how easy this game got with the analog stick at your disposal. Don't get me wrong, the game is still fun, fast, and easy to pick up. The sheer variety of games can seem overwhelming, but they go by so quickly, they never really feel like you're being dragged through it. Also, the Album system, which allows you to play individual games over and over again, was fun and a smart idea. I found myself playing certain games for half an hour at a time. But if you were expecting vast improvements over the GBA version (like, say, a set of more challenging games), then you're in for a downer. The first thing that lowers the level of quality is the analog stick. While the games were a lot harder for the GBA because you didn't have the fluidness of the stick, here they sort of pop by far too easily. Another thing is how you can't just keep playing one programmer's games over and over, you have to play everyone's in a series, a mistake fixed in later Wariowares like Touched. It's still fun, no doubt about that, but it doesn't last long when it's so easy.
The graphics were pretty cool on the GBA, but on the Gamecube, they don't fly so well. While the sheer variety of styles in the microgames were interesting (they range from stilloettes playing racquetball to old school Nintendo game segments), they don't look as good on the Gamecube as they did on the GBA. But did you really expect top visual production values from a game that's essentially a copy of it's GBA counterpart?
The sound can be pretty sweet. Although the music isn't top tier stuff (although it's still pretty decent), the sound effects add to randomness and hilarity of the game. Random cackles and sound effects that may seem out of place make for an amusing, unpredictable environment.
Multiplayer is where the new stuff is for the series. Essentially, you get up to four players in most games (one game supports up to 16), each play microgames when it's appropriate, and it goes on like that until somebody wins. What the game comes with though, as expected, are some infinitively creative multiplayer games. My personal favorite is Doctor's Call (Mona's) where the player must play the microgame while doing what the doctor tells him to do (wiggle your legs, grunt like a pig, hold your breath, etc.) and relies on the other players to tell the doctor whether or not he actually did it. Also, Orbulon's co-op game gives all but one player a flashlight and they have to co-operate to light up the microgame so the one player can play. This multiplayer is some fun stuff and can probably keep some people hooked for a while, but most will play it a couple times then go back to Halo or Mario Kart.
Multiplayer is the true saving grace that keeps this installment from being a cash-in "sequel". Seriously though, if you have the money and a bunch of friends, it has one of the best multiplayer experiences on consoles across the board (possibly even better than Halo...)