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Wario | |
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Wario, as seen in the WarioWare series | |
Genre(s) | Platform game, minigame compilation |
Developer(s) | |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Platform(s) | Game Boy, Virtual Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, Wii, DSiWare, WiiWare, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS |
First release | Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 1994 |
Latest release | WarioWare Gold 2018 |
The Wario(ワリオ)franchise comprises various video games created by Nintendo, starring the character Wario. The franchise began with Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 , the first game to feature Wario as a playable character, and gained many further installments. The Wario series includes mostly platforming video games and minigame compilations, but also includes other genres. It is a spin-off of the Mario series.
A video game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a two- or three-dimensional video display device such as a TV screen, virtual reality headset or computer monitor. Since the 1980s, video games have become an increasingly important part of the entertainment industry, and whether they are also a form of art is a matter of dispute.
Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics and video game company headquartered in Kyoto. Nintendo is one of the world's largest video game companies by market capitalization, creating some of the best-known and top-selling video game franchises, such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon.
Wario is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series who was originally designed as an arch-rival of Mario. He first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss. His name is a portmanteau of Mario's name and the Japanese word warui (悪い), meaning "bad". Wario was designed by Hiroji Kiyotake, and is voiced by Charles Martinet, who voices many other characters in the series such as Mario, Luigi, and Waluigi.
The Wario Land series is a platforming series that started with Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 , following Wario's first appearance in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins .
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 is a platform game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy in 1994. It is the first video game to feature Wario as both a playable character and the main character, as well as the first appearance of Captain Syrup and her Brown Sugar Pirates, recurring villains in the Wario Land series.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is a platforming video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy, and is the sequel to Super Mario Land, also on the Game Boy. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1992, in North America on November 2, 1992, and in Europe on January 28, 1993. Super Mario Land 2 was created by director Hiroji Kiyotake rather than Mario series creator Shigeru Miyamoto.
In Wario Land, Wario has a castle in Kitchen Island, and often journeys to find treasure. Its gameplay consists of platforming through levels, tossing enemies, breaking blocks and using other abilities.
Mario is a fictional character in the Mario video game franchise, owned by Nintendo and created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as the company's mascot and the eponymous protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation. Depicted as a short, pudgy, Italian plumber who resides in the Mushroom Kingdom, his adventures generally center upon rescuing Princess Peach from the Koopa villain Bowser. His younger brother and sidekick is Luigi.
1992 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games and several new titles such as Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Art of Fighting,Super Mario Kart, and Mortal Kombat.
A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls, and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the console, screen, speakers, and controls in one unit, allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place.
WarioWare (also Wario Ware), known in Japan as Made in Wario(メイド イン ワリオ Meido in Wario), is a series of games featuring the Nintendo character Wario. The franchise was established in 2003 with the release of Mega Microgame$! for the Game Boy Advance. While the first two games were developed by Nintendo R&D1, subsequent games have been co-developed by Intelligent Systems.
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!, stylized as WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! and known in the PAL region as WarioWare, Inc.: Minigame Mania, is a minigame compilation video game for the Game Boy Advance. The debut title in the WarioWare series, the game is about rapid completion of "microgames", short minigames given to the player consecutively and with increasing speed per each game complete. Developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo, the game was inspired by the "Sound Bomber" mode of Mario Artist: Polygon Studio for the Nintendo 64DD. The game was produced by Takehiro Izushi and directed by Hirofumi Matsuoka. Matsuoka was also the director of Polygon Studio. Mega Microgames! was released in 2003; in Japan in March, in North America and Europe in May and in Australia in June.
The Game Boy Advance (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001, and in mainland China on June 8, 2004 as iQue Game Boy Advance. The GBA was part of the sixth generation. The original model was not backlit and Nintendo addressed that with the release of the redesigned Game Boy Advance SP in 2003. Another redesign, the Game Boy Micro, was released in 2005.
Nintendo Research & Development No. 1 Department, commonly abbreviated as Nintendo R&D1, was Nintendo's oldest video game development team. It was known as Nintendo Research & Development Department before splitting in 1978. Its creation coincided with Nintendo's entry into the video games industry, and the original R&D1 was headed by Gunpei Yokoi. The developer has created several notable Nintendo series such as Metroid, Mario Bros., and Donkey Kong.
The distinctive feature of all WarioWare games is that they are collections of short, simple "microgames" presented in quick succession. Each of these microgames lasts about three to five seconds and must be completed, or else a life will be lost. For example, there is a microgame where the player must zap a spaceship; in another, Wario must collect coins in a Pac-Man-like maze. The numerous microgames are linked together randomly and steadily increase in speed and difficulty as the player progresses. On each level, players are allowed four losses only. After a certain amount of microgames have been played, the player faces a stage-specific boss microgame; the player must complete these to regain a lost life (with a maximum of four). Boss microgames are considerably longer and more complex than other microgames. For example, a boss microgame in Mega Microgames! instructs the player to hit a nail with a hammer multiple times in a row.
Pac-Man is an arcade game designed by Toru Iwatani and published by Namco and Midway Games. It was initally released in Japan as PUCKMAN in May 1980, followed by the United States in October of the same year.
In woodworking and construction, a nail is a small object made of metal which is used as a fastener, as a peg to hang something, or sometimes as a decoration. Generally, nails have a sharp point on one end and a flattened head on the other, but headless nails are available. Nails are made in a great variety of forms for specialized purposes. The most common is a wire nail. Other types of nails include pins, tacks, brads, spikes, and cleats.
A modern day hammer is a tool consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal, or to crush rock. Hammers are used for a wide range of driving, shaping, and breaking applications.
The idea of microgame or minigame was popularized generally during the Nintendo 64's fifth generation of video game consoles and some early minigames appear in the Nintendo 64DD's Mario Artist: Talent Studio in the style that would give rise to the WarioWare series. Certain minigames literally originated in Mario Artist: Polygon Studio, as explained by Goro Abe of Nintendo R&D1's so-called Wario Ware All-Star Team: "In Polygon Studio you could create 3D models and animate them in the game, but there was also a side game included inside. In this game you would have to play short games that came one after another. This is where the idea for Wario Ware came from." Teammate Yoshio Sakamoto continued, "To add on that, we got the idea of using Wario and the other characters because we couldn't think of anyone else who would be best for the role. Wario is always doing stupid things and is really idiotic, so we thought him and the rest of the characters would be best for the game." [1] :p.2
The 64DD is a magnetic disk drive peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console developed by Nintendo. It was originally announced in 1995, prior to the Nintendo 64's 1996 launch, and after numerous delays was finally released only in Japan on December 1, 1999. The "64" references both the Nintendo 64 console and the 64 MB storage capacity of the disks, and "DD" is short for "disk drive" or "dynamic drive".
Game & Wario , released in 2013, is a spinoff of the WarioWare series.
The next installment in the series, entitled WarioWare Gold , was announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation on March 8, 2018. [2]
Microgames are simple video games created by the fictional company WarioWare, Inc.. Nintendo's line of WarioWare games each feature these microgames, which are generally less than 5 seconds long. Microgames are even simpler and shorter than the minigames found in other games such as the Mario Party series. Gameplay in all WarioWare games is distinct from most other games, as they involve the player or players trying to beat the microgames as soon as possible. Most games present instructions in the form of a verb and quickly drop the player into the situation where they must perform said verb. The extremely stripped-down gameplay has intrigued some game researchers, who have used WarioWare both as a case study in understanding the relationship between rules and play in videogames, [3] and as a target domain for investigating automated game design. [4]
All microgames are strung together in a random order within different "stages", each hosted by a different character. First, the player is presented with a quick one or two word instruction such as "Eat!" or "Rub!" Then, the microgame will appear and the player will have to complete the game according to the instruction.
Microgames usually have only one task to complete. For example, in one microgame the player is told to "Enter!" and is presented with a scene from The Legend of Zelda . The player must use the directional buttons to move Link to a cave entrance before the time runs out. In another microgame, the player is told to "Avoid!" and must drive a car, avoiding oncoming traffic. Most microgames have a sound bite that signifies when the task is completed.
Boss microgames always occur at a set point in a stage. They are usually more challenging than regular microgames, have no time limit (as described below), and give lives back upon completion. If a stage is played for the first time, it is completed after the boss microgame. The sound bite will usually play after the task is fulfilled, and then the score screen will return. On repeated plays, if the player has less than four lives, one will be restored.
Some microgames, most commonly IQ-genre microgames, last twice as long as normal microgames. These microgames usually involve memory or observation puzzles. An example of a double-length microgame is one from Gold, in which the player must find the correct car in a parking lot.
Certain microgames require a complete lack of input to complete. These include a microgame in Twisted! and Gold that instructs "Don't move!" to keep eggs balanced upright, or a Microphone microgame in Touched! and Gold instructing the player to stay quiet as several Fronks cross a tight rope.
The unit of time for all microgames is beats. In Mega Microgames! and Twisted! , a standard microgame is 8 beats, double-length microgames (usually IQ-genre games) last 16 beats; Fronk's microgames in Twisted! and Gold only last 4 beats. In most games, the BPM will start out relatively slow and will increase as the player completes microgames.
In WarioWare: Touched! , the 8-beat standard has been dropped for all microgames, so many last longer than 8 beats. This may be a difficulty curve for those unaccustomed to the Nintendo DS's touch-screen interface. To retain pace, the microgames will automatically end if cleared before a four-beat measure is met.
To show the time left to complete a microgame, a small "bomb" appears at the bottom of the screen. The fuse and a countdown timer show the amount of time left to complete the microgame. When time runs out, the bomb explodes and in most cases, the player loses a life. The fuse burns faster when the BPM increases.
Some microgames are intrinsically harder than others, and an increased BPM (increased speed) will make any microgame more difficult to complete than the same microgame at a slower BPM. This is usually reflected in the microgames' "clear scores"—the score one must reach while playing a microgame in the practice modes to obtain credit for "clearing" it. (Smooth Moves and D.I.Y. lack this feature.)
Each microgame features three difficulty levels: Blue, Yellow and Red. Blue presents the given task in an easier way, while Red presents it in a much harder way. Not all modes of all WarioWare games actually show a color to denote the current level, but most modes start with Blue games, progressing to Yellow upon a "Level Up" (usually achieved after passing a boss microgame), then to Red in similar fashion. Once Red is reached, sequential "Level Up"s will typically be replaced by "Speed Up"s (an increase in BPM).
Using the above The Legend of Zelda microgame as an example, the Blue version of this microgame usually places Link very close to the cave entrance that he must enter. The Yellow version places the entrance further away and places an enemy that blocks Link, and the Red version places the entrance yet further, and has a second enemy that shoots at Link from a lake.
There are two major types of character in the WarioWare series. The first are the WarioWare, Inc. developers, who both create and host the microgames. Each one has a unique theme or twist, depending on the game. For instance, Jimmy T.'s microgames in Twisted! are focused around large spins, while in Touched! his microgames involve rubbing objects with the stylus. The second group of characters often show up within the introduction cut scenes — the most notable being Fronk, who hosts "Pop-Up" microgames in Twisted! and Gold and pops up in the most unlikely of places.
Wario has starred in puzzle games such as Mario & Wario and Wario's Woods (the latter of which he was featured as the main antagonist while Toad took the role as the main hero), as well as crossing over into the Bomberman universe with Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! .
Wario is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl , his default outfit being his motorcyclist outfit as seen in the WarioWare games, although he can also wear his classic overalls. He can transform into Wario-Man after obtaining a Smash Ball. His motorcycle is used as one of his special attacks. [7] Kat and Ana also make appearances as an Assist Trophy. [8] Many stickers also represent WarioWare, Inc. — in addition to all of the above appearing as stickers and trophies, there are stickers of other WarioWare characters. [9] Also, there is a WarioWare stage, named WarioWare, Inc., based on the Variety Tower location from WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! with several different microgames that run in the background, one of which features Jimmy T. Completing the tasks set by the games awards power-ups like invincibility or growth. This stage also features Ashley's Song, Mike's Theme and Mona Pizza's Song as background music. All three are featured in Japanese and English. [10] Wario is once again playable in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, however he now appears as unlockable, instead of being available from the start as in the previous game. The 3DS version retains the WarioWare, Inc. stage from Brawl, while the Wii U version has a stage based on the Gamer sub-game in Game & Wario . Ashley, another character from WarioWare, is also included as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U , and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , and a downloadable Mii costume in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
The Alien Bunnies from Orbulon's stage in Mega Microgame$ make an appearance in Rhythm Tengoku , a game developed by the same team, and also make brief appearances in its sequel, Rhythm Heaven . A later sequel, Rhythm Heaven Megamix features two unlockable challenges called "Wario...Where?" that remix several of the minigames to feature characters from the WarioWare series.
Dr. Mario is a 1990 action puzzle video game produced by Gunpei Yokoi and designed by Takahiro Harada. Nintendo developed and published the game for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy consoles. The game's soundtrack was composed by Hirokazu Tanaka.
Waluigi is a character in the Mario franchise. He plays the role of Luigi's arch-rival and accompanies Wario in spin-offs from the main Mario series, often for the sake of causing mischief and problems. He was created by Camelot employee Fumihide Aoki and is voiced by Charles Martinet, who described Waluigi as someone who has a lot of self-pity and would "cheat to win."
Birdo, known in Japanese as Catherine, is a fictional character in the Mario franchise. Her first appearance was as an enemy in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, which was localized for English-language audiences as Super Mario Bros. 2. Since then, Birdo has been a recurring character in various franchise spin-offs. Initially, she was depicted as an antagonist, but has since been depicted as an ally. Birdo has also made several cameos, particularly in the Mario Kart series and the Japan-only Wii video game Captain Rainbow.
Clu Clu Land is an arcade and Nintendo Entertainment System game released in 1984 in Japan, later released in North America in 1985 as a Nintendo Entertainment System launch title, and in Europe in 1987. It was released for the Wii Virtual Console in North America in 2008 and in Europe and Japan in 2009, for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in Japan in 2013 and in North America and Europe in 2014, and for the Wii U Virtual Console in 2013.
Mario Paint is a video game released in 1992 by Nintendo for use with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is packaged with the Super NES Mouse peripheral. The game was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 and Intelligent Systems.
Hogan's Alley is a 1984 video game by Nintendo. It was one of the first games to use a light gun as an input device. The game presents players with "cardboard cut-outs" of gangsters and innocent civilians. The player must shoot the gangs and spare the innocent people.
WarioWare: Touched! is a minigame compilation video game released by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. The fourth installment of the WarioWare series, and the first of three on the Nintendo DS, the game involves rapidly completing "microgames" — simple minigames lasting extremely short periods of time — as quickly as possible. The microgames are exclusively controlled with the Nintendo DS's touchscreen and microphone.
WarioWare: Twisted! is a puzzle video game for Game Boy Advance by Nintendo. It is the third installment in the WarioWare series. It was released on October 14, 2004 in Japan; on May 19, 2005 in Australia; and on May 23, 2005 in North America.
Color TV-Game is a series of five home dedicated consoles, created by Nintendo and released in Japan only. Nintendo sold three million units of the first four models: one million units of each of the first two models, Color TV-Game 6 and 15; and half a million units of each of the next two models, Block Breaker and Racing 112. The Color TV-Game series has the highest sales figures of the first generation of video game consoles. The systems can run on C batteries or an AC adapter.
Wario: Master of Disguise is a platform game developed by Suzak, and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. The game was released on January 18, 2007 in Japan, and on March 5 in North America. Its Japanese title refers to the fact that he has seven "forms".
WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a party video game developed by Nintendo SPD and Intelligent Systems. The game was published by Nintendo for its Wii video game system in Japan in December 2006, and in Europe, North America, and Australia in January 2007. It was re-released in 2011 in Europe as part of the Nintendo Selects program. It is the fifth game in the WarioWare series of games, and the only game in the series to be released for the Wii. Like its predecessors, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is built around a collection of microgames that last about five seconds each, and which require that the player hold the Wii Remote in specific positions. The game offers the microgames to the player in rapid succession, by first instructing the player to hold the Wii Remote in a specific manner, and then showing them the microgame. The microgames are divided into several stages, each of which loosely connects the microgames with the help of a story.
WarioWare: D.I.Y., known as WarioWare: Do It Yourself in the PAL region, is a mini-game compilation and design video game released for the Nintendo DS in 2009. It is the seventh title in the WarioWare series, after WarioWare: Snapped! It was revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008 and it was released in Japan on April 29, 2009. It was released in 2010 in North America, Europe and Australia respectively and was accompanied by a separate WiiWare title, WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase. The game revolves around the Super MakerMatic 21, a machine that allows players to make microgames, music records and 4-page black-and-white comics.
WarioWare: Snapped! is a minigame compilation developed by Nintendo SPD Group No.1 and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DSi's DSiWare digital distribution service, and is part of the WarioWare series of video games. It is the sixth game in the series. It was released for Nintendo's DSiWare service, which started at the launch of the DSi on April 5, 2009 in North America.
Toad is a fictional character who primarily appears in Nintendo's Mario franchise. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, he is portrayed as a citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom and is one of Princess Peach's most loyal attendants; constantly working on her behalf. He is usually seen as a non-player character (NPC) who provides assistance to Mario and his friends in most games, but there are times when Toad(s) takes center stage and appears as a protagonist, as seen in Super Mario Bros. 2, Wario's Woods, Super Mario 3D World, and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
Game & Wario is a party video game in the WarioWare series developed by Nintendo for the Wii U, named after the series of electronic games known as Game & Watch. It is the eighth game in the WarioWare Series. The game revolves around 16 minigames played using the Wii U GamePad. The game was released in Japan on March 28, 2013, North America on June 23, 2013, Europe on June 28, 2013, and Australia on June 29, 2013.
WarioWare Gold is an action video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The ninth installment in the WarioWare series, it was released in PAL regions in July 2018, and in North America and Japan the following month.