Reviews// Warioware D.I.Y.

Well, it certainly tries, but it’s far from perfect. It has been designed as more a tool than a game. If you’re a fan of the series, you have come to expect a huge range of mini-games for you to throw yourself into. D.I.Y. disappoints on that level as there are only around 90 on the cart (as opposed to over 200 in the original game). While some are entirely new, many are rehashes of older games which, to be honest, feels like a bit of a con.

There's a whole selection of extra games to download from the Nintendo site. You can also regularly grab more from the dedicated Wii Channel. But if you don’t have those options for connectivity you’re stuck with this limited number of games. A bit of a poor show, especially considering that not everyone has a Wii to hand.

Of course though, the main focus is the D.I.Y. aspect. Making your own mini-games and uploading them for others to play is why most people will be buying this title. Even this, however, is a double-edged sword.

While the game creation interface and tools are actually very well designed and incredibly easy to use, the software falls down by only offering a rather limited range of actions that you can perform. Most of your games can only be controlled by tapping the screen.

In fact, the already small number of different interactions on offer in the old Touched game has been neutered even further. However, I really think I’m being harsh to D.I.Y..

I gave my DS to a couple of the kids I teach for half an hour and they had an absolute ball, ending up making a simple whack-a-mole style game involving badgers. While it was far from complex, it gave them a real sense of achievement – they’d made their own computer game and they were proud of it. For me though? It left me cold and dissatisfied, the ideas I wanted to see there on the screen were just shadows of the ones in my imagination.

Conclusion

I can see what Nintendo is trying to do with WarioWare D.I.Y. but - and this is really hard for me to say because I loved that first game – this just isn't for me. I think the little tolerance I had for Wario has finally gone. Instead of something fun I got little more than frustration and annoyance. The joke just isn't funny any more, it's been worn thin through overuse and the same-old, same-old. Perhaps if the D.I.Y. aspect had a bit more range, a little more variety there'd be more appeal. For now though, I think it's time to retire the series. But do you really think that Nintendo will do that? I don't. And that's a damn shame, because when I remember how much fun I had with that GBA title in Australia I lose just a little more faith in Nintendo. I'm going to leave this one for the kids in school. I've just... moved on.

SPOnG Score: 60%