30th May 2005, 10:25 AM
Continuing in the increasinlgly more popular WarioWare franchise comes this, the first must-have game for the DS. Fans of any previous WW game will be right at home. The game's simple yet maddening gameplay is just what you need for those few minutes on the bus in the morning, or whittling away the hours trying to unlock and defeat every microgame.
<b>Sound</b>
Sound and music comes through crisp and clear on the DS' sual speakers, and everything fits well. The music, what there is of it, is so short during the microgame that you barely notice it, but it does play during some characters stages (Ashley, for instance, has a song about her that plays all through her stage). Sound effects don't blow you away, but the occasional explosions or bowling pin clatter sound good, especially in situations where they're not necessary.
<b>Graphics</b>
Graphics on the microgames can range from the simplest 2D Game & Watch screens to some that have N64-like quality. It's difficult to rate this game on graphics because it's obviously not trying to impress with them. Graphics are functional, that's about all you can say about them. Before and after each characters stage, you get to watch a short cartoon with them as well. As I said, nothing spectacular, but you didn't buy WarioWare for it's graphics, you bought it for it's...
<b>Gameplay</b>
Oh yeah, here's where the game delivers. As every WW title before it, this game shines through on it's gameplay. On the main screen you have many characters and levels to choose from, and in each stage you get 3-5 second long microgames thrown at you in rapid succession until you lose 4 microgames. (or more if you manage to get 1ups from boss games). The microgames almost all make use of the touch screen and stylus, though some require you to blow into the DS microphone as well. The games are varied, and mostly broken up by character into basic categories. Kat and Ana's stage requires mostly scribbling, Ashleys require you to drag something on the screen somewhere else, and good old Wario,you never know what he might throw at you.
Varied and fun as the games may be, and though the game does not fall short on the number of microgames it has, the diversity of how you achieve them is the games weak point. Most of the time the games can feel repetitive, especially in Mike's level, where you must simply blow on the microphone for nearly every microgame. Most of the other levels simply require you to circle things, scribble, draw, or other such tasks. Though the game is fun, a tad more variety in it's microgames would have been welcome.
My final verdict? Touched! is a great addition to the WarioWare franchise and makes good use of the DS technology, but if a sequel is made, it could be better with more variety in the game. It also suffers from the shortness of it's predecessors, but the sheer replayability of the game almost negates this. Beyond that, this game is just as perfect as any other WW title before it. I rate the game 8.0.
<b>Sound</b>
Sound and music comes through crisp and clear on the DS' sual speakers, and everything fits well. The music, what there is of it, is so short during the microgame that you barely notice it, but it does play during some characters stages (Ashley, for instance, has a song about her that plays all through her stage). Sound effects don't blow you away, but the occasional explosions or bowling pin clatter sound good, especially in situations where they're not necessary.
<b>Graphics</b>
Graphics on the microgames can range from the simplest 2D Game & Watch screens to some that have N64-like quality. It's difficult to rate this game on graphics because it's obviously not trying to impress with them. Graphics are functional, that's about all you can say about them. Before and after each characters stage, you get to watch a short cartoon with them as well. As I said, nothing spectacular, but you didn't buy WarioWare for it's graphics, you bought it for it's...
<b>Gameplay</b>
Oh yeah, here's where the game delivers. As every WW title before it, this game shines through on it's gameplay. On the main screen you have many characters and levels to choose from, and in each stage you get 3-5 second long microgames thrown at you in rapid succession until you lose 4 microgames. (or more if you manage to get 1ups from boss games). The microgames almost all make use of the touch screen and stylus, though some require you to blow into the DS microphone as well. The games are varied, and mostly broken up by character into basic categories. Kat and Ana's stage requires mostly scribbling, Ashleys require you to drag something on the screen somewhere else, and good old Wario,you never know what he might throw at you.
Varied and fun as the games may be, and though the game does not fall short on the number of microgames it has, the diversity of how you achieve them is the games weak point. Most of the time the games can feel repetitive, especially in Mike's level, where you must simply blow on the microphone for nearly every microgame. Most of the other levels simply require you to circle things, scribble, draw, or other such tasks. Though the game is fun, a tad more variety in it's microgames would have been welcome.
My final verdict? Touched! is a great addition to the WarioWare franchise and makes good use of the DS technology, but if a sequel is made, it could be better with more variety in the game. It also suffers from the shortness of it's predecessors, but the sheer replayability of the game almost negates this. Beyond that, this game is just as perfect as any other WW title before it. I rate the game 8.0.