WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$![a] is a party video game for the GameCube. A remake of WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!, and the second installment in the WarioWare series, the game translates the "microgame" gameplay of Mega Microgames! to be playable in a multiplayer environment. It comes with eight special multiplayer modes for up to four players that all involve the known microgames in some way.
| WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games! | |
|---|---|
 North American box art | |
| Developer(s) | Intelligent Systems Nintendo R&D1 |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Goro Abe Osamu Yamauchi |
| Producer(s) | Takehiro Izushi Ryoichi Kitanishi |
| Artist(s) | Ko Takeuchi |
| Composer(s) | Masanobu Matsunaga Kenichi Nishimaki |
| Series | Wario |
| Platform(s) | GameCube |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Party game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
editThe gameplay in Mega Party Games! shares elements with other WarioWare titles, emphasizing quick consecutive minigames for the player to complete (dubbed by the game as "microgames"); it includes all of the microgames from the original WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!.[1] However, the game places a heavier emphasis on multiplayer than other series entries. In addition to a basic single-player mode, the game features several multiplayer variations, each of which has utilizes the microgames in different ways. Some of these include "Survival Fever", in which players are eliminated after failing three microgames; "Balloon Bang" in which players attempt to not be actively playing a microgame when a balloon inflated by the other players bursts; "Listen to the Doctor", in which players must perform a given action while completing a microgame and are rated by their opponents; and "Wobbly Bobbly", in which players must keep a stack of turtles balanced, with another turtle being added after each microgame.[2][3]
Development
editThe game was developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo Research & Development 1, and published worldwide by Nintendo in October 2003 in Japan, and a year later in April for North America and in September for Europe.[4][5][6][7] The game was produced by Takehiro Izushi and Ryoichi Kitanishi, directed by Goro Abe and Osamu Yamauchi and composed by Masanobu Matsunaga and Kenichi Nishimaki.[8]
Reception
editMega Party Games! received generally favorable reviews upon release, with reviewers commonly citing the game's multiplayer appeal as a positive, but its copied material from Mega Microgames! as a negative.[9] GameRankings gave the game an aggregated score of 77% based on 53 reviews.[10] The game is the first in the series to introduce a focus of multiplayer, a theme that would not be re-visited by the series until the console sequel WarioWare: Smooth Moves on the Wii in 2006.[11] During the 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games! received a nomination for "Console Family Game of the Year" by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.[12]
Notes
edit- ^ Known in Japan as Atsumare!! Made in Wario (あつまれ!!メイド イン ワリオ, literally Gather!! Made in Wario), stylized as WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!
References
edit- ^ a b Arushan, Zosha (May 2, 2004). "Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Party Game$ Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
- ^ a b Reilly, Luke (April 5, 2004). "Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Party Game$ Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
- ^ a b Reed, Kristan (July 5, 2004). "Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Party Game$". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
- ^ "Japanese game update". GameSpot. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Slew of new Nintendo info". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ IGN Staff (May 1, 2004). "Game of the Month: April 2004". IGN. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Budget priced Wario Ware Cube dated". Eurogamer.net. June 22, 2004. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ Intelligent Systems; Nintendo Research & Development 1 (October 17, 2003). WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games! (GameCube). Nintendo. Level/area: Credits.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "WarioWare, Inc: Mega Party Game$ for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
- ^ a b "WarioWare Inc.: Mega Party Games Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on September 18, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ Bozon, Mark (January 12, 2007). "WarioWare: Smooth Moves Review". IGN. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "2005 Awards Category Details Console Family Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (April 5, 2004). "WarioWare Inc.: Mega Party Game$ Review". GameSpot. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Bryn (April 5, 2004). "WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$". GameSpy. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
