It's a Wii, Wario!

January 22, 2007 4:37 PM

I want to host an awesome and inclusive Wario-Ware Tournament/Party.

I recently bought Wario Ware: Smooth Moves for the Wii, and I am really excited about having a crazy-fun tournament night where married couples will enjoy themselves.

I want everyone invited to have an equally fun time, even if they don't like video games all that much. Any ideas, from those who know anything about the game, how to organize it and what sort of game modes or events I should include? Should I do the bracket system or some sort of elaborate point system, or a hybrid of both?

Also welcome are ideas for luring skeptics who may balk at the idea of a party based around a video game.

posted by superbird to sports, hobbies, & recreation (11 comments total)

I've read enough about the game (and am a Wii owner) to have an idea...

If you want people who don't enjoy video games to have fun, my recommendation would be to avoid anything like brackets, point systems etc.

The whole idea of the game is that it's supposed to be insanely easy to figure out and accessible to anyone. Why not just play the regular game as it stands and let the competitive aspect come naturally through the game?

After a quick game where everyone has gotten acquainted, nature will probably take its course and separate you into gender or couple based teams anyhow for the second go-around.
posted by twiggy at 4:43 PM on January 22, 2007

I just had a Warioware party! It was hugely popular amongst my three other guests! ;) I also made a whole bunch of mini food to accompany the mini games.

Please keep in mind that you have to unlock the multiplayer mode by playing a bunch of the regular levels in single player mode.

I found the multiplayer mode to be relatively disappointing. You only need one wii-mote (and one nunchuk) to play all the different levels. This FAQ should help you get an idea about the multiplayer options.

If you have a big enough party, a bracket system might be entertaining after some acclimitization. (People will need to learn how to do the forms!)
posted by santojulieta at 4:51 PM on January 22, 2007

I'll chip in as much because I want to bookmark this discussion as any other reason. Anyway, here are some thoughts:

* Be careful with any games that can knock people out "early" then continue on with the remaining players for any length of time. I played a four-player skateboarding game on New Year's Eve and it would quickly sideline some players then leave them bored while the remaining one or two completed the course.

* Be watchful for people that are really not enjoying themselves. I made the mistake of starting up Wii Bowling when there were six people around. Two people got excluded, bored, tired and wanted to go home -- and they took another player with them.

Group size is very important in this sort of event. Anything up to and including six people really needs to be handled with one game. Seven is messy. Eight should be able to be split into two lots of four without anyone feeling like they got the second-rate activity. Higher numbers tend to split fairly naturally -- or stay as one group if the activity supports it.

Finally, note that Wario Ware is not a universally popular game. I'm an avid gamer (video, card, board, strategy, whatever) and I think it's a stupid game. It sounds like you're expecting that people will want to try the game as something new. Make sure no one's already played it and decided it sucks, as they're going to have a miserable time if there isn't something else on offer. (I have this problem with one friend and Bomberman and another friend and any racing game.)
posted by krisjohn at 4:57 PM on January 22, 2007

This seems like a no-brainer, but I'd vote that you play Wii Sports as well. I've had a lot of gatherings over at my place since I got my Wii and no matter what we are doing that night, we always manage to squeeze in a lil Wii Sports and it is always a huge hit.

Bowling+Tennis+Drinks=Awesome fun!
posted by Diskeater at 5:05 PM on January 22, 2007

I have a Wii and Wario Ware as well. I love Warioware in general, but I really don't like the generic multiplayer in the Wii version. The multiplayer Bungee Buddy thing is fun, but where you play the minigames against each other is definitely meh.

First off, you have to pass the controller, *and you have to go as fast as possible while passing*. It seems to me that Warioware + multiplayer == broken wiimotes / tvs.

I think its more fun to have one person take over for a few rounds, and then have another person take a few rounds, and go around the room that way.

Plus, Wii Sports is a great addition.
posted by adamwolf at 5:24 PM on January 22, 2007

Add me to the list of people disappointed in the Smooth Moves multiplayer. The five of us didn't realize you had to unlock multiplayer (side note: if you advertise the product as a party game, maybe you want to, I don't know, not make people UNLOCK the very thing they're looking for?) but we ended up having way more fun passing the remote around every level (or every failure, and there were plenty of those). I would recommend you do that, except that the single-player game isn't very long—I think it took us only a couple of hours to unlock multiplayer in the end.

Warioware's appeal doesn't seem to be the competitive aspect, but rather watching people do silly things with the remote when it's their turn. I wouldn't bother with any complicated bracket schemes or whatever. In fact, if you're really keen on making it a competition, I'd say forget the main Warioware game altogether and play the darts minigame you get once you unlock multiplayer—it's hella fun and surprisingly robust.
posted by chrominance at 8:46 PM on January 22, 2007

I've finished Smooth Moves (I think... do you get anything for completing the credits?) and I've done Wario Ware rounds at large tournaments, and I agree that you shouldn't really try to structure the evening so much as to do brackets or multiple rounds. A small tournment is actually less likely to get reluctant players involved; instead it adds some intimidation factor.

I'd just let people mess around and take turns, try out the multiplayer modes for what they're worth at their leisure (lifeline is pretty cool, I think).

I think if interest starts to wane and you want to get the excitement back up, you should do some high-score contests in some of the expanded minigames. A high-score contest in Paddle Tower would be absolutely awesome... you could do total of three runs for each player if you want, but not in a row... makes the end exciting as the last player knows how much they have to score to win.

The tortoise and hare thing would also be fun, but it takes a boring time to get going. Again, the can shot thing would also be great for high score contests, but let's just say if you haven't completed all the minigames yet, and have time to do it before your party, DO IT.

The reward for doing so is absolutely the most awesome thing in a game full of awesome things, and would be an absolute blast for a high score contest.
posted by ulotrichous at 9:42 PM on January 22, 2007

The main issue when playing WarioWare multiplayer is the skill level of those involved. WarioWare has a huge bank of positions for the Wiimote to be held in, which can be hard enough to remember and apply in the regular game. If you're introducing guests to it for the first time, they're going to clash with those who've played the game through and recognise the correct stances, methodology of completion and so on.

As others have mentioned, as you're forced to use only one Wiimote there's very little time to slip on and tighten the wrist strap in the correct manner. Since the game involves a portion where you must actually drop the Wiimote out of your hand I don't doubt that some enthusiastic player has ended up on wiihaveaproblem.com. Be careful.
posted by hugsnkisses at 4:49 AM on January 23, 2007

We just did this last Friday night.

As others have said...
- unlock the multiplayer (and single player levels / mini games). Do this by playing the single player until you beat the Tiny Wario level and see the game credits...

- then, make everyone play the dancing mini game at least once. It is the boss level on the tiny wario stage. Once it's beaten, you can play it at any time through the Temple of Form. Best mini game evar!

We had a blast with the angel multiplayer game. IT can support up to 12 players but unfortunately, it involves the rapid passing and the elimination of players, but it was a drunken blast. As long as no one takes it seriously and the experienced players help out the newbie's, it's all good.

About the noob's... Either let them play the first single player level or just be ready with the advice. "Smack him! Pull it straight back! wave it around!!!". The idea is to foster an environment where everyone is having fun together, instead of competing against each other. No tournament stucture. No "winnar".

Once everyone gets bored, break out the Wii Sports... and maybe have a side game handy for those who have to sit out a round.

Also, encourage two player Wii boxing. Hilarious as a spectator sport.
posted by utsutsu at 8:24 AM on January 23, 2007 [1 favorite]

My suggestion would be to have plentiful napkins, or personal cloth handkerchiefs if you plan to eat/play Wii.

Passing around the wiimote combined with finger foods could make for a very dirty wiimote, blech.
posted by Durhey at 10:30 AM on January 23, 2007

We had a wario multiplayer party sunday night. At one point there were eleven of us playing and, although I can't speak for everyone, it was a big hit for the most part. Bored and uninterested parties generally weeded themselves out and either played for a bit and quit or just didn't play at all, leaving only people who actually wanted to play.

Way fun, although beware: the more drinks served, the more likelihood the wiimote is going to get dropped. Might want to invest in one of those rubber protector dealies.
posted by hypocritical ross at 2:20 PM on January 23, 2007