The latest Nintendo Direct showed off a trailer for the upcoming Game & Wario, which sees the WarioWare franchise continue onto Wii U.
Satoru Iwata sat down with the team behind the game during a recent Iwata Asks interview to explore more about how it was developed.
It turns out, the game was originally set to be pre-installed onto the Wii U system at launch and it wasn't even going to be a WarioWare title at all as director Goro Abe revealed:
At first, the idea was to make a game that would come preinstalled on the Wii U console. I became involved in the project when it was already underway, and I began by asking myself what kind of games the Wii U GamePad might make possible.
When I had an idea of the overall direction for the project, I knew that I needed to try these ideas out to see whether or not they would be fun, so I asked Intelligent Systems to work on realizing the ideas I'd had.
It wasn't actually conceived of as being part of the WarioWare series. E3 was approaching, and we began working on something that we could present and which would be easy for people to pick up and play.
That game was known as Pirates and had players use the GamePad as a shield to block a flurry of arrows that fly at the TV screen. However, with it being a pre-installed game the developers didn't want to make it "overly quirky" so as not to alienate consumers.
Our basic premise was that this should be a game that everyone could enjoy. The WarioWare team have always had free reign to come up with all kinds of zany ideas, but we now found that we had to restrain ourselves...
In the Summer of 2011, the team felt they had too many ideas for a simple pre-installed game and so it became a fully-fledged retail release. Of course, this led to them needing a story to house all these mini-games in, but it was proving too time-consuming and suddenly the idea dawned on them that the WarioWare series could be used as a container for these zany mini-games:
We hit upon the idea that Wario and his pals had invented all of these games, and that was what tied them all together.
Because Game & Wario was to be pre-installed onto the Wii U all the mini-games are intended to be played using the GamePad, as those who bought a Wii U may not have the Wii Remotes or Nunchuks.
Game & Wario also comes with extas and bonuses for players to find and collect. Playing mini-games will earn you tokens, which can be put into a capsule dispenser for a little prize, similar to the trophies found in Super Smash Bros. Melee. There are 240 in total to collect so expect to play a lot of mini games if you want them all!
It will also support Miiverse, which will act as a mini-game in itself. In what is known as Miiverse Artwork you get given a selection of four subjects and then you must draw something within a one-minute time limit.
You have no choice but to draw whatever image you've got in your head. Your artwork will then be automatically submitted to the game's community. So, while you'll see all kinds of great images on Miiverse, that community alone could all get a bit chaotic! (laughs)
Game & Wario will be released in North America on 23rd June and in Europe on 28th June. As always, we'd recommend reading the full Iwata Asks interview, which can be found by clicking the link below.
Are you looking forward to Game & Wario? Let us know your thoughts on it in the comment section below.
[source iwataasks.nintendo.com]
Comments (41)
I am somewhat interested in this title, but I am not sure if it's worth the (already lower then usual) price. The fact that it was supposed to be an preinstalled game makes me doubt even more.
This game looks fun but I won't buy it in June. There are other games I want more.
@Smitherenez It was supposed to be preinstalled in the beginning, since then they of course heavily expanded it.
@manu0 Yeah I know, I read the article. But still
I was a bit disappointed when i heard, that it wasnt just the regular "microgame bonanza" and went more for the "micro game within a mini game" route. Im not sure if i will get it at launch either, but i will get it sooner or later.
Too bad. It would have helped sell systems, especially considered its now selling at (presumably) retail price instead.
I'm really getting interested in Game & Wario. I've watched some of the footage for the minigames and they look pretty fun. Plus, it's Wario style. Can't go wrong with that.
When I got my Wii U, Nintendoland was great but this would've been a great addition. The 3DS had so much to offer right out of the box. The Wii U? Not as much.
Maybe they should have went back to the orignial idea of including it in the system.
Wii U really needs all the help it can get if they want people to actually bother picking up this thing.
So many bad decisions lately, Nintendo.
You see, I would've bought a Wii U day one just for that. Still will probably pick it up over freakin' Nintendo Land once I get a Wii U.
I played it at a pre-launch event and it was one of the most interesting things there, but I didn't see it at launch another reason I've waited on WiiU. It's really sad to hear this as it really would have helped sell systems and it's the best use of the Pad that I saw. I'm still baffled why it's taken this long to release it, sad times.
I think maybe I'll pick it up as a gap filler, but I'll just wait for reviews for now. If it's nearly as good aa Nintendo Land for multiplayer, then I'll have to pick it up.
@CanisWolfred Nintendo Land is surprisingly good, you should definitely get it, especially if you plan on playing with friends,
Great features and original minigames that seem to be actually really fun! Hope it's not too expensive, then Day 1 purchase.
@CanisWolfred Hey, Nintendo Land was kickin', don't hate.
I've played quite a few of the Wario-Ware games and while they can be extremely entertaining I'm not sure if it's really worth the money of a full retail game, discounted or not. If the price gets any lower then I'll probably pick it up.
I'm glad they went the full game route. Face Raiders was so fun, but was so short due to being built-in.
You still give it to us for free Nintendo, come on, for the fans.
Wished they could've at least gave us a demo or something, ah well...at least its coming out soon.
That's like admitting that we shouldn't be paying $40 for this badboy. I was already on the fence about this game, now I'm totally unsure. Wario is pretty cool and charming though!
It might have been nicer if they split the games up and offered them separatly on the eShop at different prices, but I will still be buying it anyways because many of the mini-games appeal to me personally.
This game sounds so great, it's too bad not many will buy it. I'm excited for it regardless though.
@pntjr "The 3DS had so much to offer right out of the box"
...It did?
I don't think Nintendo realizes the WarioWare brand is actually a turn-off to some consumers. Isn't there a better way to present these types of games without putting an ugly, evil, moustached man on the cover? I feel like Wario — just the character — is sort of a niche thing that not everyone gets. I remember rolling my eyes when I first heard the name as a kid. It just seemed cheap and unimaginative. (Imagine how I felt when I heard about Waluigi!) But now Wario is an antihero or something, and he has a posse of bizarre and wacky characters to play games with... I guess...? I don't really know, and I'm not interested.
As for the Pirates game... I remember when that was shown off at E3, along with the ninja star game that ended up in NintendoLand. It looked cool. The idea of having it as pre-installed, non-Wario software was a great one. Of course, they had to ruin it.
The guy goes on to talk about how they needed to develop a story to house the mini games... shakes head See, that's what I'm talking about. Too much BS getting in the way of playing games. The WiiU is struggling, and the people in charge are allowing this kind of tomfoolery to go on, rather than getting the core ideas and games out to the public. I've felt for a long time that Nintendo is becoming too conceptual. This just solidifies it for me.
I apologize for the rant. I know I'm just rambling, and I apologize for being negative. This just got under my skin for some reason.
I feel like people are taking it as the whole game was going to be included but they decided to wait and make people pay for it. He just said it started as an small game but they had so many ideas that they made it a full game. I'm not sure if I'd play it a lot but I do like the way it uses the GamePad for some very unique experiences so I'll probably get it.
@edcomics It doesn't make sense but I never minded Wario. But just the concept of Waluigi just infuriates me too. lol.
@Melkaticox: Face Raiderz and those AR Games. (and I think I'm forgetting something else) Yeah it had a lot of nice little games.
So some people are saying like "if this game was there on launch, it would have moved Wii U off the shelves" but now Nintendo can show it off on Best Buy when E3 hits, and release it a few days later, thus (hopefully) moving Wii U off the shelves. I rather have them polishing it and distributing it at stores so people can try before buying. By the holidays this will join other huge games like 3D Mario, Pikmin 3 and the Wonderful 101 if customers are still on the fence.
With that said, I don't think Nintendo is that confident about the concept. There is a reason why this is getting a discount, and I remember how everyone thought Nintendo Land was way too expensive at $60. I will get it anyway, since I love the Warioware games. Thankfully Waluigi is not part of that universe.
If this turns out well it might be one of the first Wii U titles we get. Smooth Moves was an absolute blast.
@skjia @edcomics Actually Waluigi's name makes more sense than Wario's. His name is a combination of the Japanese words "Warui," which means bad, and "Ruīji"; Luigi.
So he's literally "Bad Luigi."
@Austroid Yeah, I read about that a while back. It makes sense in Japanese. A Japanese-language pun pinned onto an Italian name. Someone, I'm sure, is very proud of that. Maybe there's a Wajumpman out there, too.
@CanisWolfred Nintendo Land is very, very good. Every time we sit down to play it with new people they are instantly and intensely engaged. The best part is the longer term sessions in Metroid Blast and Zelda Battle Quest (Pikmin can be pretty good too for this) especially if you can get 3 or 4 people to play regularly.
We keep going back to it. I think it will remain the best intro to Wii U for a long while, actually, even if few realize it.
its the cheap mans nintendo land at same price lol.
Ill likely pick this one up if the price is right and the reviews are positive.
@pntjr: What? When the 3DS came out, I felt like there was less on the table than Wii U's launch. When the 3DS came out, the eShop and Internet Broswer weren't finished, and most games were short or small ports. Heck, like the Wii U, the 3DS was struggling in its beginning months. I think the Wii U had a great launch. No console features held back until after launch, and a pretty strong launch line-up. It just needs a few more games to keep people occupied with the thing. And it looks like Nintendo is trying as hard as it can to secure exclusives, getting publishing rights for Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101, and making a deal with Sega for 3 Nintendo-exclusive Sonic games.
This most likely would have replaced Nintendo Land as a pack in game if that were to have happened. I think it will do well. The price point and features make it pretty worth while for some mini-game arcade type games that you can play and have fun with by yourself for a while, and will be fun with others like Nintendo Land.
The fact that it is Intelligent systems is a selling point for me
It's already confirmed to be $39.99 USD retail.
It should have been a pre-installed game. Should be better than Nintendoland, at least.
The more I learn about this game, the more I want to avoid it.
@iphys
I actually have found it more positive. I think it would be fun to play. I really think it should have gone as a DLC, fractured game route. I think downloading each game for a couple bucks would be worth it.
definitely a day one purchase for me
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