NWR - The third game in the Wario Land series makes some big design changes to the formula, but thankfully retains the quirky style and addictive gameplay that makes Wario king of the Game Boy. Continuing in the trend from Wario Land II, our portly protagonist is completely immortal in this game, and enemy attacks will transform him into various forms, including a few new ones. He can be squished flat, turned invisible, transformed into a zombie or vampire, the list goes on – each form has its own unique abilities and its own unique set of “weaknesses” that revert Wario to his regular self, that you must either use or avoid creatively to solve the puzzles in each level. Even with a reused Wario sprite from the last game, the animation has had a significant upgrade and Wario has plenty of quirky little poses and humorous reactions.
Alex S. from Link-Cable writes: "With the recent release of WarioWare: Gold Nintendo has shown that they still have a soft space in their hearts for their gassiest of characters, but there was a time where Wario was known for things entirely unrelated to micro-games and denim jackets."
“The game released to mostly positive reviews with many praising its return to form gameplay and the gorgeous hand-drawn graphics however it was a flop at retail, selling 1.15 million copies on a system where Nintendo platformers where constantly smash hits (New Super Mario Bros. Wii moved 28.50 million copies).”
New Super Mario Bros Wii should in no way be listed as the standard by which all platformers should be able to sell. Wario Land: Shake It sold about on par with Kirby’s Return to Dreamland & Sonic Colors people regard those titles as commercial successes.
Also if you think Wario Land: Shake It flopped in sales, you must think most titles in the Metroid series are commercial flops.
I really want to see another entry in the series. I was hooked on it since GB & bought a VB just for it. The change in direction was ok but theres nothing like eating garlic to grow and smash enemies while being a greedy pig.
Did you know gaming:
In this episode we take a look at some facts, secrets, and history of Wario. Wario first appeared on the Nintendo Game Boy with Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist. Originally portrayed as an exaggerated version of Mario, his name is a portmanteau of Mario's name and the Japanese word warui , meaning "bad". Wario was first designed by Hiroji Kiyotake, and is voiced by Charles Martinet, who also voices many other characters in the series. Wario later became the protagonist of the Wario Land and WarioWare series.
It's a new week, so there's a new episode of Nintendo Power Hour! Lucy is on holiday, but Lou and Aaron met up anyway to discuss Freedom Planet, Splatoon news, and other interesting items from the world of Nintendo. The podcast closes with a spoiler-free discussion of why Wario Land 3 is an under-appreciated classic.
