subject: WarioWare D.I.Y. DSi Game Review - Download WarioWare D.I.Y. For Free! [print this page]
It's obvious by now that the WarioWare series is Nintendo's license to let its game designers run wild with a very loose leash. I mean, come on, games where you poke someone's eyes out, or pluck boogers out of a nose? The untethered creativity has been something the WarioWare franchise has always embraced, from the GBA original to the DS and Wii follow-ups, and WarioWare D.I.Y. is pretty much the company handing over that creative license to the gamer.
This is an incredibly engaging experience that puts huge emphasis on user-generated content: you have access to a rich set of tools to create microgames on the same level as you've seen in previous WarioWare games. There's a little bit of everything in D.I.Y.: programming, drawing, and music composing, all done in a way that's amazingly accessible to anyone's skill levels.
WarioWare D.I.Y. is essentially this generation's version of Mario Paint. Many Nintendo fans hold the Super NES title in such high regard, so it's baffling Nintendo's gone so long without reviving that mouse-driven art title on the mouse friendly Nintendo DS or Wii. WarioWare D.I.Y. encapsulates all the creative tools of Mario Paint and reproduces them in a versatile game creator. You can animate game sprites and paint full backgrounds as well as create a short musical tune or stitch together a longer song. But most importantly, you're using those assets in game creation: you're building the same style of challenges that have been seen in previous WarioWare titles.
This is truly Mario Paint for the Nintendo DS generation. Don't get WarioWare D.I.Y. if you're just interested in playing through the next batch of microgames from Nintendo; get it to show off that you have what it takes to do what Nintendo does.
I love WarioWare D.I.Y. as a creative outlet: game builders have been around since the '80s but this is the first time I found myself truly engrossed in the process of building a game from scratch because of how simple yet powerful it is. Sure, when all is said and done there's not much to a five to 10-second "tap the screen" mini-game, but the fact that you can get something up and running and working in a short amount of time definitely fuels that sense of satisfaction and instant gratification.
WarioWare D.I.Y. DSi Game Review - Download WarioWare D.I.Y. For Free!
