WarioWare D.I.Y.

[Metal Mario]

Nintendo has announced a March 28 release date for WarioWare D.I.Y. in North America. Since it's coming up (it'll be the next Mario Universe game to be released), this can be the official thread in which to discuss it and share news, previews, and other stuff.

Today, Nintendo World Report posted some new screenshots from the upcoming DS game. Click here to check 'em out.

[Antisocial]

I'm really interested to see how the editor will pan out.

You can apparently make your own music and graphics.

[Luigiman7]

I am so getting this. WarioWare is always fun.

[Metal Mario]

New screens, dawgs.

[Valigarmander]

WarioWare DIY Preview for the Nintendo DS from 1UP.com

Making games is hard. Computer languages take years to master, and no one person can realistically create their own title from scratch anymore. Well, unless they're Jonathan Mak. But Nintendo seems set to change that with its next WarioWare game, WarioWare D.I.Y.

At the Nintendo Media Summit, the company showed off the game, and walked me through the stage making process. Unlike, say, LittleBigPlanet, the crux of DIY lies in its creation tools. They aren't just an addition for people who want to dig further into the game -- they are the game. But Nintendo obviously learned some lessons from Sony's creative playground: The tutorials (and there are a lot of them) gently introduce you to all the concepts that make-up a WarioWare "micro game." From simple, "when this object touches another object, you win" to, "When you tap this object, it start swinging in an arc and allows you to stick a finger in a nose." If you've seen it in a WarioWare game already, you can recreate it in DIY.

You won't be using DIY to create your own RPG epic, or to recreate a scene from Schindler's List, but the stylus control does give you the artistic freedom to create your own unique, in-game objects. Individually, each object can have four frames of animation; but through clever use of the games rules, you can overcome that and create even more elaborate interactions. Each game still won't last more than a few seconds, but within those parameters, I imagine that creative folk will be able to make some surprisingly deep content.

DIY also includes a relatively robust music studio. It's no KORG DS-10, but it does seem like you'll be able to throw together some pretty elaborate compositions. You're limited to four independent melody tracks and one rhythm track at a time; however, since it's a first-party Nintendo game, DIY comes preloaded with plenty of Nintendo textures and sounds. Even if you don't want to create your own stuff, there's plenty of quality, familiar content for you to work with.

But despite the name, it's not all literally "do it yourself." There are dozens of games already included on the cart, to help boost your creativity on a bit. And you can share content with your friends either wirelessly or via a "soon to be released" WarioWare DIY channel on Wii. Though to avoid any copyright entanglements (and to keep kids from inadvertently downloading someone's self-made Sperm Racer 2, you can't post your creations for just anyone to download. All the content will be limited to people you've shared your friend code with.

DIY is probably not going to be a game for everybody, but it provides a lot of interesting ideas, and seems like it will put some real power behind any creative motives you might harbor. If you ever played WarioWare and thought, "I could make this better," than you should be pretty excited to try out DIY when it releases on March 28.

This actually sounds pretty cool. Check the link for pics. Also, here's the trailer from the summit.

WarioWare DIY Nintendo Media Summit 2010 Trailer Video from GameVideos

[Jere]

Ok new game to my must have list.

1. pokemon soul silver
2. Modern warefare 2
3. THIS

[Metal Mario]

Yup, I'll be picking this up at my local Gamestop. And that'll be the perfect time to put in my pre-orders for Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M as well.

[Antisocial]

Originally Posted by Erasure

I am so getting this. WarioWare is always fun.

wat

I don't remember thanking this post.

But I'll leave it up anyway, because I do find Warioware oodles of fun.

[Metal Mario]

^I hacked your profile, signed in under your name, and thanked the post using the identity I stole from you.

When I buy my copy of WarioWare DIY, it's going to be with your credit card.

[X-3]

It was the perfect crime. Close to it, anyway.

[Antisocial]

^^

YOU BASTARD

[Valigarmander]

^^ Luckily for us, he didn't realize that the microphone was on the whole time!

[Luigiman7]

SUE SUE SUE

WE HAVE INTERNET PROOF

[Metal Mario]

And just for anyone who doesn't know:

On the same day as this game is released, Nintendo is also releasing a downloadable WiiWare game called WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase. Not only does this allow you to play your microgames on your TV and with other people, but it also comes loaded with 72 additional microgames created by Nintendo. So basically it's like a whole 'nother WarioWare game. I've got a Wii Points card from Christmas, so I'll definitely be downloading that.

And here's a little something I just found at Nintendo World Report.

The foundation of WarioWare D.I.Y. is based on user-generated content, and not only will gamers everywhere be adding to the downloadable collection (as long as they're approved by Nintendo), but so will Nintendo luminaries such as Shigeru Miyamoto, Satoru Iwata, Yoshio Sakamoto, and Masahiro Sakurai.

The feature, dubbed Big Name Games, will also extend to other parts of the game industry as well. Media, including Nintendo World Report, are able to create and submit games to be a part of the downloadable content.

On top of all that, five manga artists are creating downloadable comic strips for the game.

[Metal Mario]

Nintendo World Report - News Article: Nintendo Announces Special Wario Ware D.I.Y Developers

Players will be able to download creations from the minds behind Cave Story and Bit.Trip on Wario Ware D.I.Y.

Nintendo has announced more developers that will be creating downloadable Micro Games for Wario Ware D.I.Y. In addition to the already confirmed creations of Nintendo's own Yoshio Sakamoto, Shigeru Miyamoto, Satoru Iwata, and Masahiro Sakurai, there will also be games made by Studio Pixel (Cave Story), Team Meat (Super Meat Boy), Gaijin Games (Bit.Trip series), WayForward (A Boy and his Blob on Wii), and 5th Cell (Scribblenauts).

All games will be found under the "Big Name Games" label and will be available for download for free from March 12 till July 26.

[Metal Mario]

And here's a link to some video tutorials that should give you a clearer idea of what WarioWare D.I.Y. is like.

[Metal Mario]

It hits stores today, folks. Go and get some.

[Loot]

Picked it up right after I got off of work. Will play soon, but first I need my Emblems of Frost...

[Metal Mario]

Okay, well, I've spent the past couple of hours learning how to make microgames. The tutorials took a while, so I haven't actually done anything completely on my own yet. The process seems a little complex and the tutorials gave me a sinus headache, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it shortly. I'll post more impressions later.

[Metal Mario]

Here's a review from 1up.

WarioWare D.I.Y. is probably the purest case you'll ever witness of Nintendo being, well, Nintendo. D.I.Y. takes an intrinsically complex concept and makes it simple and accessible. In the process, it also employs the grammar of videogames to transform an unstructured toolbox for user expression into something that strongly resembles a game...even though, in all honesty, D.I.Y. better fits under the more general banner of "software."

As such, it merits a word of caution: What you take away from WarioWare D.I.Y. is completely proportionate to what you invest into it. If all you want is a collection of quick, amusing microgames in the traditional WarioWare fashion, prepare to be disappointed; D.I.Y. contains less than 100 microgames, which isn't really all that many more than were included in WarioWare Snapped! -- an inexpensive, downloadable DSiWare title. Granted, D.I.Y. does ship on a special high-capacity cartridge that offers room for something like 90 more minigames, but even so it's hardly the meatiest chapter in the series.

But D.I.Y. wasn't intended to be a standalone WarioWare sequel. The included microgames aren't the point. Rather, they're a guide, and a chance to learn by example. The real meat of D.I.Y. is the element referred to in the title: A chance to do it yourself and create your own Wario microgames.

Now, this is hardly a full-scale game creation suite. No one is going to create their own Zelda-killer or unofficial Metroid sequel with this package. D.I.Y. is, after all, a WarioWare product, and that means it simply grants you the power to create your own WarioWare-style microgames. And even then, there are some pretty severe limitations.

Yet despite these drawbacks and caveats, D.I.Y. is genuinely incredible. Players (or rather, creators) are given access to a studio in which they can assemble their own microgames from scratch. It's about one step removed from bare-ass-naked programming, dependent on building scripts and objects and relationships and event flags and even assembling your own graphics and music, but Nintendo has managed to make it feel whimsical and unintimidating despite the innate complexity of the process of game creation. The game's lengthy tutorial -- about two hours of mandatory learning, plus an equal amount of optional expert techniques to be explored in the "dojo" -- plays a big part in this, wisely using Wario as a dim-witted foil to the lector in order to avoid the sensation that the game is talking down to the you.

But just as important is Nintendo's clever interface design, which is equal parts functional and whimsical. The game development process is organized into a handful of tabs. The process begins with creating the in-game objects under the Graphics tab, then using the Assembly tab to define their behaviors and interactions. The tool system offers an ocean of icons to wade through, but many of them are contextual and only appear when needed. And while the icons are functional and effective, many of them are infused with WarioWare-style whimsy. The undo function, for instance, is represented a tiny time-traveler who proclaims "I've just undone your last action!" when tapped. Players scroll through action scripts by clicking and dragging on a tiny ninja who hangs suspended in front of a literal paper scroll that unfurls as you move him downward. The game doesn't go overboard with these little embellishments -- most icons are far more functional -- but there are just enough of them to add a little flavor to the package, and (more to the point) help make certain key functions more memorable.

The game creation tools do have some maddening limits, unfortunately. Player interaction is more or less limited to simple tapping with the stylus, and my very first project was quickly derailed by this limitation. My original intention was to make the player drag a pair of rabbit ears along an arc in order to tune a TV, but this was impossible; you simply can't incorporate dragging into your games. Unfortunately, I didn't fully realize this until after I'd already put together the artwork, so I was forced to improvise. The final result wasn't nearly as interesting as I'd intended -- now players tune the TV by tapping on the barely-visible tips of the rabbit ears to make them rise to full antenna height -- but on the other hand, it does mean that D.I.Y. offers enough flexibility to make it possible to salvage a project gone awry by applying a touch of ingenuity.

A more crucial limitation is the game's utter lack of DSi integration. Given that the game is launching simultaneously with the DSi XL -- and in fact seems like a marquee title for the system, since its editing suite is far easier to use with the larger screens -- you'd think it would be a key opportunity to make use of the system's unique features, such as its camera. But no, you can't snap photos to use in your D.I.Y. creations. And so far as I can tell, it's not even possible to import images from an SD card. You can import preexisting art from the built-in microgames, but while that's a handy shortcut it's terribly weak as far as personalization goes.

These are definitely flaws, but to Nintendo's credit, WarioWare succeeds in the most important area: sharing. D.I.Y. is basically an expanded version of Mario Paint, offering remarkably similar art and music editing interfaces, then upping the ante by adding a purpose to these abilities (namely, creating your own mini-videogames). I always liked the idea of Mario Paint, but I never saw the point of it; launched in the days before easy video capture and online sharing via YouTube, Mario Paint creations were built for an audience of one, ephemeral and quickly forgotten. Why bother? But D.I.Y. provides not only a purpose for all that goofy art and ear-piercing music, but also a centralized online repository for those creations as well. As with all user-created content, finding the gems will require sifting through a river of crap -- but still, at least you can take comfort in knowing that the hours you pour into your creations have the potential to find an audience of more than just your mom.

WarioWare D.I.Y. is one of those games that frankly defies scores, and in fact I strongly encourage you to ignore the rating I put at the top. D.I.Y. isn't nearly as flexible as it could be, which means it does fall fairly short of its full potential, so, whatever -- B+. Yet despite the package's internal shortcomings, Nintendo has created a potent tool for expression here. Creativity often thrives under the most severe limitations, and those who relish the opportunity to entertain others (or even just themselves) in videogame form will love WarioWare D.I.Y. It provides a detailed yet streamlined mechanism for creativity, meaning the challenge is in coming up with creative ideas rather than wrestling with the interface. It's destined to appeal to a niche audience...but if you belong to that niche, you're likely to spend more time with D.I.Y. than with any other game this year.