Talk about dividing opinion. As we type these words, Metacritic features just ten reviews of Wario Land: Shake It!, yet already the top and bottom scores are separated by a yawning gulf of 30%. Two things most critics seem to agree on: Shake It! is beautiful, and Shake It! is short. The rest is clearly up for debate:
- IGN (84%) published one of the warmest reviews to date: "It's got its share of modest shortcomings. It's not very innovative -- you've seen all this before in other platformers. The lack of a proper widescreen mode is downright annoying. And the core game is over a little too quickly for my liking. But, you know, it's still a really fun experience thanks to excellent control and fantastic level designs, not to mention a beautiful visual presentation."
- Eurogamer (70%) noted that the title didn't measure up to Nintendo's rich tapestry of platform games: "A game which is good, but not great, and certainly not up to the standard of Nintendo's best 2D platformers."
- GamePro (80%) mentions the "c" word, as dreaded by most blog-reading types: "Despite its simplistic gameplay, the game is still worth playing, especially for the casual Wii gamer. It's fun, it's simple and it's charming, which pretty much describes most Wii games that hit big with that audience."
- Finally, Jeremy Parish of 1UP (58%) heaped scorn on the mustache-twirler's return: "Shake It!'s failure to innovate is particularly infuriating, because it'll only serve to confirm in most people's minds the notion that 2D graphics are synonymous with dated, uninspired game design [...] the staleness of this game's action has nothing to do with the visuals and everything to do with the fact that the dizzyingly imaginative designers who helped make those earlier titles so memorable have moved along to the WarioWare and Rhythm Heaven series."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-23-2008 @ 8:04PM
buttle said...
man alive,
i'm tired of 1ups scores being switched to numbers on meta reviews. 1up gave the game a C+. any meta review should at least make a note of it. they did not give it a 58 out of 100.
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9-23-2008 @ 8:38PM
Beau said...
can someone tell me if this game is truly worth it? These reviews give me mixed feelings.
I'm looking for a new adventure game to add to my collection, but I don't want one that I'll finish in a fortnight.
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9-23-2008 @ 9:11PM
Mr Khan said...
The man with the avatar taken from a screencap of the opening movie for Shake It! tells you that it is definitely a game you have to experience. However, if you play through games at a faster rate than i do (likely), it's preferable that you rent it
9-23-2008 @ 11:34PM
vidGuy said...
It seems like a game that would be worth $20-$30 in a year.
9-23-2008 @ 8:48PM
Dante G said...
I'd wait for a price drop, but since those have been almost non existent for Nintendo titles I think I'll never get it.
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9-23-2008 @ 9:18PM
Mr Khan said...
My take: It meets my expectations, though its a different experience. The timer puts a more action-y spin on it, though it still has the sort of puzzle-solving treasure hunting that made the Wario Lands great. The shaking adds a the tactile feel of Wario well, since playing Wario was always like controlling some sort of manic monster anyway
The 4:3 isn't as bad as i imagined. I imagined letterboxing that consumed about 1/3 of the screen, while this really only takes up about 1/8th. The animation is lovely, though the jumping feels a bit lethargic compared to Mario games.
How did Captain Syrup end up as Wario's ally in all this?
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9-23-2008 @ 10:16PM
zchry said...
WANT!
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