Party on with Wario and Rayman

Tuesday 29 Jan 2008

If you have a free Saturday night, a couple of eager friends and a Wii get ready for a wicked cool time with two party mini-games that have just hit the South African gaming circuit. Step aside for Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 and WarioWare: Smooth Moves.

If you have never had the pleasure of meeting Rayman and Wario, let me introduce you.

Rayman is…well, I am not actually quite sure what he is but that’s not the point, he is fun! If you see a hip looking guy with no legs or arms but feet and hands that mysteriously bob around and a freaky yellow hairdo, the odds are its Rayman. One thing thats for sure is that wherever Rayman is, crazy bunnies are close behind, lurking and ready to instigate mischief and unleash mayhem.

Wario is kind of like Mario’s arch nemesis. If we turn the ‘W’ and the ‘M’ around, what do we get…bingo, you got it! Where Mario is kind-hearted and generally an all around good guy (you know the kind a father hopes he might one day get introduced to instead of these gamers his daughter seems to be attracted to because they know how to slay dragons and save the world from alien invasions), Wario is a trouble maker and renowned for shouting ‘Bwahahahaha’ as he runs away towards the horizon with stolen goods. You get the picture?

Now in his defence he is not at bad as Bowser, I mean he most certainly does not always kidnap Princess Peach but he has a pretty bad rap nonetheless. Some of Wario’s distinguishing factors include a big curly moustache below quite a sizeable pink nose, evil looking eyes, a large ‘W’ on his hat and the aforementioned ‘Bwahahahaha.’

Right, now that the introductions are out of the way, lets get down to it. Wario and Rayman both generally appear in party games consisting of fun mini-games which you can enjoy with a bunch of friends (up to four players for both these games) or on your lonesome if you are struggling to rustle up support. Both games are not designed to be taken seriously, and be warned that, although you may find some sort of storyline, these games are purely for fun. Be prepared to leave your dignity at the door and you will enjoy both Wario and Rayman for many years to come.

The games are easy to pick-up-and-play and you will enjoy them no matter what your age. Just be warned that you can work up quite a sweat in both games so rotate gamers or take a break every now and again. If you want to find out more about these two great games, be sure to check back later in the week when the reviews will surface.

If you are chomping at the bit and simply cannot wait a few more days to read all about it, head over to our preview of WarioWare: Smooth Moves or check out a cool Nintendo DS game called WarioWare Touched. To get an idea of what Rayman is about you can also check out our review of the first Rayman Raving Rabbids. To make sure everyone is happy you can even choose to read the PS2 version or the Wii version of the game.