WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase: Everything but the D.I.Y.

As you know, I just purchased WarioWare D.I.Y. last week for the DS, and it's a great little app to create some of your own WarioWare mini-game creations. Going through the tutorials alone has opened up my eyes to the games a person can create and share.

But, despite the emphasis of sharing games with friends, the sad reality is that not everyone may be invested to purchase the game AND become active in sharing creative content. Which is why I find WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase to be an ideal solution to show off your creations.

At 800 Wii points (or $8), you get a dedicated channel on your Wii purely to play WarioWare D.I.Y. games. The channel itself comes with its own set of game content that's different from the ones on the DS version. It appears they took a full list of WarioWare games and split it in half - one half going to the DS version, and the other going to the Wii. But while the channel has its own array of games, the heart of it lies in downloading new games to play, whether created by other players or Nintendo.

While new content only surfaces up on a weekly basis, it's still a kick to check out people's creative mini-games. And while there's a limited amount you can download from this mode, the channel really shines when you upload your own content to the channel. This allows you to really show off your creations without forcing your friends to huddle over a small screen to enjoy them.

There are a few setbacks with this WiiWare version of the game. For starters, without the DS game, you're not really getting enough bang for your buck. While there are games there you can play on its own, a large part of content relies on downloads of other people's games and uploads of your own. Another argument is the graphics. Now, knowing that the channel's an accompaniment to the DS game, the games are just blown-up games from the DS version, so there technically IS an inconsistency. However, people just getting the channel by itself will no doubt find the transitions from crisp cartoony graphics to fuzzy, blown-up DS graphics to be annoying. Also, remember that this WiiWare title has NONE of the game-creating elements as its DS version does, so don't purchase it with the intent of creating your own games.

Lastly, paying $8 for a limited amount of content would be considered a waste of cash if you don't have the DS game to pair it with.

Heh, I think I can probably sum up this review with a mini-game!