Atsumare! Made in Wario is by no means a typical videogame. As such, this isn’t going to be the most typical review. It is one of the few games that practically requires friends. Without friends to play with, the game is little more than a port of the GBA version, Wario Ware Inc.: Mega Microgame$. So, to capture the multiplayer flavor of the title, dispersed throughout this review are quotes from various friends who all enjoy it as much as I do, if not more. Let’s start with a quote from Marc: “I think to myself, could there be a game more multiplayer? No, there is none more multiplayer." This is Atsumare! Made in Wario.

This GameCube conversion takes the microgame concept of its Game Boy predecessor and moves it into a multiplayer environment. Players compete in a variety of game modes, all centering on the microgames. Each mode is designed by one of Wario Ware’s wacky characters. There are eight different game modes in total. The simplest, Jimmy T’s, places players in a dance contest, taking turns playing microgames and sometimes all competing at the same time in the same game. Each player is allotted three misses, and the last player standing is the boogie king, and also the winner. Though this mode is simple, it’s very addictive. The speed cranks up very quickly and it can get very competitive. Plus, after a player fails, his character can walk around the screen to block other players’ views and screw them up.

In the next mode, Designed by Wario, players take turns to find out who can complete the most of 15 microgames. While one is playing, the other three cover up the screen to increase the difficulty. Players can taunt and inflate themselves to twice their normal size. Not surprisingly, scores in this mode tend to be pretty low.

Dr. Crygor’s mode involves one player playing microgames while the other three inflate a giant balloon. Whoever is playing when the balloon pops is the loser, left to be ridiculed by their friends until the next round begins. This mode doesn’t seem to get as much play as the others, probably due to the fact that there is no definitive winner when there are more than two players. The game works much better as a one-on-one competition. It would be better if there were more than one round to decide an ultimate winner.

9-Volt’s game is a little more complex. Players are gathered around a giant Game Boy and e-Reader on the screen. They draw game cards until an e-Reader card is drawn. The player who draws the e-Reader then has to play all the previously drawn game cards. Completing all the games means he wins the cards. Failing even one of the games gains you nothing. Plus, all your other collected cards are thrown into the pool, which can be won by completing all the games in a set. There is a twist though; while one player is taking the micro-game challenge, the others can walk around the screen and steal cards from each other. Our group has found this to be one of our favorite games. There is a lot of shouting, cursing, and tension involved as players try to steal cards as fast as possible.

The game designed by Dribble and Spitz, Sci-Fan fans extraordinaire, is based around the classic game of Othello. Players shoot down meteors by playing microgames in order to capture places on the board. Surrounding the tokens of other players will, in turn, capture all of the pieces in-between. The winner is the player who captures the most squares. My roommate Tom says, “It doesn’t eliminate the strategy, but the smartest player won’t always win. You have to be smart and good at the microgames." The best players can think ahead multiple turns to figure out the best moves, but if they screw up on the microgames, that strategy can fall apart.

Kat & Ana have designed their game around nature, and it is also an absolute blast. Between microgames, all four players must balance on turtles. Falling off disqualifies a player. The microgames in this mode are slightly more original than the others (though all of them are ports from the first game). For this mode, the microgames have been revamped to accommodate four-player simultaneous play. For example, instead of each player picking a separate nose, four hands are located in the corners (one for each player) and the nose spins around. These microgames are very hectic and are a total blast to play. My friend Dan says, “The four player madness makes for great times for winner or loser."

Orbulon’s game, unlike the others, is co-operative. The power has gone out and three of the players must help the other win by shining flash-lights on the play area to illuminate the screen.

Finally, there is Mona’s mode which, sadly, is unplayable without knowledge of Japanese. Players take turns visiting a doctor who instructs them to play microgames while doing something odd, like squatting. After each game, other players clap (with the A button) to provide feedback on the performance.

In addition to these eight main multiplayer modes, there are also a few more bonus modes, such as a paper plane racing game. Some extra modes allow for a whopping 16 people to play by passing the controller around the room.

Each multiplayer mode provides a great deal of fun. The great thing is the number of different modes. With eight main modes, all but one of which are playable without having to know Japanese, a group of friends can play for hours and hours without the game ever getting stale. This diversity is the greatest asset Atsumare! Made in Wario has. Tons of game modes and tons of microgames extend the lastability of the game to near infinite levels.

To further extend the life of the game, there is a single player mode. Though more of an after-thought in the end, the single player is still a good deal of fun. In fact, players who haven’t enjoyed the excellent Game Boy Advance game will find a world of fun in the single player mode. The structure of the single player game is very similar to the Game Boy version. The goal is to complete each character’s level by beating a certain number of games, topped off by a boss game. The single player game is almost as exceptional as the Game Boy version, and little knowledge of Japanese is required. There are a few games (mostly in Orbulon’s stage) that are text-heavy, but thankfully they are so few that it’s easy enough to stumble through them.

Along with the standard single player mode, there is also a library mode in which every single microgame is playable. There’s also a full record keeping system, though it’s not very useful if you don’t speak the language.

My roommate Tom says, “It’s fun and all, but if I was playing alone, I’d pass on it." This statement nails Atsumare! Made in Wario right on the head. It is an amazingly fun game, but its true potential is only revealed if you have the friends to play it with. As a single player game, it’s nothing special. Everything in single-player has been done before -- and slightly better -- on the Game Boy Advance. But with friends playing, the commotion surrounding a game like this is astounding. Very few games will inspire such colorful language and absolute insanity. With a cheap import price at Video Game Depot, nearly complete playability with no Japanese skills, and no US release in sight, this is an excellent choice for importers. Atsumare! Made in Wario is an absolute multiplayer must-own.