Bat Attack!

That's the name of my very first WarioWare D.I.Y. microgame, by the way.

I guess you could call it a riff on--or rip off of--one of Nintendo's first "weekly games," ABBE's Fright Light, as players are tasked with ridding a spotlit scene of shrieking bats.

Yes, my company is called "RainBlow Software." 

I'm pretty proud of it, to tell you the truth--mainly because I made all of the game's graphics myself. The background music was stolen--er, "imported"--from one of WarioWare D.I.Y.'s pre-fab microgames (Cake Defense), but I'm thinking of making my own tune for the already-in-the-works sequel--which will sport an awesomely creative name like Super Bat Attack!

Anyway, send along your friend code if you want to give it a go. (I shared mine here.)

Free for a limited time: The First *Official* Gay Gamer NinSoft Store Buyer's Guide

Yes, I, the mighty "Gay Gamer," have agreed to take time away from my busy blogging, facebooking, Flickring and gaming schedule to write up this here "Buyer's Guide" for anyone and everyone who has a copy of WarioWare D.I.Y. but isn't sure which microgames to pick up at the NinSoft Store. (Because, you know, they're expensive--with price tags ranging from free on the low end to $0 on the high end.)

Anyway, here are my thoughts on what I consider to be the five best microgames currently on display at the NinSoft Store near you.

Mr. Wario says: "Get your butt to the NinSoft Store and buy
(i.e. download for free) these microgames!"

First, the "Big Name Games" (i.e., a series of microgames created and contributed by renowned developers):

Ikachan (by Cave Story creator Pixel, aka Daisuke Amaya)--Anyone who has played Cave Story shouldn't be surprised to hear that this game features charming, well-crafted graphics. That's not to suggest it's a purely superficial experience--in fact, I'd go as far as saying Ikachan is the deepest and most difficult of the "Big Name Games" that have hit the shelves of the NinSoft Store so far.

Line Slash (by Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai)--This game makes me wish Sakurai would create (and share) more WarioWare microgames. For starters, the sprites are as magnificent as they are multifarious--what with the multitude of bombs and masks and peaches and whatnot. And then there's the gameplay, which, admittedly, is a bit disconcerting at first but quickly becomes delectable.

Metroid (by Yoshio Sakamoto)--In the mood for a Metroid-themed microgame? Series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto is your man. Unfortunately, his creation is a bit on the monotonous side--all you're asked to do is shoot at a couple of wobbling Metroids. Still, it's miles better than the muck World of Goo co-creator Ron Carmel came up with (Suck Goo!).

Next, the store's "weekly games" (i.e., microgames made by regular Joes and Janes):

Finger Flex (by some gamer who goes by the name of OldRiver)--You know, I think this is the best microgame to hit the shelves of the NinSoft Store--and, yes, that means I think it's better than the three titles mentioned above. It's a bit of a "yin and yang" experience, to tell you the truth, with the adorable graphics contrasting wonderfully with the confounding (yet captivating) rock-paper-scissors gameplay.

Fright Light (by "ABBE")--This is the kind of microgame most WarioWare D.I.Y. users should shoot for, if you ask me. Its graphics are clean and classy, and its gameplay--which tasks players with tapping on ghostly creatures as they float in and out of a spotlight--is compelling. Oh, and I hate to beat a dead horse, but it's about 1,000 times better than the above-mentioned (and appropriately named) Suck Goo!

So, there you have it--the first *Official* Gay Gamer NinSoft Store Buyer's Guide. Should this edition sell in sufficient quantities, subsequent editions may find their way to virtual store shelves the world over (i.e., some random post on this blog).

If I weren't already married ...

... I'd seriously consider proposing to WarioWare D.I.Y.

Yep, I'm smitten. :)

It was love at first sight--er, play--really. I mean, as soon as I completed my first microgame (see below) I knew my heart belonged to this Goro Abe creation.

Now, I've only completed two of the game's tutorials so far (oh, and I've downloaded a bunch of the microgames that are "on display" at the NinSoft Store--more on those in a bit), so I've barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer, but I can already tell it's going to be a major time suck.

By the way, if any of you have this game and would like to swap microgames, send me your friend code. My friend code is 0775 6955 2080. I haven't added any microgames to my warehouse's storage crates yet, but I plan to do so soon.

Buy: WarioWare: D.I.Y.

These tutorials will make more sense after I get the game, right?

I just watched four "advanced tutorial videos" produced by the folks at Nintendo of America to help WarioWare D.I.Y. users create better microgames.

Here's the first one:



(Here's the second, and the third and the fourth.)

Anyway, I found all of them fascinating, but they threw me for a loop, too--what with their talk of A.I. and animation and objects and switches and targets.

It'll all make a lot more sense when my copy of WarioWare D.I.Y. is delivered to my doorstep in a few days (booyah!), right?

Buy: WarioWare: D.I.Y.

See also: 'auntie pixelante + WarioWare D.I.Y. = digital sex' and 'Best WarioWare D.I.Y. microgame thus far: Localize This'

auntie pixelante + WarioWare D.I.Y. = digital sex

"When i was little, videogame creation was something mystical and inaccessible. I never imagined I could be making games with my own two hands. Children today will grow up in a world where digital game creation is not a distant fantasy, but something within their grasp."

What prompted Anna “auntie pixelante” Anthropy to post those words to her site? A week spent with WarioWare D.I.Y.

A few of the fruits of Anthropy's labor can be seen in the following video, posted on YouTube yesterday.



My favorite: the spanking microgame ("Give this pig 12 blows!"), though I'm also quite fond of the one that features the protagonist from Mighty Jill Off.

Buy: WarioWare D.I.Y.

See also: 'Best WarioWare D.I.Y. microgame thus far: Localize This' and 'Hey! You got your Cave Story in my WarioWare D.I.Y.!'

(Via tinycartridge.com)

Best WarioWare D.I.Y. microgame thus far: 'Localize This'

And it was made by none other than Wired's Chris Kohler.

Skip to the 1:00 mark to see it in action.



I take umbrage at Kohler's (likely tongue-in-cheek) suggestion that Endless Ocean isn't worthy of localization, but other than that I think his microgame is spot on.

Buy: WarioWare D.I.Y.

See also: 'Hey! You got your Cave Story in my WarioWare D.I.Y.!' and 'Another reason to add WarioWare: D.I.Y. to your DS wish list'

Hey! You got your Cave Story in my WarioWare D.I.Y.!

Not that I'm complaining, especially when the result is as competent and compelling as the following fan-made microgame:



I have a feeling that when I finally get my grubby mits on this game, life as I know it will come to a screeching halt.

It won't be the first time, of course--the same thing happened after I brought home a copy of Animal Crossing: City Folk, for instance. I spent the next few weeks (OK, months) coming up with custom t-shirt designs for my town's fur-covered inhabitants, much to my husband's chagrin.

Buy: WarioWare D.I.Y.