Last Call With Carson Daly skit or Wii advertisement? It's a trick question. This clip, spotted by the kids at NeoGAF, is both! The former MTV... personality loves playing (and shilling) the Wii so much, he had to go to "Wii-hab." Awful. Seeing Carson doing Link cosplay? Acceptable.

Still, it's comforting to know that celebrities art just like us—they make out with their copies of Wario Ware Smooth Moves like we all do on a regular basis. It's okay, there's no need to be ashamed. Guys? Where are you going? Michael McWhertor

I don't often link directly to comics mostly because there are so very many of them and I'm fairly certain you guys can get out there and find them yourselves.

But the latest VG Cats made me really laugh out loud and despite my constant use of the annoying lol, I don't do that too often. Also, I sorta started feeling that way too while playing Smooth Moves. It's good to know that my particularly sick mind isn't alone. Hit the link for the full comic and its oh so wonderful... um... money shot? Brian Crecente

Smooth Moves [VG Cats]

In a recent episode of music show Hey! Hey! Hey!, one of Japan's biggest popstars Ayumi Hamasaki gave Wario Ware: Smooth Moves a test. Her thoughts?

It's interesting to watch people playing it, isn't it?

While she doesn't say she's ready to rush out and buy one, she does ask for a freebie. Yeah, like they'd give her one. Brian Ashcraft

Reuters is chronicling the latest gaming trend, Wii parties. Whether it's an informal get together, a scheduled Wii Sports tournament or a WiiParty.net organized Excite Truck session it seems that everyone is getting into the waggle scene.

Could Wii parties be the key parties of the new millenium? Maybe. My household is heading out in fifteen minutes for our monthly Geek Night which will include healthy doses of Wario Ware Smooth Moves and some Wii Sports. Of course, we're also going to be getting some Samba de Amigo time in, so let's at least give a little party credit to the Dreamcast. RIP. Michael McWhertor

Wii is guest of honor at new genre of parties [Reuters]

So, the honeymoon's over and the novelty's worn off by now. A good chunk of us got our Wiis and have played Wii Sports, Twilight Princess or Wario Ware: Smooth Moves into the ground. As Greg Howson at Guardian's Gamesblog points out:

I appreciate there is always a post launch lull, but I'm struggling to get too excited about the Wii at the moment. The terrible Call of Duty 3 makes me fear for future Wii conversions of multi format games, while the Virtual Console downloads are technically flawed and far too familiar.

Do know what he means. I will occasionally play a pick-up round of Wii Tennis with Mrs. Bashcraft, but that's about it at the moment. (McWhertor, on the other hand, spent yesterday playing Wario Ware: Smooth Moves alone. Yes, ALONE.) So it's poll time! And for the really chatty-types, clack away in the comments section:

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Playing With Your Wii? [Guardian, Image From Infendo]

But back to gaming. I'm currently armed with a Nintendo DS and a fresh copy of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and only one boss in. I've also got a Ziploc bag full of random cards and carts, ready for whatever Kotaku Wi-fi battle needs to happen. And since I'm the owner of a brand new Wii, when I get back to Los Angeles, it's Wii Sports and Wario Ware Smooth Moves all damn night.

So what games have you got penciled in for the weekend? Anyone going to Barcade ready to issue an arcade challenge? Let us know what's gettin' played in the comments. Michael McWhertor

Hit the jump for a big mix of perspectives we call the Frankenreview, and the only time you'll ever see math in real life: our 3D bar graph. Mark Wilson

Eurogamer
"...what differentiates Smooth Moves from the existing WarioWare titles is that it grants players a degree of prior explanation to the various control 'poses'...Delivered with a creepy degree of ultra calm cod seriousness...Within the first few minutes, you'll already be familiar with the Umbrella form, where you must hold the remote aloft ("with the quiet dignity of a circus clown in the rain")...The way the game utilises the controller is beautiful and - as ever - the humour superb, yet it's a game short on long-term appeal because it never really dares to test players."
MW: Players are tested, but they are rewarded more for speed and ingenuity more than actually mastering skills that aren't all that complex at the end of the day.

Nintendospin
"Smooth Moves also features up to twelve player multiplayer. However, only one remote can be used at any given time, so this detracts from a "true" multiplayer situation. Another issue with multiplayer is the fact that you basically have to complete the entirety of the game before having access to it...Multiplayer will indefinitely give this game legs though, and should be a great alternative to Wii Sports for now."
MW: Why no multi-controller support? Why no singly player challenges requiring two controllers? My guess is that both of these ideas will be in the sequel.

Gamespy
"On top of the micro-games and the multiplayer-specific games, you also have a collection of entertaining single-player games to spend your time on, once they've been unlocked. The can-shooting mini-game alone will probably keep you coming back for months...another game where you balance falling blocks on your outstretched hand, a Simon Says styled game with red and white flags and a mash-up of table tennis and Arkanoid that works pretty well..."
MW: There are even moments during the better-designed minigames that you wish someone would take the ideas and make a full titles out of them, such as flying paper airplanes or shaving.

Rocky Mountain News
"While the game includes 200 mini-games and a number of add-ons, like a short shoot-the-can game and stacking game, it's still a surprisingly short investment...But the worst issue with the game is that several of the mini-games just don't seem to work right with the controller. It seems to do with the remote's sensing abilities. Fortunately, this wasn't a big enough issue to totally destroy the experience, just aggravate me at times."
MW: I was amazed that I wasn't aggravated even more, given the often finicky nature of the Wiimote. But there are repeat offenders in the lot and I'm surprised that they were not simply pulled from the game.

Still, I think Warioware: Smooth Moves is the most technically impressive Wii title to date. If five second minigames prove anything, it's that the Wiimote is just as intuitive and enjoyable to use as we initially suspected. While I've been generally unexcited by Wii titles thus far, Smooth Moves has aroused me to a full fanboy frothing again (and yes, I mean that in the gross way). Mark Wilson

UPDATE: I can't do math, Crecente's review at Rocky Mountain News should be 82. He was very polite about my inability to do math and laziness of fixing the graph.

Set to hit next week, I'm certain WarioWare: Smooth Moves is going to be a Wii must-have. Check out these videos of Mona (above) and the first level. (below) Brian Crecente

I'd like to see Nintendo and their Wii third parties take advantage of further Wii Channel capabilities, including the News and Virtual Console channels. Should interesting news pop up, Tom Nook from Animal Crossing for Wii should chime in about it. Did you buy something off of the Virtual Console channel lately? It should show up as a mini-game in Wario Ware Smooth Moves or unlock new character attributes for creating Nintendo themed Miis for Wii Sports 2.

I don't know. I'm just fantasizing/brainstorming here. What level of internet interaction do you want to see in future Wii games? Michael McWhertor

Madden Wii Uses the Forecast Channel [1UP]

Instead of competing with fellow mini-game collection Wario Ware Smooth Moves, the already released in Europe Wii Play with its packed-in Wiimote will keep the "momentum" going, ensuring a steady stream of first party Nintendo releases.

Now if we can just sort out that Metroid Prime 3 ship date confusion, that'll be great. Michael McWhertor

Wii Play delayed in US [GoNintendo]

My desire for Wario Ware Smooth Moves is like flame with the intensity of a million suns burning deep within my heart. This particular mini-game, which smacks wonderfully of both Space Channel 5 and Rhythm Tengoku, just adds more fuel to that raging video game lust. Yes, you must not only smack your ass in time with the beat, but you must also perform the intermediary dance moves or face scorn from your dance squad. I truly feel great pity for anyone who does not have the balls to play this game. Michael McWhertor

My personal Wii system seller, Wario Ware Smooth Moves, looks better than I could have possibly imagined. This five-minute preview shows off (I assume) 9-Volt's section of microgames, all based on classic Nintendo franchises. Great allusions to Punch-Out!!, Wind Waker, Starfox, Ocarina of Time, Animal Crossing, Metroid Prime... everything really. I almost wish I could unwatch it to see these again for the first time. Michael McWhertor

Interviewing game designers can be the most wonderful thing in the world or the most frustrating. Many view the chance as an opportunity to get that elusive scoop or break big news on a certain title. Granted, that does happened, but it seems calculated and as if the company has pre-planned everything, right down to selecting the when and the where.

While it was great interviewing Wario Ware's Goro Abe, there were things he did not want to talk about or flat-out couldn't. Bound by certain constrictions, I felt as though the interview was turning into a press release. So halfway through, I stopped asked my prepackaged questions that were getting his prepackaged answers and tried to find out who exactly this guy was. The mood in the room became considerably different, and Abe was slightly caught off guard, wondering why we cared about him personally. But honestly, why shouldn't we?

There's a justify your game tacked on the end, which Abe nailed. —Brian Ashcraft