Xbox 360
Mario's greedy and ill-mannered rival Wario is something of a people's champion in the Nintendo camp. His games always buck the trend and stick to what the developer does best - innovation and total fan-service. The Wario Land series is no exception, giving players some of the best platforming titles money can buy.
The Shake Dimension boasts old-school platforming the way Miyamoto used to make; two-dimensional, colourful and all about the fun. Ever the unlikely hero, Wario finds himself sucked into the mystical Shake Dimension, where the notorious Shake King has stolen a magic coin bag which, when shook up, chucks out a never ending supply of gold. Wario, obviously interested in saving the kingdom and not just the promise of riches (of course), decides to lend a hand.
Instantly, you are struck by how stylised this game is. Everything is hand-drawn and animated beautifully. This adds to Wario's charm as he squeezes his portly frame through warp pipes and takes a beating from enemies. So it's always a pleasure to throw him through the grinder or set him on fire to make him run faster - damn sadists!
Everything is controlled by the Wiimote - held sideways like a NES joypad - but there are some motion sensor moves here that really work. Along the way you will encounter enemies and, rather than defeating them by jumping on their heads, you can stun and throw them using the Wiimote. Thankfully, this is no motion control gimmick - you must throw baddies through breakable walls or at platforms to dislodge them, which is as easy as tilting the Wiimote to the desired trajectory.
Wario can also punch the ground, which causes a shockwave, temporarily raising parts of the terrain to create makeshift stairways to hard-to-reach areas. Also, the tried and tested butt-bash returns here allowing him to break through weak flooring. He can also shake money bags littered across each stage in order to collect coins and buy new stages.
Each level is well designed and requires a combination of these moves to succeed. At the end of a stage you will find a Merfle (one of the Shake Dimenson's residents) trapped in a cage. You must pick it up, shake it until it smashes then leg it back to the start of the stage before the timer runs out. This is manic stuff, as you scramble to the start with the aid of boost pads. It really mixes up the pace of the platforming and never feels unfair or overly-difficult.
Shake Dimension is a shining beacon in a sea of 'casual' titles and games that, quite frankly, feel alien on a Nintendo console. If you grew up with the NES or SNES consoles and you yearn for those golden years to roll around again then you need this game in your collection.