I've already gone over Nintendo's odd lineup this year in my article on Kirby Air Ride. The proliferation of second-string characters was evidenced in another title to which Nintendo seems to be giving far too much credit. Wario made his first big appearance in Super Mario Land 2, where his plans to steal Mario's castle fell to the wayside. Since then he's cropped up his own series of titles, and this fatter, evil version of Mario has created quite the following. He even has the distinction of having his name attached to the last title ever released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994, Wario Woods. Despite the opportunity to make this a great game in 3D, Nintendo has decided to squander the chance by inventing new terms and creating a title with endless repetition.

As for inventing words, Nintendo is calling this a 2.5D scroller, which basically means that the characters and environments are designed in 3D, but the paths along the levels are linear. You have no choice in which way to go, it's just a predestined line of enemies you have to punch, kick and throw your way through. It seems like simplicity is Nintendo's focus this year, since many of the major titles are fairly straightforward. Wario World is no exception to this rule.

According to Nintendo, "Wario's back in all his greedy glory - starring for the first time in 3-D - as he searches for his transformed treasure in Wario World. As the game begins, Wario is so happy that he just can't stop smiling. After all, he has finally completed his long-desired castle. Deep within his castle is a treasure room, where he hides the many, many treasures that he has plundered during his many adventures. What he doesn't realize is that, hidden among the treasures, there is a strange black jewel that shines with an ominous light. This jewel has a very strange ability-it turns gems into monsters!"

did find myself enjoying the game at times when throwing enemies around. When I reached the end of the demo, I didn't feel like I wanted to play it again. I also didn't feel like I wanted to continue playing in new levels, with new enemies. I felt like I was done with the game entirely. There wasn't anything, gameplay or graphic-wise, that stood out in my mind or left an impression. I can only hope that some of the larger enemies and the possibility of power-ups might change my opinion on the title. In the meantime, I really can't say much other than that it seems like a very limited title that shows off a lot of wasted potential.