Game & Wario
Game & Wario is a 2013 party video game developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems and published for the Wii U console, named after LCD Game & Watch titles. It is the eighth installment in the WarioWare series and part of the larger Mario franchise. The story stars Wario and his friends, who take advantage of a newly released video game console with two separate screens by making games for monetary gain. Game & Wario consists of 16 minigames that exclusively utilize the Wii U GamePad and its functions. Additional modes and collectibles are also unlockable. The majority of the minigames are single-player, although some are designed for multiplayer only.
The developer's goal was to create a minigame collection for the Wii U that would come pre-installed on the console. As the number of ideas grew and the task to create a serious minigame collection proved difficult, however, the game was set to release at a later date and the game became a new entry in the WarioWare series. Each game was made to be as if they could be released on their own, and were made to have as much detail and replayability as possible. Several established names from Nintendo were also involved with the project. The game was announced at E3 2012 and was set to release in the Wii U's launch window; after an extra delay, and the creation of a mock crowdfunding website to promote the game, it released March 28, 2013 in Japan and the following June in North America and Europe.
Game & Wario received mixed reviews. Select games were collectively praised and others criticized, while the game as whole received criticism for its lack of content and for straying from the WarioWare formula. The game debuted was in the top ten best-selling games for three weeks straight, and the minigame Gamer was featured as a stage in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U. It was followed by WarioWare Gold in 2018.
