The only Wario games I've ever played are his (extremely fun) minigame collections, so I didn't really know what I was letting myself in for when booting-up Wario Land: The Shake Dimension for the first time. I've always had a "thing" for 2D platformers, but does this game live up to my expectations? Keep reading to find out.

Nintendo have never been known for their compelling and engaging story telling skills, and things are no different here. At the start of the game, you'll see that The "Shake King" has selfishly stolen the magical Bottomless Coin Sack from the land of Yuretopia (if you're not already aware, the sack contains an endless amount of money). He then flees, taking the coin sack and the queen with him. Wario's job is to explore the five different worlds in search of the queen, and to pocket some treasure along the way, of course.

Before I continue any further, I have to tell you how beautiful this game looks. Everything in The Shake Dimension is hand-drawn; the animations are fluid, the environments look stunning, and it's all so colourful! If Wario Land succeeds in a certain area, it has to be the slick presentation. The only disappointment is that the game doesn't truly run in 16:9 mode, because the left and right sides of the screen are used for displaying icons. So in reality, you're playing in 4:3. Kind of annoying, right?

The Shake Dimension is a very linear game, and the average gamer could blast through it in under 8 hours or so. Despite being straightforward, if you're someone who likes to complete every aspect of a game, you'll be happy to know there's secondary challenges to keep you coming back.
When controlling Wario you'll find yourself using the Wii Remote on it's side. The D-pad is used to control Wario's movement, and you'll press the "1" or "2" buttons to jump and perform dash/attack moves. This control scheme works well because it's simple and easy to use. Oh yeah, and you'll be doing a lot of shaking! Which you should of seen coming; considering the game title has the word "Shake" in it. Throughout the game you'll find yourself in various situations;  piloting submarines, riding unicycles, and driving hovercrafts. These different gameplay elements are great because they freshen things up in between all that addictive old-school platforming.

Wario Land: The Shake Dimension doesn't do anything new and innovative for the genre, but doesn't do much wrong either. If you have a place in your heart for 2D platformers, you'll really enjoy playing through Wario's latest outing. This game is a rent at the very least.

OOOOO O.o hovercrafts!
This has made me want this game even more >.>
Deffinate must buy, thanks, great review.

Great review snake
I may just rent this.

I don't really rent a lot of games, but this one I may have to check out because I never tried a real Wario game. Nice review Snakey

Nice review Billy.
Sounds okay actually.
I may rent this.

Amazing review!

I really need to go and check this out.

Nice review. Though you may want to expand on the individual points a little more. Otherwise, very informative. I plan on getting this game soon.