You know what? I have REALLY got to start learning Japanese. Or better yet, somebody could invent one of those dentist chairs in the Matrix where you just plug in and download information straight into your brain. That way, I wouldn't have to spout the same old line whenever I post about stuff that's in Japanese.

Anyway, I may not be able to read what these images say (I do know that "nito-ryu" is "two swords style" thanks to a rather healthy dose of Rurouni Kenshin, though), but I do know one thing: these are images of the Wiimote controller positions in WarioWare: Smooth Moves. Okay, I admit, you don't need an Einsteinian IQ to know that. We also have three new pieces of character art, so check those out too. They're the ones in color.

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Update: Commenter G-Han was nice enough to provide us with the translation to the these controller positions. Thanks, G-Han!

• Tsuna hiki (Rope pull)
• Tengu (Appears to be a supernatural creature from Japanese folklore)
• Nito-ryu (Fencing-teacher)
• Tetsu-arei (Dumbbells)
• Mawaryanse (Chauffeur)
• Kobozu (Small [unknown])
• Shotoku Taishi (Income, Crown Prince)
• Yubizumo (Thumb-wrestling)

   

More controller positions and character art after the jump!

Okay. It's one of those times when, once again, the accuracy of the information that's posted on retailers' product pages could either be dead on or dead wrong. As was found on Costco's website, it appears that they're selling copies of that quirky little Wii game, WarioWare Smooth Moves. That alone has nothing wrong with it, but what everyone is curious about is why in the world is the cover of the game purple? (Okay. Fine. It's lavender.)

By now, we're all familiar with the fact that the U.S. version of the game comes with a pink cover. The PAL version, on the other hand, is yellow. We've never heard of a purple one, though, and we can't say that it's also for another territory as the purple anomaly bears the ESRB seal.

Anyway, we're taking a stab at several possible answers here. Either this is an upcoming or existing version which we're not quite sure we've ever heard about, or it could be one of those misprints that, like old stamps and bills, end up being rare and valuable in the end... or somebody in the Costco offices needs to have his or her monitor's color settings calibrated.

Although not much of a surprise, Crackdown has made number one at the Xbox 360 charts. The superhero, crime-fighting game now reaps its rewards from an exceptional marketing scheme. Yes, it even knocked Lost Planet: Extreme Condition from the summit.

Capcom's flagship title was thought to equal or best Capcom's last year's title, Dead Rising, after being honored as last year's top game. It seems that even with a good solid reign at the top, Crackdown could sneak in and give Lost Planet a little nudge.

Click on Full Article to check out how other games fared in their respective consoles.

A few weeks back, we told you that Nintendo has rejoined the Nuremberg Toy Fair, after a four-year absence. Well, from the looks of it, Nintendo did the right decision in re-joining the fair. Why is that? Nintendo of Europe has won a Toy Award in the mentioned toy fair. Specifically, the Nintendo Wii and WarioWare: Smooth Moves won the trend + lifestyle category. This is a part of the jury's statement on why they chose these products:

The jury chose the product because the play concept of Wii tends to encourage playing PC games in groups instead of alone. In addition, the product not only appeals to player types with an affinity to PCs, but also to new age groups – a real lifestyle theme. The innovative controller – for more fun and movement – and the “Wario WearTM: Smooth Moves” represents a return to the more classic games in the game console segment.

The awards will be presented today and the winners are allowed to print to print the "ToyInnovation quality label" on their products, a label which will surely give the video game a good reputation to parents who'll be buying games to their kids. Congratulations to Nintendo of Europe for this win.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves will be retailing for AU$ 79.95 (around US$ 63) when it hits Australian retail stores on January 25. Hmmm... that's pretty cheap. But this move ain't really surprising, given that Ninty Aussie has been attacked for the price-point of the Wii software.

So, how far exactly will they go to appease the market with their prices?

Vispi Bhopti, Nintendo Australia's PR lead say, "With the Wii and the DS, we're examining demographics to figure out the best price-point with which to expand the market." Meaning to say, this is but the start of the road for these plans of lowering the price.

The other titles which will be experiencing the "roll back", so to speak, are Kororinpa, as well as Wing Island. Both will be retailing with the same price as WarioWare. Excite Truck, however, will come out on February 22 with an almost-hundred dollar price tag.

We know we've given you tons of vids already from WarioWare: Smooth Moves; from gameplay vids (did you see the Dart Club gameplay vid?) to even the first game level, you can probably say that you've seen 'em all.

But here's one vid that we're betting most of you have never laid eyes on. Partly because it's a TV stint in Australia and we live in U.S. (Harhar.) but also because this has been posted by AussieNintendo on YouTube just today. So even if you're a serial YouTube hounder like this writer here, chances are, you haven't seen this vid yet.

So...we won't keep you at bay any longer, we'll just head on to the game's Aussie TV stint featuring three girls showing how to work the Wiimote for the Mohawk, Elephant, and Samurai moves in the game. Enjoy!

If you can't stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen.

What??? And spoil Wario's chances of getting through the challenge? We say, why don't you watch these videos, and pick up a thing or two on how to deal with them rough roads ahead with the Wiimote -- the smooth way. You don't call a game WarioWare: Smooth Moves for nothing, after all.

Anyhow, the three vids here, as mentioned, showcase some more game plays from the wacky mini-games collection. The first vid is aptly entitled Kitchen, while the second and third are Dangerous Dojo and Daffy Diversions. There's even a life-altering zen-philosophy shared at the second video.

See what you make of this saying, and share with us how it's enlightened you for the better: "The Chauffeur: turn the Form Baton sideways and wrap your hands around both ends. As the Form Baton turns, so too do the earth and all upon it, from liver to liverymen."

That's deep. Really.

Kitchen

The rest of the videos after the jump!

Every story has a beginning, even for something as random and fast-paced as Warioware: Smooth Moves. With only four days to go before the game hits retail, we bring you a video taking us to the game's stage one, along with a basic tutorial. And for the people unsure of their athletic prowess, we quote the game to assure you this is the title is for you:

Hold the form baton (Wiimote) with the tip pointing straight forward. This simple stance reflects one of life's fiercest - and greatest - sports: channel surfing.

The next video features more ways to wield the almighty form wand, with Mona's cheerleading team showing viewers the ropes. Remember to follow the instructions, and you will be fine. And, no - there is nothing on using the Wiimote as a ballistic object. Enjoy.

The Mona video after this jump!

We're overdue from some WarioWare gameplay folks, so it's time we talk about one of the fun games you can actually play again and again in WarioWare: darts! It's actually quite faithful to the original game you can see all those half-drunk guys in the pubs try and play, but we'll explain how it works just for you.

The darts game in WarioWare: Smooth Moves basically pits you against different Mii avatars, whether they be computer controlled or not. Unlike most games, where the focus is to rack up your points score, you're trying to clear your points off the board. To do that, you aim and fire your dart with the Wiimote, and the corresponding points are removed from your 300 point total. First person to reach zero wins the game.

You might notice some interesting things Nintendo's put in this gameplay vid. For starters, the game zooms onto your dart's location on the board, just to make sure you know exactly where your dart struck. On the somewhat satirical side, the three players in this game are Satoru Iwata, Kaz Hirai, and Bill Gates, the bigwigs of the three console manufacturers. You can guess who's going to win this gameplay vid, right?

Enjoy the video and ask yourself this: If you don't throw your dart hard enough with the Wiimote, will there be an animation to denote your dart smacking the board and falling off?

Nope, those aren't a battalion of Kid Icaruses. That's what the 12-player party mode in WarioWare: Smooth Moves looks like. You have twelve Miis lined up in a full squad of angels. Randomly, a player is chosen to do a mini-game, and if that player doesn't pull through with the mini-game, the player is eliminated. The fun part about this is that all twelve of you are sharing only one controller and you have to pass it around in a matter of seconds. That makes the party game that much more crazy.

The video also shows a co-op mode, involving two players doing a modified kind of three-legged race. Both players share one Wiimote-Nunchuck pair and they'd have to jump through an obstacle course of potholes and ramps.

With these mini-games, micro-games, party games, and various other modes of gameplay (not to mention the various numbers of people you can play them with), Smooth Moves is shaping up to be another must-have title. The only problem is, we'd have to wait just a little bit longer for its release this January.