WarioWare, Inc. DS site opens

TOKYO--Nintendo has peeled back the gift wrap on WarioWare, Inc. DS, a title slated for release in the country simultaneously with the launch of the DS on December 2. The company has recently taken a dedicated Web site for the game live. While the site doesn't offer much in the way of additional insight on the title, it does give a brief overview on the characters and what kind of minigames to expect.

In particular, WarioWare, Inc. DS will have two characters that will be appearing for the first time in the series. One of them is a robot named Mike. Mike is a Karaoke Robot invented by the nutty Dr. Crygor. Gamers will play through minigames by using the handheld's internal microphone, a hardware function used by only a few launch titles.

The second new character is a small girl named Ashley, who is a witch in training with a devilish-looking friend named Red. You’ll be sliding objects on the screen during minigames in Ashley’s stages, using the touch-sensitive lower screen of the handheld.

Most of the characters from past releases in the Warioware franchise are returning to the DS: Mona's stage will feature games where you slide the stylus pen to prompt movement; Jimmy T.'s stage will feature games where you scratch the screen using the pen; Kat and Ana's stages will require you to draw long strokes to advance gameplay; Dr. Crygor's stage will require you to draw circular motions on the screen; and 9Volt and 18Volt's stages will feature nostalgic Nintendo games that can be played for the first time with a touch-sensitive screen. It isn’t known yet whether Orbulon the Alien or the taxi-driving duo, Dribble & Spitz, will be appearing in WarioWare, Inc. DS.

For more details on WarioWare, Inc. DS’s game system, check out GameSpot's hands-on coverage