Why buy a CRT television set when you could have LCD or plasma? Why watch VHS when you could check out the Blu-ray version? Why dig out your personal cassette player when you could listen to your Ipod? Why play a video game in 2D instead of beautiful 3D?

I'm not sure why people would do most of these things, except maybe the last one; because Nintendo have proved to us as that cutting edge gameplay does not always need cutting edge graphics. Their latest Wii release Wario Land: The Shake Dimension backs up this point perfectly.

The controller is used on it's side in the same way that Paper Mario is played which gives the feeling of a classic Nintendo controller. The motion sensitivity plays second fiddle to the classic control style of the game, only needing to be used occasionally to shake or throw an enemy, or to choose the trajectory of a canon.

The game that it reminds me of the most is not surprisingly another Nintendo title - Super Mario Bros. 3. Everything from the world map screen through to the classic 2D look makes this title reek of early Mario games.

Generally speaking Wario Land: The Shake Dimension, is a basic platformer, but it's because of that, that its beauty really shines through. The game doesn't need to do anything extraordinary because it's well within Nintendo's comfort zone as a developer and it has a familiar warmth with its players - it's tried, it's tested and it totally works.

SCORE 8.5 / 10