Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
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April 28, 2008 05:43
4.5/5
I was lucky enough to pick up Mario Kart Wii on release date. Upon opening the box it came in, I discovered that it had a brand new accessory called the Wii Wheel inside it, which I guessed was used to play the game. It looks exactly like a miniaturized steering wheel. I popped my controller into the wheel, my disk into my Wii, then began to play the best racing game ever.
Overview
Mario Kart Wii is the next in a series of games called Mario Kart. Its where all the characters from the popular Mario universe duke it out on several race tracks. The game is also famous for powerup fighting, as the titles each have a plethora of useful items that can be used to trip up the competition, shrink other racers or give yourself a speed boost. The games are also known for their party style, where up to four players can race at once. Mario Kart Wii takes that party style to a whole new level. Now up to 12 players at once can play over Nintendo Wi-fi connection. There are now 5 different methods to control your racer. And, after a long time, people are flocking to stores at midnight to catch the first titles.
10/10
Design
The Mario Kart series is one of the few racing titles these days. Racers just have too many flaws. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity had sloppy, unresponsive controls. Need for Speed: Most Wanted had repetitive missions that got very boring. But when a Mario Kart game comes out, everyone lights up in excitement. The game design is different than other racing games. One is that instead of speed, youre more focused on making that turn, grabbing that item box, and smashing that Koopa riding on a motorcycle. The game is built in that cartoonish, but fun style, that will make younger kids feel at home, while veterans of Mario Kart games will be entertained as well.
The game also has that grab-n-go feeling that lets anyone pick up a controller and jump into the action. This is usually only present in fighting games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The second I pressed that Start Button, I immediately jumped into my first race, smashing and crashing into people as Bowser. With most racing games, you will start out with the weakest, slowest cars, and can only unlock other racers after youve completed most of the weak, boring storyline. In Mario Kart Wii, you have half the racers already unlocked, and they all are equally fast and have different strategies. This means that even if you cant unlock many racers, you still have the huge selection of preloaded champions.
Of course, unlocking the secret racers is only half the fun. Even though the game has no minigames to keep you occupied, the games enticing racetracks and cool-looking cars will keep most people satisfied. You will be motivated to collect every car, not because its mandatory for fun, but you want more racecars to toy around with. The games multiple courses takes you through a seaside port town called Delfino Island, a giant volcanoe with collapsing platforms and dangerous lava spews, a jagged mountain with rushing rivers and an underwater tunnel, and a hedge maze in front of the mushroom castle. Clearly unmatchable variety.
10/10
Gameplay
To start off, there are 5 different methods of playing the game. Theres the Gamecube controller, great for veterans. The Wii Remote alone, for people who like the easy feel of a singe stick. Then the Wii remote and Nunchuck, for people who dont like the bulkiness of the Gamecube controller but also dont like the simplicity of a single WiiMote. Theres the classic controller, for players of the SNES version of Mario Kart. And finally, the Wii Wheel, which looks exactly like a miniature steering wheel, and is very fun and surprisingly easy to use. You see, this game has different methods for everyone, and each of them are fun and easy to use.
Okay, now on to the basic gameplay. As I said before, its very simple and easy to start your first race within seconds. 11 other players will accompany you through your race, picking up power-ups and trying for the same common goal of being the top dog of the racetrack. By the middle of the race, you will be soaring through a waterlogged beach, riding up escalators at a mall, and zooming down a snowy summit, dodging Shy Guys on snowboards.
Multiplayer is just as fun as ever. Several other players can smash and crash into each other, race with each other, exchange Ha ha! I got ya now! s, and overall have a blast. If you get tired of racing, not a problem. Theres the fun battle mode, which is all about the games powerful powerups being used to inflict as much damage as you can, racking up points.
Now I will explain the various power-up items of the game. There are offensive items like the shell that can be thrown to knock out opponents. Helpful items like the mushroom that will give you a temporary speed boost. And distraction items like Blooper that will spray ink all over your screen, obstructing your view. This is probably the only flaw of this game, other than the graphics, but graphics dont really matter. A lot of the items are impossible to avoid, and its very annoying when a never-miss blue shell slams down, sending a shockwave that knocks you silly. The Red Shell cannot miss unless you have an item with you. The POW block cannot be avoided and will stun everybody. Thankfully, these items can be turned off.
I forgot to mention the biggest edition to the game. Wi-fi. This special kind of Internet allows players of Nintendo games to play with opponents on the other side of the world. Even though the previous Mario Kart, Mario Kart DS had Wi-fi, it doesnt even come close to this ones. You can play with up to 12 players at once, with little to no lag and very quick and easy startup. You can even check records and download ghost data from other players. The only fault is that only a few races can take place at once, so if youre not lucky youll have to sit through a whole race. Not a problem though, as you can watch the other players from the current race through a movielike camera.
9/10
Overall, this game nails every aspect. Variety, multiplayer modes, fun factor you name it.
Buy or Rent: BUY IT! This game is great for friends, its great alone& Its even great when youre being chased by a giant bullet while soaring through a tree, which happens in this game.
My Score: 9/10 -
April 28, 2008 07:26
4.5/5
I brought Mario Kart Wii home hoping for that fun racing game, and I was not disappointed. Setting up the wheel was simple (buying a second wheel is recommended and inexpensive) and we were off to the races. The menus were a bit much to wade through the first time, complicated by the need to aim the remote while it was in the wheel. (My 7 year old daughter had difficulty with that concept - she kept setting the wheel on the ground or on her lap and hitting the "b" button -backing us out of the selections).
Game play was awesome! The visuals are crisp and varied, with a wide variety of courses and vehicles to choose from Control with the wheel is intuitive. The game can be as simple as "press the accelerator and drive" for the young ones, and challenging enough with drifting and gadgets to keep adults entertained. Having never played in this series before, I quickly picked up on the different shells made use of them. Strongly recommended for family fun! -
July 22, 2008 10:47
4.5/5
I love this game! It is the best mario-kart available.
It has great cars each w/ there different strong traits.
Characters are pretty standard, nothing suprising.
Includes a multitude of new and older levels (from Gamecube, N64, etc)
Overall 9/10 -
October 12, 2008 05:49
3.0/5
this would be a great game if the cpu would NOT constantly cheat! if you get anywhere close to first Place, you are bombarded with shells, ink, and spiny shells which instantly puts you in 12th place. all the other mario karts were competitive, but this one just CHEATS CHEATS CHEATS! i would have given this game 5 stars if it hadn't been for the cpu cheating and difficult online play. other than that, its a pretty fun game. -
June 13, 2008 06:48
4.5/5
Highly addictive Mario cart doesn't disappoint the avid Mario Kart fan despite the fact that it is mostly made up of past Mario Kart courses. The provided steering wheel makes this game's driving control incredibly realistic and very exciting. Just watch out for those damn bananas. -
June 12, 2008 09:51
4.5/5
i ❤ the game!!!! Its so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUY IT RIGHT NOW!!!!! lol -
June 9, 2008 08:28
5.0/5
Mario kart wii is a great edition to the mario kart family. The wi-fi is spectacular with no glitches and its great how you can see what country they are from. I love trying to unlock charecters and i have about four more to go. I love how it is not that easy so can beat it in a day. the wii wheel is a great idea and it is so cool. I love how you took courses from N64 and the DS and many more. This game is so much fun and I will defenetly reccomend it to everyone!!! -
June 2, 2008 03:31
4.5/5
this is a very fun game, i have been playing with and against my friends online and at game nights. I only found 2 large issues, 1 is that you cant hold shells and other object behind you like in past Mario Kart's and you cant play with your friend over the wifi and play agaist a large group. -
May 15, 2008 05:53
4.5/5
Great game for kids and adults. Highly recommend this one for the whole family. -
May 1, 2008 09:47
4.0/5
The game is awesome. I thoroughly enjoy playing it. The online play is seamless. I honestly forgot I was playing online. There is no lag time, no annoying freezes, it is like I'm playing someone next to me. Very well done.
The wheel is a bit too sensitive. I actually did better playing without the wheel and just with the wii remote. (obviously I'm fishing for something negative.)
Very fun game for ALL to enjoy.
