Mario Kart Wii Review - 8/10

Mario Kart Wii has generated fair media in the upcoming weeks to its release. And it's fair too say why. The game is following its classic racing style, but this time adds a few a few extra features, and changes a few old things around.

First off, the game has four different control schemes.

- Wii Wheel/Wii Remote
- Wii Remote and Nunchuck
- Classic Controller
- Gamecube Controller

Not having tried the official Wii Wheel myself, I can;t judge upon that. Using a 3d party wheel peripheral though offers solid control, along with the Wii remote alone, however for the fast racers, this isn't a recommended option. Stick to the Gamecube controls. The Wii Remote and Nunchuck offers more sharper controls compared to the Wii Remote alone, but once again, the Classic and Gamecube controls are better.




The gameplay of Mario Kart Wii is fairly solid. I noticed during game play the CPU is a bit more fair, so you won't get hit with a Blue Shell seconds before you reach the final finish. The game does feel a bit slower compared to previous games such as Mario Kart DS, but this may only seem so because the tracks are rather wider to allow for twelve players, a new feature in Mario Kart Wii.

The basics haven't changed. Three modes;

- 50CC
- 100CC
- 150CC

The first only allows Karts, the second only bikes, and the third allows a combination of both. Of course, after completing a mode you'll be able to come back and compete with both if you wish.

Bikes are a new addition to the Mario Kart series, and some will enjoy this new feature, others may hate it. The bikes do turn alot more sharply than karts, which may need getting used too. They only allow the 'blue' level of turbo boosting, unlike the two levels (the second beind 'gold') of karts. This is because the bikes themselves have the ability to perform Wheelies through the race, giving them an easy speed boost.

If you;ve played Mario Kart DS, which I'm sure most of you have, you'll be happy (or maybe sad) to know all the items are returning, with three new ones. The Pow! block comes in this version of the series, and will make all the racers nearby spin out, unless of course you manage to get in the air via a ramp when this occurs.

The second new item that you'll come across is the strange Lightning Cloud. It will quickly and noticibly give you a fast speed boost, and will continue to do so for a matter of seconds. The catch? With in seconds you'll get zapped with, you guessed it - lightning! Unless of course you use the quick speed to your advantage to bump onto a nearby racer, and thereby passing the unique cloud to them.

The last new addition to the collection of power ups and hazards is the Giant Mushroom. It's name isn't wrong, it sure makes you large. Huge, in fact. Making you faster and bigger, you'll crush any opponents you encounter. It doesn't last long though, which is a shame.


Mario Kart Wii also adds the 'tricks' feature. Performing tricks is fairly simply, by pressing a button using your controller or shaking the Wiimote/Wii Wheel when launching off a ramp, or even on some bumps if you can pull it off. For the players who wish to get fast speeds, performing tricks at every opportunity will greatly help.

From gameplay so far, I would have to say it is possible to snake. It is more difficult to do so than on previous versions of the loved series, but it is possible. This does require some extra skill though.




The graphics are not bad, but aren't up too par with Brawl or Galaxy. Some of the environments are a little too dull for what's come to expect from Nintendo after playing Brawl and Galaxy, but when you're playing a racing game like Mario Kart Wii, trying to avoid hazards and boost your speed, the environment isn't usually what one focuses on. Some maps are superb in graphics terms, but others, while still good, could have been alot better.

There are twenty four characters to be played, some involving smart and unique ways of unlocking, others requiring you to test your speed skills against Nintendo's best.

The Battle mode in Mario Kart Wii, atleast against the CPU, isn't the best it could be. It can be extremely annoying, and the wide tracks you're on while driving after your opponent with your hazard don't help in Battle mode, as it's easy to get confused at times. Battle mode never seemed to much interest to me, however, so I don't have much too say about the actual feature. Good old VS racing for me, most of the time.


The online is the best online game to date for Nintendo. Nintendo have still stuck with the annoying friend code system, and still no signs of voice chat, however a small improvement is the aility to choose small ohrases and messages from over twenty four pages while waiting for a game, so you can all easily decide what track or mode to choose. However, Nintendo really should add voice chat.



Mario Kart Wii online finds players with in seconds from across the globe, and I've yet to come across an online game where I notice any lag. The game features a ranking system, whereby you start with a rank of 5000. Be in the top six, you gain points, be in the bottom six, however, and you lose points. Nintendo easily finds racers across the world who are close to your ranking, so you won't be far behind or far ahead, allowing for an exciting race all three laps.

Overall, Mario Kart Wii is a solid game. The online is Nintendo's best, and it's clear Nintendo is slowly but surely getting better online wise, but it'll be a while until we see breath-taking online features. The game sticks to the good old Mario Kart features, with a few changes along the way.

Tragedies 12/04/2008

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