[Wii] Mario Kart Wii

[UltimaCJ]

Here it is! After five long years another Mario Kart debuts to the new Nintendo console, the Nintendo Wii. Namely named, Mario Kart Wii. The night the game out and the stores that were offering 'Midnight openings' exclusively for this game, I was very excited! I've played Mario Kart Double Dash! for the Nintendo Gamecube (on my own and with a friend) for nearly five years and during that time It is perhaps my most favorite game. While I did enjoy Mario Kart DS, it was more hand breaking than previous kart games. So after this long, long, wait, how does Mario Kart Wii measure up in the end...? Well...... Hmmm?..

First off, let me point out new and key factors that Mario Kart Wii (MKW) offers. Being it's the Nintendo Wii and its motion sensor action, the game comes with a Wii Wheel. Which in short, it just a big plastic wheel were your Wii Remote plugs into on the back. Technically, you could play without the Wii Wheel but there's a bit less grip to it. I played with the Wheel for a good hour with a friend, it took some time to get use to but overall it's not too bad. Avid (or serious racers) players might find the wheel too gimmicky. Simply because there?s nothing attached to it. For me, I'm more use to something actually attached to it such as a left and right pedal. There's too much free and fluid room with the wheel. However, this is just for me so the wheel will not affect the outcome of my final score in MKW. Additionally, you can also use the Wii remote, Wii Remote/Numchuck, the classic controller, and the gamecube controller. Nintendo knew about us hard core old school fans of the previous kart, so it was obvious to add the gamecube controller. While I have not use the Wii remote/numchuck or the classic controller (I don't even own a classic controller). I became very prone to the gamecube controller. After all, I DID play Double Dash! for over five ye:)s :) Being this said, the gamecube control style is very similar to that of Double Dash, the only thing that?s different is power sliding as only R is used in this unlike in Double Dash were either could be used.

The other newest feature MKW has is a new power sliding system. Nintendo implemented this new power sliding system due to the controversial technique introduced in Mario Kart DS (known as snaking). MA style of racing of were you could constantly (and fluidly) power slide throughout the entire course. I'm not amazed they changed this, as this feature was abused badly. Simply put for Mario Kart DS, if you have low stamina on doing the same thing over and over and over and over, you won't last long against other players in the game. While I gave Mario Kart DS a perfect score of 5.000/5.000 on my site, I would not change my score as it is a very good game overall. When I review games, I look at the game as a whole with a mixture of my personal view towards it. I hardly play the game anymore simply because after about 10 or so races my hands were killing me. Some people may deem that game the 'kart game for professionals only'. While this could be argued, nevertheless it was a great game.

Anyways.... MKW power sliding is a bit different. While you can somewhat snake, it can't be done as ever so often. To power slide in this game, you start into a power slide like in traditional kart games, but this time you wait for your sparks to go off before you can get your boost off your power slide. If you wait for a few more seconds, your sparks will change different colors and you can go into a much bigger boost . Power sliding doesn't hurt the game, in fact it's not that bad and any player can get use to it fairly quickly.

Other new features to MKW feature a coin runners in battle mode, brand new items, and of course, brand new courses. While I didn't dive much into the battle mode, as I prefer regular racing, the only bad aspect of this is you can only play in teams. So if you and friend want to go at it, you HAVE to have the other computer players in there. Unless you got 12 people in a game, it's just meh (not always easy to do).

MKW offers a lot of new courses. Each course is designed very well and graphically show off great. Soundtrack for each course is also done very well. Just like in the DS version, MKW offers 16 re-made retro courses. I like the idea of rehashing old courses to a sense but some of these courses they re-designed aren't as well as it was in the DS version. A part of me also feels that they should have just added 16 different new courses instead rehashing old ones. A few new racers are added into the mix although some of the new racers are 'questionable' why they're in the game (such as baby peach or daisy did we really need them...?) Another of its newest features is bikes. Yes bikes are in this game. They're a neat add on but personally, it could have been done without. This is Mario KART not Mario road rash! It just seems somewhat out of place in a go kart game. Bikes and carts can do extra features as well. If you hit your control pad (or tilt your wheel) you can perform tricks when you hit jumps. Additionally, bikes can do wheelies for extra speed but give little maneuverability when you do this.

With all these new features, one would think MKW would be a pretty good game overall....sadly not the case here....

In one player (sadly a friend can't join in the Grand Prix), you pick one of three standard classes (50, 100, and 150cc) eventually you'll get a fourth unlocked which is mirror mode. Grand Prix is changed up a bit this time around. On your first play through of 50cc and 100cc you have to play with karts only (50cc) and bikes only (100cc). This is somewhat of a challenge since you are forced to adjust to playing with bikes (especially if that?s not your playing style). When you first start out, the game is pretty mellow on 50cc. However, when you get to 100cc and 150cc the computer goes NUTS. Litterly! You'll find yourself constantly being bombarded by blue 'Jack Bauer' shells (yeah I'm a 24 fan) lightning bolts, and lots and LOTS of red shells. It becomes so chaotic, that's it becomes unfun and litterly no skill is involved. I have YET to finish this game in mirror mode because of this. Getting hit on once in awhile/constant basis is one thing but every 20 seconds?! Screw that! Unlike in Double Dash, you no longer have double riders, which isn't a bad thing. In MKW you have over 12 racers covering the course(hence chaotic racing). I'm not sure why Nintendo decided to increase this factor, being as the all the previous Mario Karts had eight.

When it comes to online/local play against other players the game also falls short on this too. The game allows you to customize to a certain limit but it's still limited. You can set the number of races per match. However, you can't set the number of laps for each course and just like in Double Dash, there are some courses that are meant to have more laps. The game goes based off a point system just like in Mario Kart DS. Unlike the DS version, you can't set how many wins for each game. When it comes to online play its done pretty well and perhaps one of the best features of the game. Unlike in the DS version, you can create a room, pick any course, and start it at your leisure which is great. The only bad aspect is how the game words a person's online status. If your playing a different game, it'll say 'I'm not on Nintendo Wifi at the moment' even though you are, your just not on Mario Kart Wii. Nintendo has a long way to go when it comes to online gaming. (Especially for the cheaters out there.) When four rounds are done in an online game, the player with the most points is the winner. Additionally, a friend can join with you before playing online, but they can't vote what course they want to pick as they are only a guest. Somewhat of a drag if you ask me.

Multiplayer STILL falls short though and this is because of items. In previous kart games, the game adapts based on what place your in. In MKW, it's strictly based on what place your in. If your in 3rd place, you will get the range of the following items at this rate (walkthroughs list this). I've played up to 6 players (online) and 3 players (locally). The most common item (even in first place) that kept popping up was the lightning cloud which is one of the newest items. MKW comes with a few new items all are great but the lightning cloud could have been done WITHOUT because it pops up too many times, especially in just two player mode. If player two gets this item and its pretty much handing the other player the race. The lightning cloud is similar to the aspect rules of ?hot potato? when you have this item it?s activated right away. Your kart goes much faster and the objective is to bump another player before the cloud nails you and shrinks you. On certain tracks (especially in two player mode) you can avoid this with good timing but other tracks your just plain screwed. A cool feature that would have been nice to add (just like in the Smash Bros series) is to set what items you want on and off. Other neat items such as Super Shroom (from the New Super Mario Bros on the DS), to the POW block, are great add-ons and adds variety but that lightning cloud....argh @#$%! The game is just not fun as the most common items that show up are shrooms, green shells, and banana peels. Mario Kart is suppose to be unpredictable game (hence fun). Even with three item settings (aggressive, normal, and strategic) the same theme seems to show up. BUT the lightning cloud, he'll most certainly show his azz up many times. Grrrr ^%^%!

Perhaps the worse...WORST feature of this game is one aspect that makes it enjoyable!! What's the most important thing in video games when playing them (especially racing games!)??? CONTROL[/size]. MKW lacks this, in a bad way. I'm mean BAD. No, I'm not talking about power sliding in this game, that was done fine. The control scheme is just bad. It's a bit better on the Wii Wheel, but not by much. MKW has a bad case of under steering. Which is when you try to turn your car, but it doesn't want to turn. It's like driving on butter. Which is very similar to Mario Kart 64 for the Nintendo 64. Now that I think about it, Nintendo 64 was a bit slightly better but not by much. Control is so bad in this game even power sliding doesn't feel right. In Mario Kart DS you had to power slide to keep up, in Mario Kart Wii you have to pSTAY ON THE DAMN ROAD! ROAD! While you DON'T have to power slide in the DS version (you'll more than likely won't come in first place but you'll come in a decent place), you HAVE to in Wii. It's sad really. Braking is also litterly USELESS . In the previous Karts (not sure about 64), you could break with ease after power sliding (or during one) hitting a boost pad (if it didn't have multiple boost pads) or using a salsa shroom (as I like to call it). Here you can't do that. When you drift off in your power slide you must wait until it ends before you can brake. So just like boosting with a shroom if you need to suddenly brake and make a sharp turn or stop so the first place shell doesn't hit you and hits another player, you can't do that in this game. One particular course mushrooms make it frustrating and even the boosts pads is Grumble Volcano. Because of how this course is designed, if you get shrooms it will be hard to make sharp turns or stay on the road due to poor braking.

All the karts have specific stats, but even a kart or bike with the BEST handling stat, STILL feels it can't turn worth snot. Also, if you hit off road and just SLIGHTLY you'll slow down instantly and I mean INSTANTLY. While some karts have a higher rating to prevent massive slowdown, it's not by much.

........In the end just like my friend says 'It should have been Mario Kart Double Dash! with upgrades [without the damn lightning cloud]. If your a family guy/gal, you and your kids might like this game if your not avid kart fans. Personally, watching the demos if the family was really playing they were more than likely saying behind those smiling faces (man I can't turn for poop in this game but I'll *smile* f:) the camera :) say cheese!) For the rest of you out there, if your looking for a serious Mario Kart game, this isn't it. This is almost as bad as Devil May Cry 2....and that was one game were you'd have more fun burning a $50 bill then buying that inbred piece of crap.

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Graphics: 1.000/1.000 (Great visuals for all the tracks. Characters and karts are done very well. Even the rehash tracks look nice)

Sound: 0.750/1.000 (A decent soundtrack overall. Not as powerful as the previous kart games but still pretty good!)

Control: 0.000/1.000 (Control is a flat ZERO simply because you can't turn worth crap. The game responds on other aspects but still not being able to turn and because its a Mario Kart game that deems this score a flat ZERO.))

Storyline: 0.000/1.000 (No storyline)*

Gameplay: 0.200/1.000 (Terrible under steering. VERY bad control. Item frequency and unable to adapt based on the number of players hurts the game play factor of this game and its premise because it's a Mario Kart Game. You can only play in teams in battle mode. Somewhat limited options when playing multiplayer mode. Did I mention VERY bad control? I did? My bad %$@^! As the 'Angry Video Game Nerd says' "Brings my **** to a boil!&Total Score: 1.950/5.000 [Terrible!]ible!]

*Techincally I waiver off a game that isn't meant for a storyline and would give this game a 2.950. But because of the nature of this game and its orgins. This game fails to EARN that wa3;!

On a side note: I guess I'll wait another five years until another Kart Game comes out. If we know Nintendo they only make one kart game, 1 mario game, per console. Anyone up for some:)ouble Dash? :) Back to that!

Edited July 9, 2008 by UltimaCJ

[BiGdUsTy]

Wait a bad Mario Kart game never I say!

Oh wait the control in this game does suck bad.

What the hell was Nintendo thinking when they came up with this control scheme and I'm not talking about the Wii Wheel.

All we really needed was Double Dash 2.0 with Wii gimmick added.

[PiracyX]

This game was very poor i must say.

It had so many issues and didn't really feel like a new game at all, more like an expansion to the previous games but alot worse.

Also i found it rather annoying that Mario and Baby Mario would ALWAYS come 1st/2nd. really sad Nintendo :rolleyes:

We talk about all the third party developers throwing out shovelware on the system when Nintendo are just as much to blame with their games.

Nintendo needs to wake up because they are living in the last generation with their system and their games.

[Brandon]

I've found it pretty enjoyable....

[Evolution]

Have you actually played with the Wii mote + nunchuck, it's the easiest and best control setup.... don't complain about controls until you actually try it for a WHILE.

[UltimaCJ]

Have you actually played with the Wii mote + nunchuck, it's the easiest and best control setup.... don't complain about controls until you actually try it for a WHILE.

I might try that setup the Numchuck/Remote combonation it is only ideal for certain games, Smash bros for example about 90% of people I've asked (and with Kart) say the GC controller or classic controller is the best setup. Even then, I tried with the Wii Wheel I seriously doubt that trying this controller setup will kill the massive amount of under steering the game suffers from. Trust me I felt bad about giving this game a poor review, but Nintendo seriously messed up. I LOVE Mario Kart and it's a shame they put overall total letdown of the series with the Wii version.

[whYeNQue]

yeh... wiimote+nunchuck are definately better. but the wheel isn't as bad as you say.

but the game is badly balanced on a whole tho. battle mode is so bad... oh sooooooo bad. this was one of my favourite things about mario kart... and they messed it up.

the multiplayer racing is enjoyable...to a degree... but you get spammered by weapons and environmental effects every 5 seconds, there is no consistency.

thus I find this is the worst console mario kart game. (I havent played the handheld ones, so I don't know how they play)

i played it at my friends house for an evening, i think they needed to go overload in the options (i.e. ssbb style) so you can choose what to play, how many players, what items, etc etc so you can tweak the game to your preferences.

i wanted a simple 4 player free for all battle mode... :(

[iconoclast]

Have you actually played with the Wii mote + nunchuck, it's the easiest and best control setup.... don't complain about controls until you actually try it for a WHILE.

No. This is a Nintendo game. Nintendo prides itself on the fact that you don't need to play a WHILE to have fun. Nintendo games are (or used to be) made so that any schmo can pick it up and have fun. The bastardization of Super Smash Brothers with Brawl is evidence enough of this. Tripping? Really? But that is another thread. You open the game, put it on, and you can have fun. Play a WHILE, and then you get good and can worry about strategy (see Mario Party).

You should be able to pick this game up and, on the easiest level, get 3rd, 4th, or 5th place out of the box. Instead, like the OP said, you have two options. 1) Drive full speed and fall off at every turn or 2) brake early and often and have zero chance at placing.

I played this game at a friend's house for well over an hour, and it was the most frustrating game I had ever played on the Wii as of yet. Wee tried the wheel, the remote on its own, remote+nunchuck, and finally we settled on the GC controller, which was sad that we had to resort to that. The only fun we had was when we stopped racing and did a 4 player battle. Because the controls mattered less in that mode.

The items are predictable, the controls are horrible, and the rehashed courses make this game so sub par that it barely warrants a rent, let along a full blown purchase.

[UltimaCJ]

Yeah sadly I bought this game the day it came out at the midnight sale. I bought this game out of 'faith' (similar to Devil May Cry 2). I was like Nintendo never really messed up a Mario Kart game here. How could they go wrong here? I def did not get my 50$ purchase. Hopefully nintendo will learn from their mistakes (as did Capcom) and will make a better Kart game next time around. Although I hope they don't slightly over do it like they did with DMC3, that game was uber hard. I wouldn't mind seeing a Double Dash 2. Retro courses are ok but the only retro course I really would like to play is the original Rainbow Road

[Doli]

I've found it pretty enjoyable....

So did I, its a great game. The control is not that bad I see a lot of people using the wheel coming in the top spots. Maybe the control was changed to fit the wheel more instead of using a controller. It does seem like you have more steering control with the wheel then just using an analog stick even. I still use my gamecube controller online (warming up to the wheel a bit) but I see a lot of people using the wheel and doing good.

Online is the best part, to get thrashed by someone with the tag "Mom" on my first day is just funny.

[Symbiotic Hat]

I have to disagree with you there. Yes there are some draw backs like the obvious cheating of the computer players (being able to shoot boxes before everyone else, not being affected by POWS etc etc), the worthless Wii Wheel, and the constant BS power ups. But I'm a huge Mario Kart fan and I can look past these things because Mario Kart has always been about fun with friends and this version delivers in that aspect.

I've had countless hours of enjoyment with this game alone and with friends. I've unlocked everything in the game and have a 1 star rating or better on all tracks (working on 2 star) so there has to be some skill to it if you can improve over time.

[UltimaCJ]

Like I said in my review. You can't have fun if you can't have decent control. And I love Mario kart. I bought this game on Faith before any official review came out. And Kart is meant to have fun. But this game makes it a project :(

[iconoclast]

Agreed. The only fun that comes in multiplayer is watching your friends suffer around turns as much as you do.

[Joel]

No one who's played the original on the SNES can complain about the AI in this one.

Learn the other bikes/carts if you think the control sucks. I race with a bike that pulls of the 180 degree turn in SNES Mario Circuit 3 (2?) at 150cc with no braking.

[Smigit]

I find the controls fine.

That said I havent touched the game since the week it came out. I was really looking forward to it but they absolutly killed the games single player. It's just not remotely fun any more and theres no skill involved. Theres so many items now that get used against you when you are in the lead that you can't defend against and that the player using doesn't even have to aim it's ridiculous. If they are going to let the AI be as aggressive as they are they should at least give those in the top 4 positions an item like a shield that stops attacks for 3 seconds so they have the chance to occasionally counter one of these attacks. As it is, Nintendo ruined what has always been my favorite part of the series.

The other letdown was multiplayer. Battle mode is fun for maybe two or three days but it quickly gets boring with the lack of tracks on offer. For arenas so simple in design they should have shipped with closer to 20 - 30 of them instead of just 8. It just gets boring playing the same tracks over and over again. Also wheres the death match modes? Ability to set laps? Ability to select what weapons can be picked up?

It's an ok game but nothing more than that. It's a shame because all they had to do was tweak the AI and add more multiplayer maps and it would have been an excelent game. It just so happens that in my opinion the 2 areas where the game is most deficient (AI + number of multiplayer maps) are the two areas that kill of the fun for both the single and multiplayer parts.

[UltimaCJ]

No one who's played the original on the SNES can complain about the AI in this one.

Learn the other bikes/carts if you think the control sucks. I race with a bike that pulls of the 180 degree turn in SNES Mario Circuit 3 (2?) at 150cc with no braking.

Like my review said. I tried EVERY kart/bike in the game. Bike's felt a bit better but not by much. Theres just too much under steering. I didn't add this in my review but certain bikes have an extreme amount of over steering but a little practice perfects it but still.....ouch

The other letdown was multiplayer. Battle mode is fun for maybe two or three days but it quickly gets boring with the lack of tracks on offer. For arenas so simple in design they should have shipped with closer to 20 - 30 of them instead of just 8. It just gets boring playing the same tracks over and over again. Also wheres the death match modes? Ability to set laps? Ability to select what weapons can be picked up?

It's an ok game but nothing more than that. It's a shame because all they had to do was tweak the AI and add more multiplayer maps and it would have been an excelent game. It just so happens that in my opinion the 2 areas where the game is most deficient (AI + number of multiplayer maps) are the two areas that kill of the fun for both the single and multiplayer parts.

Laps yes (DD had that) as for the options no it didn't. It would be nice other than having it on or off and that's it. As for battle maps/multiplayer maps I don't think any kart game had THAT many maps. But a few more would have been nice. Two or 3 of them look the same and have the same theme.

[Smigit]

As for battle maps/multiplayer maps I don't think any kart game had THAT many maps. But a few more would have been nice. Two or 3 of them look the same and have the same theme.

Yeah I know they didn't but besides the game boy none have had online multiplayer either. Four was good as a quick afternoon blast with friends once or twice a week. However it's hardly enough IMHO to maintain interest for a prolonged period. That and a few of the maps play pretty similarly.

As for the ability to turn off certain weapons. Reason I'd like that is it removes the useless "unfun" weapons like the blue shells and hopefully would be balanced somewhat with an increase in red ones or whatever. I know the entire design of Mario Kart is to have all the racers able to win but with more racers now it really becomes a chore for those in the lead and doesn't encourage people in the middle to actually try and out race people until the last lap for fear of being shot down.

Things like the blue shell should be optional in a race. I find they VERY rarely benefit the person actually using the shell who is usually too far to catch up anyway. All it does is mess around the race for those in the lead and really is a bonus for the guy comming 2nd or 3rd more than it is for the guy who uses the shell. Red shells I like, you can defend against them and the guy using them still needs some proximity on the opponent. Items that cant be defended against and hit someone up to 11 places ahead of you are just stupid and unfun for those who are doing well.

I know that was always part of Mario Kart. But now it's going online they should at least set options for those that don't want this to happen. I also find the super power ups are alot more common now than they used to be...maybe due to there being more racers. Theres just no balance what so ever in this iteration.

[lt8480]

In the house which me and my friends rent we have a Wii ... I hadnt played on a Nintendo console since my NES (lol ... a long time ago!!), anyway I played Mario Kart Wii for about half an hour and had already picked up the grasp of the game controls (I dont think the controls are poor in anyway) - I was playing with the Numchuck/Remote setup.

We got the game the day it was released and Ive played on it a fair bit - since then I have played on previous Mario Kart games and tbh I think they are useless in comparison, the controls are awful...

... maybe people have played the old games too much and are just stuck with their old driving technique - which is not the same or suited to the new game.

Also the controls/steering of the karts vary depending on the model you choose - for that reason I alwasy stick with the same player and same kart. Maybe the karts people are using dont suit their driving technique also.

btw... what the game really lacks is a "track builder".... where you can then share the tracks online.

[gigapixels Veteran]

I have to disagree with everything you said. I had no problem picking up the controls (and neither has anybody I've played with), and they respond very well. Heck, if you put it on automatic you shouldn't have any trouble making any turns. I personally use manual as I'm good at it and the speed boost is a plus, but either way, you shouldn't be falling off the edge of the tracks unless you're just new to the track and weren't expecting something, and that's part of the fun of Mario Kart, IMO.

I liked it quite a bit, and I think it's definitely a worthy evolution of the series.

[UltimaCJ]

the only thing that really hurt this game was the controls trust me i tried every scheme (as well as several controllers just to make sure it was my controllers) in all the mario karts i've played I've never had to power slide to make a successful don't hit the dirt on track turn. the item unbalance that's something i'd live with on single player as well as the non-adaption for two player as me and other friend play this a lot. (or kinda did)

[gigapixels Veteran]

Even if the power slide is now required for good turns while keeping speed, they made it automatic if you want, so if you don't want to bother you shouldn't have to. You just won't get the speed boost. Personally I think it adds a bit of a challenge for those that want it, and it doesn't affect those that don't want to bother with it (as far as I've seen, nobody else I play with uses manual).

[UltimaCJ]

I don't think I could play with automatic. But automatic is meant for new players not seasoned players and I'm a seasoned player. Either way it still doesn't feel right when it comes to turning. I could turn my wheel/controller hard left/right on a turn and my kart/bike would still not make it or barely make it.

[Joel]

I don't think I could play with automatic. But automatic is meant for new players not seasoned players and I'm a seasoned player. Either way it still doesn't feel right when it comes to turning. I could turn my wheel/controller hard left/right on a turn and my kart/bike would still not make it or barely make it.

Try some other bikes. I'm using one that can pull the 180 degree turn in SNES Mario Circuit 3 at 150cc with no problem.

[Ricardo Gil]

Me and my friends didn't have as much fun with this version as we did (and do) with 64. Maybe we're just stuck in the past, but the truth is even the DS version feels better.

[+Majesticmerc MVC]

I don't think I could play with automatic. But automatic is meant for new players not seasoned players and I'm a seasoned player. Either way it still doesn't feel right when it comes to turning. I could turn my wheel/controller hard left/right on a turn and my kart/bike would still not make it or barely make it.

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you're having trouble turning, then you aren't a seasoned player. I use the wheel exclusively, and I don't have problems cornering at all, with the exception of Sherbet Land, but I've sucked at that course since MK64.

Slides are supposed to be a turning aid, I take nearly all corners on the slide. If you're understeering, then you need to jump into a slide. Heck my primary kart understeers like a dog, but that's the way I like it.