Review: Mario Kart Wii

The Wii frightens some people. Almost literally a group of gamers are shaking in their boots. They’re not sure what to think of the motion sensors, the infrared, the nunchuck and, most of all, they’re afraid this new and alien contender will destroy the games they’ve come to know and love over the years. Mario Kart is one such franchise and I’d like to put your mind to rest.

The controls of the series have been left almost entirely unchanged despite the transition to the Wii, so rest assured you’re beloved kart battling is undamaged. In fact, it may be improved. The nunchuck and Wii-mote allow for much more comfortable handling then the previous controllers and our tender thumbs get a well-deserved rest. Now, that particular digit only has to worry about one button and one joystick. All else is left to your index fingers. Everything is smooth and easy. Unless of course, something possess you to use the Wii Wheel packaged with the game. In which case, you insert your Wii mote and tilt the wheel left and right to over steer Toad off the track and plummet him to his death while your index finger gets the top three layers of skin worn off trying to hit the trigger button. Trust me, it’s exactly as fun as it sounds. On the other hand, if Wii-motes and wheels just aren’t you’re thing there’s the option to use a Gamecube or “Classic” controller (SNES controller painted white).

The game play that made the franchise shine so brightly sixteen years ago remains intact. Grand Prix, Versus, Battle, and Time Attack are all there and the A button still makes your kart go forward. Some things have changed however. There are now motorbikes available in addition to karts. Controls for the two remain largely the same, however karts receive a second drift boost and motorbikes can do wheelies by flipping the Wii mote upward. The wheelies increase your speed, but lower your turning capabilities drastically and the second drift boost gives you more of an edge on corners.

New items like pow blocks, bullet bills, and growth hormones (read: giant mushrooms) are now part of your arsenal. Tricks have been added to the game as well. When leaving a ramp or pipe you can perform one by flicking the Wii-mote in any direction. These tricks will give you a short speed boost when you land. These changes are welcome and add extra depth to the game play without making it too annoying, but they’re sour replacements for the elements that have been removed.

In Mario Kart Wii’s predecessor, Double Dash, each kart carried two different characters (Get it? Double Dash? I hope so). Each one could hold an item and switch between driver and artillery at any time. This made things interesting, because each character had a unique (or close to unique - some characters shared) items they could occasionally pick up. Bowser had giant spiked shells, Mario had fireballs, Donkey Kong had massive bananas, and so on. Strategy was needed to know who to have on your team to fit your play style and also who to have on artillery duty and when. All of that is gone now. One character per kart and there are no longer items to match each driver. This is the greatest failing of the game and has dumbed down the game play, thus making it that much less interesting and memorable.

What have become more memorable are the stage designs. Even as early as the mushroom cup you’ll see imaginative new tracks - house-sized mushrooms that send you bouncing when landed on, conveyor belts that change directions, snow embankments, ground that shakes and shatters as you race between falling lava rocks and collapsing pillars, are all in your future if you play the game. That is of course, not to mention the greatest rendition of rainbow road to date and a total of sixteen retro stages from past games and handheld versions. The same sweat and imagination went into the battle arenas. What Double Dash had lost on the battle front is more then made up for in Mario Kart Wii. Granted, it is disappointing that you can’t set the number of players or change the time countdown rule, but the six on six battles with grand courses do a great deal to make up for it. There are also a total of twenty-four characters (not including all of your Miis), but some of them seem tacked on, like Baby Peach for example.

The graphics remain fruity and aren’t a huge improvement over Double Dash, but there is defiantly more flavor in each stage. You can see farther in the distance, the towns are more detailed, and your Miis often shows up in the crowd or on posters selling coffee. Silly Miis and their part time jobs.

What really sets Mario Kart Wii apart is its online capabilities. In fact, I’ve had a hard time unlocking the hidden content (karts, characters, mirror mode), because every time I pick the game up I can’t help but go online with it. The online mode allows either one or two players from your console to battle or race against up to ten other players from around the world. With each game your personal rating goes up or down depending on your performance, which allows the computer to arrange teams as equally as possible. Your opponents can include random strangers or a fight among your friends. Record sharing is also a major component, allowing you to compare your “ghost” (or time attack record) to your friends, your region, or the worldwide records for each track, as well as the option to race against those ghosts. Tournaments are also regularly scheduled events. Bragging rights galore! Mario Kart online is a powerful and addictive thing. Ye be warned.

Its sad that every aspect of the game couldn’t see an improvement, but no game is perfect and this applies to Mario Kart as well. If you’ve loved the franchise before this you’ll undoubtedly love Mario Kart Wii, particularly when you blow some poor sap from across the world to pieces with a pow block. Its weaknesses are there staring you in the face, but its hard to notice them when so many things were done right. I give it a strong eight out of ten.

Reviewed by Aaron.