The only video game that I play on a regular basis; this is also imo the best the Wii has to offer.
Overview
The Mario Kart Series started back in 1992 with the release of Super Mario Kart for the SNES and was instantly one of the system's most popular games. The subsequent N64 sequel was just as good, if not better. The same could be said for the GCN game, Double Dash. It's also had two handheld ventures; one game on both the DS and GBA. Both games are, again, fun to play and simple, which is part of the Mario Kart charm. The series has a history of smooth controls, many modes of gameplay, and a fun environment, not to mention a wide array of characters. Mario Kart Wii brings all this to the table, and much more (including motorcycles).
GamePlay
The primary mode of play in this game is the single player Grand Prix, where you're given a selection of 4 cups, each with 4 courses to race on. There are an additional 4 cups that you have to unlock. Half of the cups feature courses unique to the Wii, while the other half is composed of revamped courses from the previous games. There is also a time trial mode, where you simply race to get the best time on a given course. You can race your own ghosts, your friends', or anyone's all over the world, via WFC connection. As with all Mario kart games, there is also a Battle mode, which is a fun change of pace if you're tired of racing around tracks and you'd rather pop your friend's balloon or race around a stage for coins instead. However, the best addition here, by far, is the Wifi mode. This was already available on the DS, but was not as widely used as it is here. In the wifi mode, you can race against time trial ghosts, immerse yourself in a battle 5000km away from you, or partake in a worldwide grand prix. While the majority of games on the Wii have fairly poor online gameplay, Mario Kart's is free of any lag or slowdown. The actual connection takes a minute or so (as expected), but the racing is as smooth as if you were playing with a friend right beside you. Speaking of that, there is also a multiplayer mode that supports up to 4 people.
Controls
The effectiveness of the controls are one of the things that Make a racing game successful or poor. Fortunately in Mario Kart Wii, you have a choice of which style you want to use, and the one you end up choosing can GREATLY affect your results.
I'll just deposit my thoughts in point form here.
-When used alone, the Wii Remote is incredibly unstable. I had a difficult time staying on course, never mind managing to execute a power slide. Mid-air tricks took noticeably more effort than simply pressing a button.
-The Wii wheel's added weight does help when doing tricks and when turning. If you use the solo Wii Remote, it's easy to overshoot the turn.
-Performing tricks on the GCN controller or Classic Controller, via the D-pad, feels awkward at first. If you use the controller over time, this becomes a natural reflex.
-The nunchuk option is essentially a "teaked" version of the classic controller, but it's easier for lefties to operate, since they can choose which hand to put the wii remote in.
-Double Dash veterans beware!! The GameCube controls are not the same for Mario kart Wii.
-There are some hardcore mofos who can use the wheel with one hand and successfully destroy their opponents. An extremely difficult task, but rewarding nonetheless.
-The important thing to note is that all of the control options are playable and none are broken.
Charcters and Vehicles
In Mario Kart Wii, you can choose a character from a roster consisting of up to 24 characters and from 36 vehicles, separated into three different weight classes. A character's weight decides the available types of karts and motorcycle, and their performance on the tracks. Each vehicle has seven different parameters for characteristics: speed, weight, acceleration, handling, drift, off-road, and mini-turbo.
Overview
The Mario Kart Series started back in 1992 with the release of Super Mario Kart for the SNES and was instantly one of the system's most popular games. The subsequent N64 sequel was just as good, if not better. The same could be said for the GCN game, Double Dash. It's also had two handheld ventures; one game on both the DS and GBA. Both games are, again, fun to play and simple, which is part of the Mario Kart charm. The series has a history of smooth controls, many modes of gameplay, and a fun environment, not to mention a wide array of characters. Mario Kart Wii brings all this to the table, and much more (including motorcycles).
GamePlay
The primary mode of play in this game is the single player Grand Prix, where you're given a selection of 4 cups, each with 4 courses to race on. There are an additional 4 cups that you have to unlock. Half of the cups feature courses unique to the Wii, while the other half is composed of revamped courses from the previous games. There is also a time trial mode, where you simply race to get the best time on a given course. You can race your own ghosts, your friends', or anyone's all over the world, via WFC connection. As with all Mario kart games, there is also a Battle mode, which is a fun change of pace if you're tired of racing around tracks and you'd rather pop your friend's balloon or race around a stage for coins instead. However, the best addition here, by far, is the Wifi mode. This was already available on the DS, but was not as widely used as it is here. In the wifi mode, you can race against time trial ghosts, immerse yourself in a battle 5000km away from you, or partake in a worldwide grand prix. While the majority of games on the Wii have fairly poor online gameplay, Mario Kart's is free of any lag or slowdown. The actual connection takes a minute or so (as expected), but the racing is as smooth as if you were playing with a friend right beside you. Speaking of that, there is also a multiplayer mode that supports up to 4 people.
Controls
The effectiveness of the controls are one of the things that Make a racing game successful or poor. Fortunately in Mario Kart Wii, you have a choice of which style you want to use, and the one you end up choosing can GREATLY affect your results.
I'll just deposit my thoughts in point form here.
-When used alone, the Wii Remote is incredibly unstable. I had a difficult time staying on course, never mind managing to execute a power slide. Mid-air tricks took noticeably more effort than simply pressing a button.
-The Wii wheel's added weight does help when doing tricks and when turning. If you use the solo Wii Remote, it's easy to overshoot the turn.
-Performing tricks on the GCN controller or Classic Controller, via the D-pad, feels awkward at first. If you use the controller over time, this becomes a natural reflex.
-The nunchuk option is essentially a "teaked" version of the classic controller, but it's easier for lefties to operate, since they can choose which hand to put the wii remote in.
-Double Dash veterans beware!! The GameCube controls are not the same for Mario kart Wii.
-There are some hardcore mofos who can use the wheel with one hand and successfully destroy their opponents. An extremely difficult task, but rewarding nonetheless.
-The important thing to note is that all of the control options are playable and none are broken.
Charcters and Vehicles
In Mario Kart Wii, you can choose a character from a roster consisting of up to 24 characters and from 36 vehicles, separated into three different weight classes. A character's weight decides the available types of karts and motorcycle, and their performance on the tracks. Each vehicle has seven different parameters for characteristics: speed, weight, acceleration, handling, drift, off-road, and mini-turbo.
WARNING: CHARACTER SPOILER BELOW!!!
The weight classes detirmine not only which vehicles you can select, but also which characteristics are better or worse. Here's a quick rundown of the 3 weight classes.
Small: Are able to drive small karts. They generally have good acceleration and off-road abilities, but low top speeds. These characters are also very light, meaning they get knocked around easily. However, they handle very well.
Medium: Are able to drive medium-sized karts. Most of the karts show an average acceleration, weight and off-road; a good compromise between Small and Large vehicles.
Large: Large karts and bikes are usually the best choice if you want to beat a time trial. They all reach very high top speeds. however, they don't handle as well and take longer to reach their top speed. They don't perform as well of road, but will always dominate the smaller vehicles due to their heavier weight.
The character you choose will also determine the performance of your vehicle. That's right... every character is actually different. Each character has their own set of bonuses that boost certain stats for their vehicles. Units are out of 70, so +7/70 is about an extra point out of 10.
Mario Kart Wii includes three new items: the Mega Mushroom, the POW Block and the Thunder Cloud. Items can be earned by driving through Item Boxes on the courses, just like in previous games. In general, players tend to obtain a weak item, such as a banana or a green shell when they are in first. However, if players are in second or a lower place, obtaining a more powerful item such as a red shell or a Mushroom is more frequent. You can use items like bananas and shells to block other items from hitting you. You can also dodge the POW Block by doing a wheelie or being in the air. You can get rid of the dangerous thunder cloud by simply touching another racer. The items are fun to use, but occasionally frustrating. Even so, they are part of the Mario Kart "charm".
Graphics
It looks a little improved over Double Dash, but still, not a huge leap. However, there are larger courses, some well-placed bloom effects and good lighting effects. The characters look kinda average, but the bikes and carts look pretty cool. This is really one of those examples that proves that better graphics don't make a batter game.
Overall
5/5. I reccomend this to anyone and everyone. it's pretty simple; if you haven't played mario kart, you don't own a Wii.
Pros:
-Many modes of gameplay
-wide array of characters and vehicles
-Bikes are cool
-LOTS of unlockables
-great online play
-controls to fit your needs
Cons:
-Graphics aren't "all that" (but still pretty good)
-
this >:(
The weight classes detirmine not only which vehicles you can select, but also which characteristics are better or worse. Here's a quick rundown of the 3 weight classes.
Small: Are able to drive small karts. They generally have good acceleration and off-road abilities, but low top speeds. These characters are also very light, meaning they get knocked around easily. However, they handle very well.
Medium: Are able to drive medium-sized karts. Most of the karts show an average acceleration, weight and off-road; a good compromise between Small and Large vehicles.
Large: Large karts and bikes are usually the best choice if you want to beat a time trial. They all reach very high top speeds. however, they don't handle as well and take longer to reach their top speed. They don't perform as well of road, but will always dominate the smaller vehicles due to their heavier weight.
The character you choose will also determine the performance of your vehicle. That's right... every character is actually different. Each character has their own set of bonuses that boost certain stats for their vehicles. Units are out of 70, so +7/70 is about an extra point out of 10.
Items
Mario Kart Wii includes three new items: the Mega Mushroom, the POW Block and the Thunder Cloud. Items can be earned by driving through Item Boxes on the courses, just like in previous games. In general, players tend to obtain a weak item, such as a banana or a green shell when they are in first. However, if players are in second or a lower place, obtaining a more powerful item such as a red shell or a Mushroom is more frequent. You can use items like bananas and shells to block other items from hitting you. You can also dodge the POW Block by doing a wheelie or being in the air. You can get rid of the dangerous thunder cloud by simply touching another racer. The items are fun to use, but occasionally frustrating. Even so, they are part of the Mario Kart "charm".
Graphics
It looks a little improved over Double Dash, but still, not a huge leap. However, there are larger courses, some well-placed bloom effects and good lighting effects. The characters look kinda average, but the bikes and carts look pretty cool. This is really one of those examples that proves that better graphics don't make a batter game.
Overall
5/5. I reccomend this to anyone and everyone. it's pretty simple; if you haven't played mario kart, you don't own a Wii.
Pros:
-Many modes of gameplay
-wide array of characters and vehicles
-Bikes are cool
-LOTS of unlockables
-great online play
-controls to fit your needs
Cons:
-Graphics aren't "all that" (but still pretty good)
-
