Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
Mario Kart Wii doesn't stray far from the beaten track, but it has enough going to dazzle first-time MK drivers and a few new upgrades to challenge the long-time Karters, too.
When it comes to motor vehicles, the Japanese know how to put together a dependable set of wheels. For cars it's Toyota, for karts it's Nintendo. Mario Kart Wii doesn't stray far from the beaten track, but it has enough going to dazzle first-time MK drivers and a few new upgrades to challenge the long-time Karters, too.
Mario Kart comes bundled with the Wii Wheel. At first glance it seems like just a holder for the remote, but once you get used to it, it's actually pretty fun. Plus, when using the remote to drive without the Wheel, you tend to oversteer horribly through tight turns. The Wheel's extra millimeters of surface area seem to help keep your turn radius under control. Of course, Mario Kart supports every other Wii controller configuration, including the GameCube's, too.
Wheel aside, MK Wii has all the standard options down pat with a few upgrades that are sort of a mixed bag. The racing is spread over 32 tracks, 16 from previous Karts and 16 brand new. It would be nearly impossible to hit everyone's favorites, but this is a good list. This time the field of racers on the track has been inflated to 12, and for the first time you can ride motorcycles as well karts.
The bikes bring a welcome change of pace by addING unique handling characteristics and strategy to the standard issue Mario Karting. They are also a part of an overall uptick in the game's difficulty level.
The skill classifications remain the same--50cc, 100cc, and 150cc--but with bikes-only in 100cc, and bikes and karts mixing it up in the most difficult setting, 150cc. The 50cc stage is a breeze, but you're going to need that warm-up and experience later on. The bikes require a steady hand, and you really get the sensation of trying to maintain balance with the two-wheelers, especially in tight turns, along narrow strips of road, and whenever you have to make a pinpoint landing after catching some air. They're also lighter than the karts, so any rider can muscle you around, and bruisers like Wario and Donkey Kong can really send you flying.
Motorbikes and karts mix it up in Mario Kart Wii.
The Wii Wheel holds its own.
By the time you get to the 150cc races with 12 drivers mixing it up in karts and bikes, the racing gets a little nasty. The AI in 150cc reveals a mean streak this time around, too. There's so much bumping and wheel banging going on, especially at the start of a race, that it's almost better not to use the motorcycle your first pass through 150cc. Then by the time the second lap rolls around, parts of the tracks are littered with items planted by all the drivers (including you) that can alter your race--banana peels, explosive red and green shells, and the kart-flipping fake item boxes.
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If you're in the lead, it's like you have a target on your back. Everybody takes potshots at you mercilessly. You can expect to be nailed by the evil spiny shell that hones in on the leader of the pack, and red shells seem to zap you with uncanny accuracy. It's really annoying when you're headed into the home stretch with finish line in sight and four other racers whack you from behind so that you have to watch Toad or some other annoying driver scoot past you for the win. It's practically brutal.
But Mario Kart's packed with plenty of safe and sane challenges, too. In battle mode, the coin runners and balloon battle games are alright as diversions, but time trials mode shines thanks to its ghost challenge. You can drive head-to-head versus ghost drivers on every track to try to beat their best posted times. The "ghosts" include staff from Nintendo as well as yourself, based on your best performance in the regular Grand Prix mode. If your Wii is connected online, you can even post your best time at Nintendo's Mario Kart Channel.
And Mario Kart makes a good case for connecting the Wii online, too. Via the Mario Kart Channel, you race other gamers from around the world in an eight-driver contest; you can even see which countries they represent. This is the way to go for multiplayer karting. It beats the tires off the regular four-player split-screen multiplayer mode, where your cramped little window feels like you're always driving through a tunnel. The action's fast and furious, and it's just very cool to know you're in your own little international competition. The same holds true for the Ghosts' ranking, where you can get after the best times in the world.
But online or off, you can't go wrong with Mario Kart. If this is your first experience or you've been absent for a while you're in for a treat. If you're a grizzled MK vet at least you can pit your skills with racers around the world--and still have something to grumble about.
Pros: Online gameplay is excellent; Wii Wheel is fun; bikes are a good change of pace.
Cons: Race leaders get abused; multiplayer mode views feel cramped; remote-only driving not always precise.
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Fall behind and you can rocket forward with the Bullet Bill item.
Handling the motorcycles can be tricky.
You get eighteen characters; six are unlocked in the Grand Prix and the Time Trials modes.
