Mario Kart Wii Video Game Review
Fun Online Multiplayer Racing Experience Also Comes with Wii Wheel
Nintendo's Mario Kart Wii features diverse tracks, an addicting online mode, and intuitive controls that add up to a fun, if flawed, single- and multi-player experience.
The Mario Kart series, started on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System some fifteen years ago, has reached legendary status. But does the new Mario Kart Wii succeed in delivering the racing experience gamers have come to know and love?
Single Player Gameplay
With 32 diverse tracks (16 new ones, and 16 classic ones) and 24 playable characters (25 including a customizable Mii character), one thing is for sure about Mario Kart Wii -- this is certainly the biggest Mario Kart yet.
Nintendo has also made many changes to the standard Mario Kart formula. Gamers, for instance, can now drive on motorbikes rather than just in the usual karts. The game also allows 12 characters to race on a track at one time, rather than the standard 8, meaning that the competition for 1st place is even more fierce than usual.
The biggest change, however, may be with the controls. A special Wii Wheel shell that attaches to the Wii controller comes with all copies of Mario Kart Wii, though gamers can also simply use their Wii controller, classic controller, or GameCube controller. And forunately, the Wii Wheel works extremely well, with virtually no learning curve, meaning that it's now easier than ever for new gamers to experience Mario Kart.
Several new power-ups can also be found in the game. Many of these, however, turn out to be slightly annoying - such as the new lightning and "POW" weapons which punish all those racers at the front of the pack and reward those in last place.
Online and Multiplayer Gameplay
While the single player mode is fun and will occupy gamers' time for many hours, the online play is certainly the most exciting element of Mario Kart Wii. As pioneered in the DS version of Mario Kart, the online mode allows players to race against 11 other gamers worldwide on any of the game's 32 tracks.
Sadly, the game leaves out many features that make other online games so much fun - such as voice chat. Overall, though, the online mode is downright addicting and offers up the best online experience on the Nintendo Wii to date. (The online experience is also free, contrary to previous reports which stated gamers would have to shell out a fee each month.)
And while the online play may overshadow it, the multiplayer mode still provides the same solid Mario Kart fun -- except, possibly, in the battle mode, which seems to have several flaws. The default setting for battle mode is to have twelve karts on the track at one time, including computer characters -- and this makes things way too complicated to be much fun. And while fortunately players can choose to just play with their friends, the battle tracks still seem too big to be much fun, and the game also enforces an annoying and unnecessary three-minute time limit.
Graphics and Sound
Graphically, Mario Kart Wii is very impressive, running at a solid 60 frames per second with support for 16:9 widescreen TVs. The character models are one of the highlights in this version of Mario Kart, and Nintendo improved the graphics for all the tracks imported from previous versions of the series. The sound is also quite impressive, with colorful music, decent voiceover work, and clever sound effects.
Overall
Overall, then, Mario Kart Wii is a great title that deserves a spot in every Wii owner's game collection. A wide variety of tracks and vehicles, great controller options, and an addicting online mode make Mario Kart Wii stand out from any other racing game on the Wii.
And while the game does have some flaws -- the new weapons and power-ups just seem downright gimmicky, and the battle mode seems to have strayed too far from a formula that previous worked really well -- Mario Kart Wii is still the racing experience gamers have been hoping for on the Wii and will occupy gamers' time for months to come.
Those looking for a cheaper gamer experience may be interested in Nintendo's new WiiWare games download service, launching May 12th.
