Gamertell

Title: Mario Kart Wii
Price: $49.99 (includes Wheel attachment also sold separately)
System(s): Wii
Release Date: April 27, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Nintendo (Nintendo)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for comic mischief.
Pros: Simple controls, cute WiiMote Wheel accessory and plenty of mutiplayer action. Additions (courses, bikes, tricks and powerups) are all very worthwhile.
Cons: Internet play requires long waits and kart/driver inequalities are more obvious than ever.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 90/100; A-; * * * * out of 5.

Some call it trying to be fair, but Nintendo loves to mess with gamers’ heads. Mario Party fans know exactly what I mean: Rack up coins and stars for an early lead and you’ll surely be the lose-iest loser by the end of the game.

Likewise, Mario Kart games are filled with enough silly obstacles and powerups to make sure no one stays in the lead for too long. The latest release in the franchise, even with its new powerups, tracks, tricks and bikes, is certainly no exception.

Mario Kart Wii has wisely neither reinvented the franchise nor strayed from its core fun and frivolous insanity. Instead, a layer of new features help update this just enough to make it enjoyable without feeling like an old rehash for a new console.

Large Karton of Karts

Like its predecessors, Mario Kart Wii features wacky Mario-themed race tracks with both stationary and mobile obstacles. You drive cartoon go carts against fellow Mario franchise drivers, periodically picking up powerups to boost your speed or creatively distract (or temporarily stop) opponents.

New to this game are 16 courses (in addition to 16 classic courses), motorbikes (equaling the number of karts), additional powerups (Thunder Cloud, Pow Block and Mega Mushroom), trick-based speed boosts (flick the WiiMote as you hit the peak of a hill) and an online mode. Also, the game ships with a steering wheel shaped housing that works with a WiiMote. New battle arenas, as well as a few classics, also provide larger battle grounds for team-based kart competitions.

The online mode allows gamers around the world to compete in individual races or compete in online tournaments. There is also a leaderboard and Friends options that let you share ghost driver data for time trial races.

Kontinuing the Go Kart Kraziness

While maintaining the familiar driving-and-smashing gameplay, Mario Kart Wii is a little fresher due to the many additions. The bikes are enjoyable and especially useful on certain tracks, further widening the disparity between vehicle abilities. The new powerups - my fave is Bullet Bill which flattens opponents as you speed ahead - also translate into more drastic stopages, making it even more difficult to maintain the lead for very long.

The Wheel attachment, as silly as it seems, is actually quote comfortable to use for extended times, offering a small finger hold on the back for your fight hand that helps with quick controller twisting. Otherwise, the trigger button on the back is a little awkward and pointing the WiiMote at the sensor bar through the tiny hole is a frustrating bout of precision, so wait to slip it into the Wheel until after you get through the game’s main menus.

New tracks mean more jumps, twists and powerups than the slightly made-over oldies, which now seem like easy training tracks. Even so, they still provide courses where even newcomers can compete without feeling completely overwhelmed.

The game’s biggest drawbacks are slow player selection in the online mode (an all-to familiar plight to Nintendo gamers) and the aforementioned increase in vehicle disparity. Although the online connections/servers are quite steady and solid during races, waiting for the network to select gamers can be rather slow and especially boring. The end of a race often means you sit watch your motionless kart while the system processes, not even offering a way to escape sans restarting the system.

Even so, the online racing is a welcome addition that adds even more hours to an already enjoyable game.

Keeping it Kool

While not a significant evolution, Mario Kart Wii is a pleasant update that certainly won’t disappoint fans and remains accessible - and enjoyable - to newcomers. It maintains the familiar chaotic go cart racing fun while adding just enough to make it a worthwhile purchase.

Forget how silly the Wheel attachment may seem and instead embrace this the latest addition to the wacky racking franchise it is.

Site [MarioKart Wii]