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Racing To The Checkered Wii Flag

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 84 / 107
Date: April 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Undoubtingly, Nintendo has really showed more muscle within their games for the Wii this past year. With games that really stretched beyond the imagination for fans like Super Mario Galaxy, which re-defined Mario alone in adventures, and the battle smashing action of Super Smash Brothers Brawl that dominated fans hearts all around the worls, Nintendo really shows what it takes to make great video games. But, that also can be said with the Mario Kart series, which finally makes it debut on the Wii. But, following the innovation that Mario Kart DS had from the Nintendo DS wasn't so easy, largely because it was the first DS handheld title to use the Wi-Fi online gaming to an outrageous excitement for gamers all around the world. Now, it is time for the Wii to take that on and race to the checkered flag.

Mario Kart Wii for the Nintendo Wii, brings in all that fast-paced excitement racers have wanted and even more. The game adds a whole lot of new and exciting features to use. You can now race as many as 12 racers online through the online gaming, and bring the action over the top, and use that skill and excitement on over 40 different tracks: 10 battle tracks and 32 exciting race tracks that are both new and featured from the earlier Mario Kart games like D.K. Jungle Highway and Sherbet Land from Mario Kart 64. The new tracks are also exciting that will have you racing and bouncing on top of mushrooms from the all-new Mushroom Gorge, and have you crusing the shopping malls and racing down fligts of escaltors with the brand new Coconut Mall course, or racing across the tree trunks of the new Maple Leaf Highway. Every single track is great for beginners and die hard Mario Kart fans of all ages.

The gameplay also has a few new surprises, as you not just rave in karts, you also get to race on motorbikes too, bringing more action and variety to each of the players delight. There are also a few new power-ups here too including the Mega Mushroom, from the DS game New Super Mario Brothers, which makes your racer giant-sized, so you can squash your opponents on your way to the checkered flag, and the lightning cloud which shrinks you down to a tiny racer, so you squeeze underneath your opponents and take them by surprise. There also are a few new characters here to unlock in the game as well. You can choose to race with the classics like Mario, Yoshi, Bowser and Luigi, and 6 hidden characters to unlock and master like Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, Funky Kong and Diddy Kong from Donkey Kong Barrel Blast and even Bowser Bones (the skeleton Bowser boss from New Super Mario Brothers.)

The control is also a bit new here, with the use of the Wii Wheel. The wheel is easy to setup and hooks right onto the Wii remote. You can steer your racers easily through each and every race by turning your wheel left and right, and performing nifty stunts like a wheelie or a 360 on a jump. While the control with the Wii Wheel takes a lot to get used to for veterans, there are others ways to control the game. Like Super Smash Brothers Brawl, gamers can also use the Wii & nunchuck controls, or the classic controller and even the Nintendo Gamecube controller, so veterans can feel more comfortable in anyway they want to race. The graphics here are also well-designed, by bringing new excitement in restoring the classic courses, and a lot of great surprising new features that are the delight to anyone who loves the Mario Kart games.

All in all, Mario Kart Wii is definitely one of the best games I've ever enjoyed for the Nintendo Wii. I absolutely loved the need for plumber speed, and it shows in each and every race. This is definitely a must buy for your Wii video game library, that is sure to be a thrilling race and not even close to wiping out anytime soon. So start your Wii-motes, because the race is not ever going to stop.

Graphics: A

Sound: A-

Control: B for the Wii Wheel; B+ for the Wii & nunchuck controllers, A for the Classic and Gamecube Controllers

Fun & Enjoyment: A- for solo gamers; A for multiplayer action

Overall: A-

Great Family Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 24
Date: April 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I picked up this game on the 26th (yesterday) from my local game store and right away the entire family started playing. The game is very simple and not much different from the other Mario Karts of past except of course for the onlilne play which we haven't tried out as yet. There are a few characters to choose from, adult and baby alike and steering is pretty easy. You race against your chose characters and your Mii's are also included in the races. You just might see your Mii pass you by. We did it without the wheel (since we only had 1) and was surprised at how easy it was. The graphics are also pretty good. You go forward by using the 1 and 2 button to go forward or reverse and B to use your special. All in all a very good game and it was well worth the wait.

AMAZING

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 18
Date: April 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

So at first I was a little skeptical about this game because I have played every other version of Mario Kart and the Wii Wheel worried me because it seemed like it would be hard to control and gimmicky. After having played it, I actually find it to be the most fun out of all the mario karts. This version is very similar to Mario Kart 64 only with additional features such as

*12 racers in the grand prix
*Online racing (This morning I raced 12 people from around the world and there was no lag and hardly any wait time)
*Tricks (that can be done with the flick of the wii wheel, although I noticed occasionally the tricks are unresponsive if you don't shake it hard enough)
*16 new courses and 16 retro courses.
*You can play as your mii

I love the courses, they are very colorful with great music and range from piece of cake to challenging
There's a ton of items you can use to "attack" opponents with such as that horrible blue shell that attacks the racer in first place. It's also great from any age range. In my opinion someone as young as 5 and as old as 50 could enjoy this game. All in all its a great game!!!

9.5/10

Absolutely Phenomenal

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 19
Date: April 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is a nice step up from the GCN version. The playing is flawless and the fact you can play online against a ton of people at once is cool too! The maps are very smooth. The new wheel that comes with the game has worked perfectly and responds to your every move. This is worth the price, play it and see for yourself!

Mario Kart does not disappoint!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 15
Date: April 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Mario Kart lives up to all the hype it has had this year--and then some. It's a fun, age-friendly game that then entire family can enjoy. For Wii owners, this game is a must have. Mario Kart Wii is easily the best game to come out on Wii yet, and one of the best games of all time.

Can we say A bit frustrating!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 44
Date: April 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I don't want to deture anyone from this game cause I have a habit of not liking or having problems with games other tend to love, like Pikmin 2, sorry wasn't that great.

This game Mario Kart, is frustrating, it has it's great momments indeed, but even when one finishes in first it isn't like "man, I really worked hard to get here" it's more like "whew, what luck that I made first". This game reminds me of N64 mario kart, I hated that version, but loved the one of snes and GC. I am sure this is the minority view, and I will still play it (payed 50 bucks for it) but when I first played Mario Galaxy man that was ACTUALLY fun to play even when you did die, this game is like a mad house and man, every race you get hit with lighnting at least twice holy crap can I even start driving! The scenes are beautiful but I am so busy trying to do a trick off each jump or drift long enough to get a boost just to stay in the race, is it me or does this remind anyone of Fzero for GC, holy crap that game was hard! This game looks and at times (when you aren't being blown up hit, squirted with ink or ran over even though you aren't small) feels Great, but it becomes frustrating when if you are hit you shoot back from 1st place all the way to 10th if you don't have a substantial lead. In a couple of weeks I will probably love it, but Galaxy I love the first day and at the same time was actually able to enjoy the beauty and challenge of it. This game is challenging but in a annoying frustrating (do it this way with this technique only!)way that only Luck could help you with till you've memorized each and every course like the back of your....ZAP ZAP ZAP, holy crap can I even write a review!

Good:

the look of the rounds
the flow of the track (when you aren't easily knocked to a stand still)
the online ability

Bad:

difficulty in starting once you've been hit
excessive amounts of ways that stop you regardless how good you are moving
and no more snaking

Ok so I thought this would be a GC updated version I was wrong, should have rented it first.

A disapointment to the Mario Kart Legacy

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 30 / 63
Date: April 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I have owned every Mario Kart that Nintendo has ever released, so I was very excited about the Wii release for this game. There is alot of fun to be had playing this game, but there are some changes made to the game which are the reason for my low score for this review.

There are 32 tracks that are playable, and there are many tracks seasoned Mario Kart players will instantly recognize. It is a great joy to revisit these old tracks and play them on the Wii. The new tracks are exciting and full of new concepts and ideas that Nintendo has implemented expertly.

There is a battle mode, and a multiplayer vs. mode, and a new online mode where you can race up to 12 players at the same time from all over the world.

My biggest disapointment with this game is there is NO MULTIPLAYER GRAND PRIX mode!!! The funnest part about Mario Kart and its progeny was playing with your brother in arms, racing against the computer on the near impossible 150cc class or mirror class, and celebrating, when because of your dual efforts you won the coveted gold cup. Unlocking carts and tracks with a partner on grand prix working together in a campaign mode type effort was the joy of the previous Mario Karts. One person would fight kamikaze style and take out the other opponents while one person would race ahead to the finish. Alas, this concept is no more. In order to unlock other karts and tracks you must play grand prix in a single player mode.

There is a multiplayer mode that is similar to the grand prix style where you can race with several players and choose which tracks you would like to race, but there is no unlocking of items and no thrill of defeating the computer for the first time with a friend. You must unlock and beat the tracks in the single player grand prix mode before you can play the tracks on multiplayer. What is the point of that if I have already played and completed those tracks on my own? It just isn't nearly as fun as it is playing the co-op grand prix mode.

The Nintendo Wii was made to be a multiplayer platform, and that being said, there hasn't been co-op campaign style games as one would have expected. This game was suppose to be one of the biggest releases to date for the Wii, and the fact that a multiplayer co-op mode was left out has made this game a huge disapointment, and that is the reason I give the game the rating I have assigned. I would have given it one star, but it is Mario Kart after all.

Another hit for the Wii!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 42 / 54
Date: April 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

To anybody who has reservations about Mario Kart Wii being a disappointment, let me ease your worries.

Nintendo has hit another home run here. I have yet to play one bad game for the Wii, and this game here just kept me up until 1:30am, which I have to say hasn't happened yet with any Wii title since buying the system back in 2006, which includes Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy.

I didn't really care for the last console Kart, Mario Kart Double Dash!! for the GameCube. While a visually pleasing game, I felt it lacked the heart of the original series, and ended up disliking the "two-person-per-Kart" concept, sappy levels, the feeling that the Karts were only going 10mph and the immense cheating by the AI were a real disappointment. The list goes on.

That being said, I was a bit apprehensive to buy (not rent) the new Mario Kart, until I saw someone playing it the night before it went on the shelves. No question I had to buy it. While Mario Kart Wii is basically the GameCube version with stepped-up graphics, a lot of what made MKDD stink (in my opinion) was removed. It feels more like a true sequel to Mario Kart 64, much like Super Mario Galaxy is considered to be a true sequel to Super Mario 64.

What Works: The biggest feature of course here is the Wii Wheel, which your Wii remote fits in. You can go without the wheel, and use the remote and Nunchuck, or a GameCube controller, but the Wheel really adds to the game. The cars and characters are a blast to see and hear. When you pick up a Turbo Mushroom, or transform into a massive Bullet Bill to catch up from behind, or blast through a cannon, you can feel the speed. This was something I felt lacking in Double Dash. Motorcycles are now available, and you can now choose either Manual or Automatic controls with whichever vehicle you choose. Manual allows you to "jump" your Kart, which was an omission from Double Dash which I sorely missed. When jumping before hitting a curve, you can drift and release to gain a small burst of speed. While easier, automatic doesn't do this for you. If you hang behind an opponent, you can gain speed by drafting. This is a cool little feature which works well. When in midair, you can do little stunts, I haven't figured that out just yet. The boards are terrific, colorful, and addicting. There are even a bunch of throwback boards to each Cup, with some of the best of the best in the series, including the music which you're sure to remember. By far though, the best feature is the online play. You can play with opponents from all points on Earth, which is an absolute blast. You can even use your Mii character to play, which I think has to be unlocked. Again, I just bought the game, I haven't gotten that far. Too many pluses to go on.

What Doesn't Work: One thing I wish they'd get back to is the Coins. After all, it is "Mario" Kart, and the coins were a nice touch. The more coins you got, the faster your Kart. The original SNES and Mario Kart Super Circuit for the GBA were the only Kart games (I think) which had coins. I kind of wished they'd return here, but oh well. Another downside is what plagued Double Dash, which was the AI rubber banding. If you're way out in front, you are sure to get nailed by a POW block, red or blue shell, or some other obstacle which will leave you in 4th place. I haven't run into it much so far in the 50 or 100 Cups, but the 150 I heard is insane. Anyway, I'm too happy with the game to complain, and the online gaming, to me, more than makes up for what the AI does.

Folks, if you're a Mario Kart fan, and have a Wii (or if you don't have one yet, get one and this game) you won't be disappointed with this game. I had my reservations, but they are a thing of the past.

a solid title, but there are balance issues

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 17 / 23
Date: April 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Before i begin the review, a brief preface is necessary:

I am not a fan of mario kart, nor am i a hater. I am writing this review as an objective review. If you are a die hard fan of the series, you probably will buy this game, and if you hate nintendo games you will most likely avoid it. This review is not for you people, it is for those who are interested but undecided. It is not particularly biased, but it is still an opinion. My only aim is to help, so treat my review as such.

For anyone who has not played a mario kart game, here is the skinny: pick a Mario mascot, pick a wacky kart, and race across various themed tracks, and achieve victory or failure by utilizing the various "items" (power ups and weapons). The mario kart franchise popularized the item-based kart racer, and each previous version was successful at doing so by balancing items and racing that utilizing both driving and weapons was key to winning. Mario kart has always been a "party game" which means it is best played with friends, and is accessable for all ages and skill levels, while also appealing to vets. Mario kart Wii is the latest and arguably the best mario kart to date, but that does not mean that it is without problems.

Mario Kart Wii sticks with the the old formula and should feel very familiar at first. This is a good thing because previous mario karts were very fun. The most drastic change is the inclusion of dirt bikes into the mix. They offer a alternative way to race, while also adding a new tricks system. The mechanics work quite well and go hand in hand with the other big change, the steering wheel included. The steering wheel includeded in the game's package encourages play with the wii-mote, allowing players to steer the controller to produce the desired effect in the game. It works well, but it is apparent that it is a novelty, luckily there are plenty of other control options for playing, including the gamecube controller.

But back to the bikes. Thanks to the new tricks system, nintendo decided to design the tracks with the tricks in mind. The result is a lot of half pipes and jumps; the tracks look like a mixture between a skate park and a rollercoaster. It is a very fun, and it works well until items come into play. The items were designed for kart racing and not biking and tricks. biking becomes unenjoyable with items constantly hindering you. this leads into the games biggest problems.

Items appear way too frequently and will hurt you more than they will help. There are too many items now that are impossible to defend against, many of which affect everyone playing. Items in previous mario kart games required more thought to execution and the target could defend himself, this coupled with the fact that items are more frequent and there are now 12 racers instead of 8, means a racer will be a victem much more often. While an element of luck has been a part of every mario kart game, players will go from first to last within a matter of seconds. A lot of skill has been drained from racing, making victory a matter of who happens to get the best items closest to the finish line.

Another issue is that single player grand prix mode, (the meat of the single player experience), suffers from horrible "rubber band" AI. This means that the game is designed so that there will always be computers on your tail. even if you should be leaving them in the dust, the computers when falling too far behind will go faster than technically possible to catch up to keep close to you. It keeps the game chaotic to an unnecessary level and leaves you feeling cheated.

Fortunately, most of the issues are alleviated in multiplayer mode. There are no computer issues in multiplayer, and items can be regulated in the settings menu to keep things a little more balanced. Multiplayer is the real draw of this game, it is fun and stimulating with friends, and is best enjoyed in a social manner. Online multiplayer is an even bigger feat. Online is seamless, offering great quality matches with almost no lag or hitches. Online comes complete with its own chanel, allowing you to track scores and tournaments for you and your friends. The ranking system, integration, and sheer depth of the online aspect is unheard of so far in a Wii game. It pushes the bar for Wii online content, doing it better than any game has in the past.

Otherwise, Graphics and sound are kind of crappy and kiddy, but they are clean, and get the job done. To be honest, graphics do not play a huge role in this game, but nothing is to offensive, nor should anything be an issue.

So what is the verdict? It is a tough choice. If you are hoping that you will be playing mostly single player and occasional multiplayer to get by, this is probably not the game for you. The single player is weak, and the system itself is plagued with imbalance issues, which can only be alleviated by the distraction of other people. If you plan on playing a lot of multiplayer or online, this game is much more valuable in terms of quality content.

Over all it is a solid 4 out of 5 thanks to spectacular multiplayer, but imbalanced single player and game mechanics

Just plain awesome

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 25
Date: April 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Mario Kart has just about always been a safe bet in terms of video game fun, and the eagerly anticipated Mario Kart Wii is certainly no exception. Mario Kart Wii features a large selection of tracks, of which are brand new and remastered tracks from previous games in the series to boot; all of which are well designed and fun to race, albeit the classic tracks aren't nearly as stylisticly designed as the new ones. The addition of motorcycles surprisingly works well, and despite a change in some of the game's old mechanics (drifting has never been easier to perform), the game works and races very well. Most notably is the use of the included Wii Wheel, which surprisingly responds quite well and feels very good as well. Though it may take some getting used to at first, Mario Kart Wii also supports just about every controler available for the Wii, which in itself is a big plus. The game as a whole is easy to get into, the online play is well done, the items (while more unbalanced than ever) are imaginitive, and of course, the multiplayer is spectacular fun. All in all, you really can't go wrong with Mario Kart Wii, which is yet another spectacular triple-A title to come from Nintendo, and another essential pick up for your Wii.

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