Mario Kart Wii
9.2
10
408
409
Mario's Back at the Racetrack, With Style
Ah, Mario Kart. This fantastic racing series has always had a place in gaming history. Almost every release succeeds in changing the series in a positive way. Does the Wii version do the same? Most definitely, yes. One of the most notable changes is the motion-steering that comes with the Wii wheel. Included with the game, this plastic wheel actually allows the player to steer their vehicle by turning the Wiimote. Although, initially, it is difficult to learn, even the neediest of players will master it eventually. Still, the Wii wheel is not as accurate as a controller, which could be annoying when trying to perfect time trial runs. No fear, Nintendo decided to also allow players to use Gamecube controllers, which are even more precise than they were in MK: Double Dash. The Classic controller also works solidly, but the other options can be extremely annoying at times. I wouldn’t recommend any of them. Game mechanics work well in most areas. Physics are spot on, and even the items work well in single player. However, Karts are unbalanced, and some will never be able to win consistently as a result. Going along with this is the new vehicle option, the motorcycle. Motorcycles give up the ability to get large mini-turbos while drifting in order to gain the ability to do wheelies to gain speed on straight-aways. They control fine, although I found that some courses are better suited to them than others. One thing that was pulled off perfectly, however, was the trick system, which allows your racer to perform tricks after going over ramps for small speed boosts. This new game mechanic makes for some really exhilarating moments. The game’s battle mode is perhaps its most negative aspect. Rather than having 12 player free for all in balloon battles, you are put on teams of six. When your team makes a member of the other team lose a balloon, you gain a point. But the fact that you re-spawn after losing all of your balloons just doesn’t feel like past Mario Kart elimination-based battle modes. It is very disappointing. Also, Nintendo WFC one again shows its inability to handle large amounts of traffic with MK: Wii’s online play. Sure, twelve players and a fantastic point based ranking system make online play extremely fun. But lag makes item flawed in many matches. Other racers will randomly appear ahead of you at times, and red shells will explode for no reason. Still, online play is very entertaining. MK: Wii is graphically beautiful. Although character models may appear somewhat rough when looked at closely, courses and menus look amazing. Even courses from the Super Nes and N64 versions of Kart have been completely redone without losing their retro feel. Although they are not Super Mario Galaxy-esque, MK: Wii’s graphics are among the best on the Wii. Music is fantastic in this game, in both the courses and menus. Some courses actually have slight changes in music depending on where you are driving (such as when you are under water at Koopa Cape). Sound effects are exactly at the standard expected with past Mario Kart games, although having sound come out of the Wiimote’s speaker is a nice touch. As far as replay value goes, players won’t be disappointed. In order to unlock every character and vehicle, players must win single player trophies in every cup in every class. Although single player does get boring with the unskilled AI, it is redeemed with time trial mode. In time trial, players can race ghosts of players that have set world records, and even try to get on to regional and worldwide top ten lists themselves. With local multiplayer (as fun s ever) and online play, Mario Kart Wii can have you playing for months. Mario Kart Wii does indeed live up to its expectations. It can be enjoyed by new players or veterans (who will be delighted by some of the new characters) of all ages. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever enjoyed a Mario game.
5/9/08
Awesome
Mario Kart Wii is a awesome game lots of characters, tracks, power ups and items. There are eight different cups which each consist of four tracks each the cups are shell cup, star cup, mushroom cup, special cup, lighting cup, banana cup, flower cup and leaf cup. You will have to unlock some of the cups by winning the Grand Prix races you can also unlock some characters that way. Other ways to unlock characters is time trials and battles. The items/power ups are Banana Peels, Green Turtle Shells, Red Turtle Shells, Bullet Bill, Mushrooms, Mega Mushrooms, Stars, POW Blocks, Lighting Cloud, Golden Mushrooms, Bloopers, Fake Item Boxes, Bomb-Ombs, Spiny Shells and Lighting. There are 24 selectable Nintendo characters, more than any of its predecessors. In addition, there are twelve character variants (3 weight classes, 2 genders, 2 Mii outfits) and there are a total of 36 vehicles. If you like Mario games and racing games this is a perfect game for you.
11/6/12
Awesome Game
I'm a huge fan of all the Mario Kart games and this is a great addition. It has great tracks and is also pretty challenging. The only Mario Kart I like better is the one for the GameCube. A great game for everyone
9/16/12
mkw is epic
mkw is an awesome racing game with 24 characters and 32 tracks... and my favorite part... ONLINE RACING
8/6/12
A few steps from flawless
the game is fun and carries that "not every player will play the same" that lets you know its Nintendo. The only real struggle with the game is whether or not the game wanted you to win that game that day which becomes real apparent when you start trying to Star the harder difficulties. Me, frankly, find myself disliking most of the tracks especially the Wii tracks on both race and battle. This game is GameCube controller capable which i highly recommend playing with first to get the hang of the physics of the game. The battle isn't like it was on the games before it, there's teams and it appears to be your only choice and balloon battle makes the balloons themselves almost obsolete due to it being by each hit you get tallies your points and when you lose your three balloons you just come back to life.
7/31/12
One of my favorite games
This is one of the first video games I ever played, and it remains one of my favorites. The gameplay could not be more simple. The wheel didn't add much to the experience for me. It's just as easy to just use the remote (as long as you remember to hold your controller sideways. It's hilarious watching my aunt play, because she tries to point it straight at the screen). It doesn't have any sort of plot, but it's a racing game, so it doesn't really need it. I can keep going back to this game all the time (and usually do).
7/24/12
An Instant Wii Classic!
The game Mario Kart Wii is one of Nintendo's best. It is so much fun and there is a lot to do! The characters are really cool and have the original characters, plus when you unlock it you can play as you Mii! This game has multiple cool features to it like, how you can still use the boosts and have fun racing with up to 4 people on LAN (or for those Wii-only people local multiplayer) or a total of 12 people on online multiplayer. This is really good and it should be a crime to own a Wii and not this game.
4/4/12
BEST IN THE SERIES
mariokart has been around for a long time and this game for the wii is the best. there are 32 tracks in this game from luigi circut to rainbow road. there are also great characters. from classics like mario to new ones like dry bowser and roaslina. the 16 new tracks all have great creativity. from a busy nighttime city and a shopping mall to a snowy ski summit and a gold mine. the items in this game can enhance the game tremendously. the items include bannana peels, bombs, lightning bolts, bullet bills, koopa shells and bloopers. the classic tracks include favorites from the SNES,N64,GBA,GCN AND DS. the wii wheel is a great inclusion to this game. but it can also be played with the wii remote and nunchuck, the gamecube controller and the classic controller. two of mario kart wii's biggest changes are the ability to do tricks and the ability to use motorcycles. karts range from standerd karts to a formula one type car. and the bikes range from a standerd dirt bike to a superbike. so overall mario kart wii is perfect for anyone. it;s perfect for the hardcore crowd because of the difficulty on 150cc, perfect for party gamers who like multiplayer and battle mode. and perfect for kids and casual gamers because this is a perfect game for kids and people just figuring out how to get familier to the wii.
3/5/12
Best Mario Kart yet
This game is trully amazing. The motion controls + the 24 unlockable characters and for the first time ever you can play as your mii.
3/4/12
Amazing
Mario Kart Wii is a great racing game. I like how you can use every Wii controller, including the Nintendo GameCube controller. The game is easy to play and simulates the feeling of using a steering wheel.
2/11/12