I've just posted what I intend to be my last review of the year. Thanks to everyone who has rated me...
I've just posted what I intend to be my last review of the year. Thanks to everyone who has rated me this year. I will still be around to rate in December but just fancy a month off writing.
Member since:15.02.2007
Reviews:67
Members who trust:71
--Introduction--
The original Mario Kart first appeared on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) back in the early 1990's. Since then, Nintendos famous plumber and his gang have appeared on every Nintendo format and now its time for them to make their appearance on the Wii. For those of you new to the series, Mario Kart consists of racing over 32 tracks which are broken down into batches of 4, meaning there are 8 cups to win. These cups exist at 3 levels, namely 50cc (easy), 100cc (medium), 150cc (hard), for the first time in a Mario Kart game you are able to ride motorcycles adding a new dimension to the game. Also a first is the introduction of online play which really brings the game on.
--Controls --
The game comes packaged with the Wii wheel which basically is a plastic shell in which the Wii remote sits. This greatly improves the gameplay as you now actually have the feeling you are steering a real car. Button 2 is used to accelerate and button 1 to break, the directional buttons are used to activate your power-ups which are collected at various locations around each circuit. Forward targets players
ahead of you while back targets players behind you. The B button on the back of the Wii remote activates drift when cornering in advanced mode.
The game can also be played without the Wii wheel and although the controls are exactly the same, a small amount of realism and control is lost. Maybe this is psychological rather than actually being the case after using the wheel.
--Game Modes—
The game has numerous modes for both online and offline play. In single player mode there is the grand prix where you race on a series of 4 tracks to gain points in order to win cups and unlock more circuits. These can be quite fun when you get to the 100cc level. The 50cc cups are very easy to win and are only really there as a light introduction to the game. Ghost data mode pits you against another players best lap. This can either be another local players time (somebody else who has played from your console), your friends data downloaded from the net, Nintendo staff data or the fastest time in your continent / the world. By beating Nintendo staff you are able to unlock more characters to play as in the game.
Courses in the game are a mixture of retro courses from all previous versions (SNES, DS, GBA) as well as some new ones made specifically for the Wii, the new version of Rainbow Road is extremely taxing.
As well as racing, there is also a single and multiplayer battle mode where you are assigned a team (red or blue) and the object is to outscore the opposition. There are 2 types of battle, coin runners where the objective is to collect more coins than the opposition and Balloon Busters where you must try to burst your opponents balloon by using the powerups found around the circuit. These battles are immense fun, especially in multiplayer mode.
If you have your Wii connected to your internet connection, you can participate in competitions that Nintendo run from time to time, these range from standard competitions like competing a lap in the fastest time to going through all the gates, slalom style. You can compare your best time against those of your friends, your continent or the whole world. If you are like me, this will emphasise just how bad you are at the game.
In multiplayer mode you can race against each other (upto 4 players) in a grand prix style scenario with each player occupying a portion of the screen (half each for 2 players, right upto a quarter each for 4 players). This is great fun as, with the aid of powerups, the lead can change several times during a race and the actual winner usually wont be decided until the last corner of the last lap.
--Online play--
This is where the game really comes into its own, you can either play 1 player or 2 player online games. As with offline play, you can choose whether to race against upto 11 other human competitors or a battle with the same number of people. Strategy plays an even bigger part in online games as the intelligence of the other players is a lot higher. When you connect to the games server, it tried to put you in races with people of a similar ability to your own. You begin with a rating of 5000 and this goes up or down depending on your finishing position and also the quality of the opposition. The online play runs very smoothly, there is no lag at all, its almost as if all of the opponents are using the one console. Each track is chosen by all competitors voting for a track and then out of these, one is picked at random. This all adds to the excitement.
Battle mode is also more fun than the offline mode. This can be so infuriating when you are in possession of 15-20 coins only for someone to fire a red shell at you, forcing you to drop the lot which is then a free for all when it comes to picking them back up.
--Conclusion—
In conclusion, this game is a must for any Wii owner, while being fun, it still requires a bit of skill and a bit of luck to be successful. This is the first online title I have played on the Wii and future titles have a lot to live up to as this just adds so much to the game. This game is so much fun when you have a group of people together as it is so easy to just pick up and play, even granny would be competitive. Extra Wii wheels are available to buy and I would recommend doing this for each handset you own.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Take your place on the starting grid and prepare for high-speed racing action in Mario ... more
Kart Wii. Use the Wii Wheel (included) to steer your way round 32 tracks and race against friends to see who is king of the road! You can slow down the opposition...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Take your place on the starting grid and prepare for high-speed racing action in Mario ... more
Kart Wii. Use the Wii Wheel (included) to steer your way round 32 tracks and race against friends to see who is king of the road! You can slow down the opposition...
Postage & Packaging: £4.17 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
5 different control options: Wii Wheel, Wii Remote turned on side, Wii remote and ... more
nunchuck, classic controller and Nintendo Gamecube controller New wheels and courses including motorbikes Play with up to three friends locally or challenge up to 11 frie...
Postage & Packaging: £3.50 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Vast amounts of unlockables; Idea of having Mii Character in game is a bonus Disadvantages: Glitching within Online Multiplayer; Silly that they changed GameCube Controller bindings
TheGingerKid 18.07.2008 (01.12.2008)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
exceptional by (4%):
very helpful by (96%):
