Glen Atwell
Shaun InguanzoMario Kart Wii REVIEW
April 21st 2008 03:37
Console:
Wii
Article:
Review
Score (out of 10):
9.5
Author:
By Shaun Inguanzo
Online Multiplayer:
It's back, and better than ever
Introduction
AS VETERAN gamers proudly recall Super Mario Kart's success in the 1990s, so to will a new generation remember Mario Kart Wii long into the next decade.
Here are the words you've been waiting to hear: Mario Kart Wii is the best game in the series, and arguably the most important since the original Super Mario Kart itself.
Without a doubt, the online multiplayer mode in Mario Kart Wii has revolutionised the series and taken it in a new direction.
The package you'll be buying come this Thursday will also include a plastic wheel, aptly named the Wii Wheel, and although its appeal seems to extend no further than to the casual gamer, there are incentives for hardcore Mario Kart fans to use it.
New features that Mario Kart Wii introduces to the series are bikes, as well as karts, an expanded roster of 18 Nintendo mascots, 32 courses, and 10 Battle Mode maps.
The game also pays homage to its predecessors by including retro courses and maps in those numbers.
Single player
The single player game in Mario Kart Wii is broken up into several options including Grand Prix, Time Trials, Versus Race, and Battle Mode.
Grand Prix is the standard-fare points race against computer AI. This time around you'll compete against 11 other drivers in a mixture of karts and bikes, and in classes including 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc.
Bikes are an excellent addition to Mario Kart, and have faster acceleration, tighter cornering and the ability to boost on straights.
The problem is a rampaging kart will send a bike flying, and karts seem to have a better drift and mini turbo.
If you haven't played a Mario Kart game since the Nintendo 64 version, which was hampered by AI that just wouldn't leave you alone, no matter how well you raced, then I'm glad to say that Mario Kart Wii has taken steps to reduce the blatant cheating.
However, the 150cc mode still suffers from irritating driver AI.
It seems that instead of following you, AI-controlled drivers just happen to collect the most powerful items in the game, bombarding you if you dare hit the lead.
In one race I was struck by a lightning bolt, hit by a purple shell, and then struck by a red shell all within 10 seconds.
Playing through the 50cc and 100cc to unlock more powerful karts and bikes, however, will give you a bigger advantage.
There's nothing like being able to drive a fast kart while drifting with absolute finesse.
And such is the nature of Mario Kart Wii that unless it's the last lap and you're near the finish line, in most cases you will be given your own fair share of powerups to power back to the front with.
Time Trials in Mario Kart games have always served as the proving ground for serious drivers.
While previous MK games limited gamers to race against their own ghost data, Mario Kart Wii downloads the best times from around the world and allows you to race those players' ghosts in order to better your own times.
It's an ingenious addition that adds a lot of depth to an otherwise plain game mode.
While you're free to challenge the world record time, the game, by default, will always serve up a WFC time within a couple of seconds of your PB to ensure a realistic challenge.
Multiplayer
Offline multiplayer has returned with up to four people able to battle it out in split-screen carnage.
The frame rate drops from 60 to 30fps when the screen is split, but Mario Kart Wii is still a blast to play with friends.
Once you've practised enough, it's then time to hit the Nintendo WiFi Connection and race against the rest of the world.
This is the creme de la creme of the Mario Kart Wii's game modes, and I was particularly happy to see that both you and a buddy can share the same television while competing against people on the WFC.
Game modes are limited, which could restrict the longevity of Mario Kart Wii's online presence.
Just Versus Race and Battle Mode can be played, with up to 12 players in each game.
It would have been great to see a Grand Prix mode, or even the clever Team Race mode from the single player Versus Race.
Once online, it takes just seconds to connect to a game, and fortunately, lag is not an issue unless you're playing Battle Mode, where firing shells at opponents can be a difficult to judge on a slower connection.
You begin your online adventure armed with 5000 points in Battle Mode and 5000 points in Versus Race.
If you win, or place well, your score (called a 'ranking' in the game) increases. Alternatively, you'll lose points if you perform poorly.
To see your world rankings, the game allows you to install the Mario Kart Channel to the Wii menu. A quick point and click of the Wii remote allows you to view rankings for competitions and fastest times.
Instead of the typical leaderboard found in most games, Mario Kart Wii shows you a horizontal graph plotting your Mii character (representing you) in relation to the best times from around the world, or your continent (represented by other Miis).
When you select either a Battle or Versus game, Mario Kart Wii gives you three options for finding people: Worldwide, Continental, and Friends.
You'll still need to use the clumsy Friend Code system that is not a shade on the ease of having an Xbox Live gamertag.
But that aside, the Nintendo WiFi Connection is free to use, and what Nintendo has provided in terms of ease of matchmaking, network performance (you'll never drop out, even while running a NAT on your router) and overall fun is far superior to even the best online games on a PS3 and Xbox 360.
For example, in one game of 12 players we had drivers from Germany, France, Australia, Japan, and England - a World Cup of sorts - and yet the game ran perfectly.
Try playing a smooth game of Call of Duty 4 online with the same crowd - it would be a guaranteed lag-fest.
I can not speak highly enough of the online modes, and how hooked one can become playing them. In my own experience, time flew, and it was soon 3am on a Saturday night, and I'd raced over 50 times online.
The rating system is your own personal challenge, and at times your goal in a race is to remain within the top five drivers to prevent your score from dropping.
Interestingly, even without a friends list, there is an strong community vibe to be felt in Mario Kart Wii.
Perhaps it's the cool way it introduces racers in your game when you first enter a game, or maybe it's the way you can vote for a map or track at the beginning of each race.
Either way, Mario Kart Wii is superior to any other Wii game when it comes to online play.
Graphics and Sound
On the technical front, Mario Kart Wii has the cartoon appeal of most Mario games, although without the flair of other Nintendo games such as Super Mario Galaxy.
The game still looks colourful and vibrant, with maps containing a striking amount of detail.
Mario Kart Wii runs smoothly at 60fps and I'm yet to see any major glitches.
The sound is a little bit of a mixed bag, with character voices repetitive and annoying. Yet, the in-game music is spectacular.
Playing a retro Super Mario Kart track is a blast, because Nintendo has kept the sound effects and tunes in each of those maps, as well as the general look and feel of the map.
SNES maps, for example, tend to have a spritely look to them, while N64 and GCN tracks aren't as detailed as the new Wii flavours.
The game runs in widescreen at 480p, but looks great even on a 51cm television. Such is the nature of Wii games, where there appear to be few barriers to entry into gaming.
There are a number of control methods - an important point to make in any piece of literature about Mario Kart Wii.
Gamers can use the Wiimote alone or with the Nunchuck, the Wii Wheel, a Classic Controller, or the Nintendo Gamecube controller.
The Wii Wheel, although a piece of plastic, actually works. That is, until you become serious about winning.
Don't get me wrong, the Wii Wheel makes it possible to win, but once you begin to drift like an expert, a more precise method of control is required - in my case, I found the Classic Controller to work best.
I've saved my thoughts on Battle Mode until last because I am often overcome with a hollow feeling everytime I play it.
Whether online or offline, Battle Mode has changed for the worse. It's still fun to play, but it's different, and I guess that is part of coping with change to a game mode that was once a rich vein of multiplayer gaming memories.
Instead of the traditional show down between two, three, or four players, Mario Kart Wii introduces 12 player Battles and two game modes - Balloon Battle and Coin Runners.
The former, Balloon Battle, is the more traditional mode, but with a map full of drivers the experience is diluted.
Instead of prowling around a map looking for opponents in a cat-and-mouse style game, Battle Mode has become a Royal Rumble of karts and bikes with shells, banana peels and dummy item boxes littered everywhere.
It's fun to play, and online is definitely the way to go here - but it doesn't feel as rewarding as beating say three or four people.
And when you do find an online game with a small number of people, you unfortunately remain split into two teams, meaning a game of three players is a two-on-one contest.
Coin Runners, by contrast, is a thoroughly entertaining game mode that suits the frantic play on offer in 12-player Battle Mode.
A limited number of coins is available on the map, and two teams of up to six drivers each must compete to collect more coins than their opponents.
A timer ticks away and about a minute into each game both teams have canvassed all of the coins on the map.
It then becomes a contest to grab items and shoot down your opposition, forcing them to cough up coins that you can collect to give your team the advantage.
It's a formula that works well, and although it doesn't excuse the fact that Balloon Battle has been butchered, Coin Runners is a welcome addition to Battle Mode that I hope remains in future Mario Kart games.
Perhaps the greatest disappointment in Battle Mode is the limited number of maps. Ten in total. And none of them are as ingenuitive as maps of old.
In fact, the only ones worth playing are remakes of retro maps, which serves only to embarrass the new range on offer.
We can only pray that Nintendo offers new, downloadable maps for Mario Kart Wii to improve the state of its Battle Mode.
Conclusion
I could write a thesis on how much better Mario Kart Wii is compared to its predecessors, but for your sake, I won't.
That would be stealing your precious gaming time which should from this Thursday be dedicated solely to playing Mario Kart Wii.
Be warned - if you do not have an Internet connection to play online with, then Mario Kart Wii's longevity will be limited.
There are plenty of unlockables, the challenge of beating your own times, and the thrill of racing with both karts and bikes.
But no matter how hard you grit your teeth, none of these solo challenges come close to the online experience that awaits.
This is not only the best online game for the Wii to date, it's one of the best across all three consoles.
The highlights of Mario Kart Wii after hours of play have been an excellent drifting system (snaking has been removed, by the way) a good range of powerups, including the new POW block that spins out all karts except those that happen to be airborne, the comprehensive online mode, and some very close games of Coin Runners.
Even after having played about 100 online games of Mario Kart Wii, I'm hanging out to return home to play many more.
Some people will object to the statement that this is the best Mario Kart game. I certainly believe it is - and I've played them all.
But there is one undeniable fact - this is the most important Mario Kart game in the series.
Its implementation of online play has reshaped Mario Kart from being just a fun bash with friends in the living room to being a competent single player game, whose experience can be extended indefinitely online.
Pros: Vibrant graphics, multiple control options to suit your style of gaming, most comprehensive and definitive online gaming experience for the Wii, retro tracks and tunes that make your heart melt, great selection of karts, bikes and characters.
Cons: Single player mode limited, AI can still cheat in Grand Prix mode, changes to Battle Mode unwelcome, character voices can become extremely annoying during a long MK session, frame rate drops in split screen modes.
Introduction
Elaborate course design enhances the visual appeal of Mario Kart Wii
AS VETERAN gamers proudly recall Super Mario Kart's success in the 1990s, so to will a new generation remember Mario Kart Wii long into the next decade.
Here are the words you've been waiting to hear: Mario Kart Wii is the best game in the series, and arguably the most important since the original Super Mario Kart itself.
Without a doubt, the online multiplayer mode in Mario Kart Wii has revolutionised the series and taken it in a new direction.
The package you'll be buying come this Thursday will also include a plastic wheel, aptly named the Wii Wheel, and although its appeal seems to extend no further than to the casual gamer, there are incentives for hardcore Mario Kart fans to use it.
New features that Mario Kart Wii introduces to the series are bikes, as well as karts, an expanded roster of 18 Nintendo mascots, 32 courses, and 10 Battle Mode maps.
The game also pays homage to its predecessors by including retro courses and maps in those numbers.
Single player
You'll have just three seconds to become airborne before the POW block powerup sends a shockwave across the track, spinning out karts and bikes at ground level.
The single player game in Mario Kart Wii is broken up into several options including Grand Prix, Time Trials, Versus Race, and Battle Mode.
Grand Prix is the standard-fare points race against computer AI. This time around you'll compete against 11 other drivers in a mixture of karts and bikes, and in classes including 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc.
Bikes are an excellent addition to Mario Kart, and have faster acceleration, tighter cornering and the ability to boost on straights.
The problem is a rampaging kart will send a bike flying, and karts seem to have a better drift and mini turbo.
If you haven't played a Mario Kart game since the Nintendo 64 version, which was hampered by AI that just wouldn't leave you alone, no matter how well you raced, then I'm glad to say that Mario Kart Wii has taken steps to reduce the blatant cheating.
However, the 150cc mode still suffers from irritating driver AI.
It seems that instead of following you, AI-controlled drivers just happen to collect the most powerful items in the game, bombarding you if you dare hit the lead.
In one race I was struck by a lightning bolt, hit by a purple shell, and then struck by a red shell all within 10 seconds.
Playing through the 50cc and 100cc to unlock more powerful karts and bikes, however, will give you a bigger advantage.
There's nothing like being able to drive a fast kart while drifting with absolute finesse.
And such is the nature of Mario Kart Wii that unless it's the last lap and you're near the finish line, in most cases you will be given your own fair share of powerups to power back to the front with.
Time Trials in Mario Kart games have always served as the proving ground for serious drivers.
While previous MK games limited gamers to race against their own ghost data, Mario Kart Wii downloads the best times from around the world and allows you to race those players' ghosts in order to better your own times.
It's an ingenious addition that adds a lot of depth to an otherwise plain game mode.
While you're free to challenge the world record time, the game, by default, will always serve up a WFC time within a couple of seconds of your PB to ensure a realistic challenge.
Multiplayer
SHORYUKEN! Oh, wait - wrong game. Donkey Kong is still copping a whooping, though.
Offline multiplayer has returned with up to four people able to battle it out in split-screen carnage.
The frame rate drops from 60 to 30fps when the screen is split, but Mario Kart Wii is still a blast to play with friends.
Once you've practised enough, it's then time to hit the Nintendo WiFi Connection and race against the rest of the world.
This is the creme de la creme of the Mario Kart Wii's game modes, and I was particularly happy to see that both you and a buddy can share the same television while competing against people on the WFC.
Game modes are limited, which could restrict the longevity of Mario Kart Wii's online presence.
Just Versus Race and Battle Mode can be played, with up to 12 players in each game.
It would have been great to see a Grand Prix mode, or even the clever Team Race mode from the single player Versus Race.
Once online, it takes just seconds to connect to a game, and fortunately, lag is not an issue unless you're playing Battle Mode, where firing shells at opponents can be a difficult to judge on a slower connection.
You begin your online adventure armed with 5000 points in Battle Mode and 5000 points in Versus Race.
If you win, or place well, your score (called a 'ranking' in the game) increases. Alternatively, you'll lose points if you perform poorly.
To see your world rankings, the game allows you to install the Mario Kart Channel to the Wii menu. A quick point and click of the Wii remote allows you to view rankings for competitions and fastest times.
Instead of the typical leaderboard found in most games, Mario Kart Wii shows you a horizontal graph plotting your Mii character (representing you) in relation to the best times from around the world, or your continent (represented by other Miis).
When you select either a Battle or Versus game, Mario Kart Wii gives you three options for finding people: Worldwide, Continental, and Friends.
You'll still need to use the clumsy Friend Code system that is not a shade on the ease of having an Xbox Live gamertag.
But that aside, the Nintendo WiFi Connection is free to use, and what Nintendo has provided in terms of ease of matchmaking, network performance (you'll never drop out, even while running a NAT on your router) and overall fun is far superior to even the best online games on a PS3 and Xbox 360.
For example, in one game of 12 players we had drivers from Germany, France, Australia, Japan, and England - a World Cup of sorts - and yet the game ran perfectly.
Try playing a smooth game of Call of Duty 4 online with the same crowd - it would be a guaranteed lag-fest.
I can not speak highly enough of the online modes, and how hooked one can become playing them. In my own experience, time flew, and it was soon 3am on a Saturday night, and I'd raced over 50 times online.
The rating system is your own personal challenge, and at times your goal in a race is to remain within the top five drivers to prevent your score from dropping.
Interestingly, even without a friends list, there is an strong community vibe to be felt in Mario Kart Wii.
Perhaps it's the cool way it introduces racers in your game when you first enter a game, or maybe it's the way you can vote for a map or track at the beginning of each race.
Either way, Mario Kart Wii is superior to any other Wii game when it comes to online play.
Graphics and Sound
Coin Runners is a welcome addition to Battle Mode.
On the technical front, Mario Kart Wii has the cartoon appeal of most Mario games, although without the flair of other Nintendo games such as Super Mario Galaxy.
The game still looks colourful and vibrant, with maps containing a striking amount of detail.
Mario Kart Wii runs smoothly at 60fps and I'm yet to see any major glitches.
The sound is a little bit of a mixed bag, with character voices repetitive and annoying. Yet, the in-game music is spectacular.
Playing a retro Super Mario Kart track is a blast, because Nintendo has kept the sound effects and tunes in each of those maps, as well as the general look and feel of the map.
SNES maps, for example, tend to have a spritely look to them, while N64 and GCN tracks aren't as detailed as the new Wii flavours.
The game runs in widescreen at 480p, but looks great even on a 51cm television. Such is the nature of Wii games, where there appear to be few barriers to entry into gaming.
There are a number of control methods - an important point to make in any piece of literature about Mario Kart Wii.
Gamers can use the Wiimote alone or with the Nunchuck, the Wii Wheel, a Classic Controller, or the Nintendo Gamecube controller.
The Wii Wheel, although a piece of plastic, actually works. That is, until you become serious about winning.
Don't get me wrong, the Wii Wheel makes it possible to win, but once you begin to drift like an expert, a more precise method of control is required - in my case, I found the Classic Controller to work best.
I've saved my thoughts on Battle Mode until last because I am often overcome with a hollow feeling everytime I play it.
Whether online or offline, Battle Mode has changed for the worse. It's still fun to play, but it's different, and I guess that is part of coping with change to a game mode that was once a rich vein of multiplayer gaming memories.
Instead of the traditional show down between two, three, or four players, Mario Kart Wii introduces 12 player Battles and two game modes - Balloon Battle and Coin Runners.
The former, Balloon Battle, is the more traditional mode, but with a map full of drivers the experience is diluted.
Instead of prowling around a map looking for opponents in a cat-and-mouse style game, Battle Mode has become a Royal Rumble of karts and bikes with shells, banana peels and dummy item boxes littered everywhere.
It's fun to play, and online is definitely the way to go here - but it doesn't feel as rewarding as beating say three or four people.
And when you do find an online game with a small number of people, you unfortunately remain split into two teams, meaning a game of three players is a two-on-one contest.
Coin Runners, by contrast, is a thoroughly entertaining game mode that suits the frantic play on offer in 12-player Battle Mode.
A limited number of coins is available on the map, and two teams of up to six drivers each must compete to collect more coins than their opponents.
A timer ticks away and about a minute into each game both teams have canvassed all of the coins on the map.
It then becomes a contest to grab items and shoot down your opposition, forcing them to cough up coins that you can collect to give your team the advantage.
It's a formula that works well, and although it doesn't excuse the fact that Balloon Battle has been butchered, Coin Runners is a welcome addition to Battle Mode that I hope remains in future Mario Kart games.
Perhaps the greatest disappointment in Battle Mode is the limited number of maps. Ten in total. And none of them are as ingenuitive as maps of old.
In fact, the only ones worth playing are remakes of retro maps, which serves only to embarrass the new range on offer.
We can only pray that Nintendo offers new, downloadable maps for Mario Kart Wii to improve the state of its Battle Mode.
Conclusion
Bikes are a welcome addition to the series in Mario Kart Wii
I could write a thesis on how much better Mario Kart Wii is compared to its predecessors, but for your sake, I won't.
That would be stealing your precious gaming time which should from this Thursday be dedicated solely to playing Mario Kart Wii.
Be warned - if you do not have an Internet connection to play online with, then Mario Kart Wii's longevity will be limited.
There are plenty of unlockables, the challenge of beating your own times, and the thrill of racing with both karts and bikes.
But no matter how hard you grit your teeth, none of these solo challenges come close to the online experience that awaits.
This is not only the best online game for the Wii to date, it's one of the best across all three consoles.
The highlights of Mario Kart Wii after hours of play have been an excellent drifting system (snaking has been removed, by the way) a good range of powerups, including the new POW block that spins out all karts except those that happen to be airborne, the comprehensive online mode, and some very close games of Coin Runners.
Even after having played about 100 online games of Mario Kart Wii, I'm hanging out to return home to play many more.
Some people will object to the statement that this is the best Mario Kart game. I certainly believe it is - and I've played them all.
But there is one undeniable fact - this is the most important Mario Kart game in the series.
Its implementation of online play has reshaped Mario Kart from being just a fun bash with friends in the living room to being a competent single player game, whose experience can be extended indefinitely online.
Pros: Vibrant graphics, multiple control options to suit your style of gaming, most comprehensive and definitive online gaming experience for the Wii, retro tracks and tunes that make your heart melt, great selection of karts, bikes and characters.
Cons: Single player mode limited, AI can still cheat in Grand Prix mode, changes to Battle Mode unwelcome, character voices can become extremely annoying during a long MK session, frame rate drops in split screen modes.
| 43 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Harry
World Art
Sydney Diary
Personals
Video Games
Brisbane Diarystar
Films Found
Eco Travel Map
Comment by Shaun Inguanzo
Blogocratic Nightmare