There really isn’t much that can be said about Mario Kart Wii that you can’t glean for yourself by watching the nearly-two-hour video of the game’s 32 courses that wiinintendo.net put up last week. So here’s that.
2 Hours of Mario Kart Wii (all 32 levels) from WiiNintendo.net on Vimeo.
While actually playing Mario Kart Wii, I felt that the wheel is just totally unnecessary. That said, it works just fine, providing you with the same level of control you’d probably get from just the Wii Remote alone. But if you can’t roll with the new stuff, the game’s going to support Classic Controllers, as well as the GameCube pad. The key with the wheel is to hold it straight out in front of you and rotate it like an actual steering wheel, as opposed to tilting the remote, which is how most other Wii racing games handle steering. Also, the game appears to allow two players to get online from the same console, and which is a big win for all you splitscreen online lovers out there.
Other than that? Dude, it’s totally Mario Kart, only it’s on a Wii. Either that totally makes your insides go numb with anticipation or you’re all, like, “whatevs.” Either way, tt hits North America on April 27.
42 Comments
“The game appears to allow two players to get online from the same console.”
That is pretty cool. Lot’s of updates today.
4 stories in one day? AND A PODCAST TO COME?
way to step up your game! GO MAKE YOUR HUNNID RACKS SON!
Until Nintendo realizes they need a HDD I WILL NOT own a wii, but that video makes me really regret saying that
2 hrs video of MKW?? i can’t even watch more than 30 seconds of it
I have the game, and I’ve tried playing it with the Wheel, but it’s soooooooo imprecise. It’s a laugh on the earlier levels, but as soon as you get the bikes, you need to swap out for a GC controller.
For on-line, you have no chance at all without a standard controller set up.
Vive le future!
I’ve got this game and I can confirm it is flippin’ awesome! The online is great, and some of the new tracks are superb.
Whatevs
I wish it wasn’t coming out the same week as GTA…
OT http://www.jimandthem.com
Here in the UK we already have MK Wii. I’m sorry to say that the Wii Wheel is useless - had to dig out my Gamecube controller. The problem is that the Wiimote was designed for the likes of Wii Sports, where the ‘precision’ required amounts to ‘is the Wiimote being moved? If so, in which direction?’. Whereas in a driving game like Mario Kart it needs to be instantly responsive and very precise - which it’s not.
I’m not really that excited for it but I may pick it up at some point anyway. Mario Kart is typically good at parties and whatnot. Still, coming out two days before GTA IV seems kind of silly.
Jeff, did you never get the feeling that the tracks, widened substantially for the larger amount of racers, end up getting quite boring? They’re not as much of a challenge as previous Mario Karts and if you’re out in front, save for the occasional red or blue shell its boring as hell. Overall I think they betrayed the games roots in high octane local multiplayer for the sake of online capabilities, and I’m not sure that Mario Kart makes a very good online game.
The reason certain titles keep making appearances console after console is that they offer something new, and (usually) a substantial visual improvement. While the graphics may be a cut above Double Dash, they are obviously not next-gen, and with Wiimote controls that I ditched after a few races for my trusty GC controller, there is only really the online multiplayer that attempts to justify the pricetag (its Mario KART. The bikes are just cheap). The intensity of the racing has taken a dive for the sake of online requesting which had been requested since Double Dash. I’ve traded my copy for Sonic Riders with my friend, which is no better but at least my expectations were low.
Lots of posts today, good job, I cant wait until mario Kart wii!
April 27 seems so far away
“Dude, it’s totally Mario Kart, only it’s on a Wii. Either that totally makes your insides go numb with anticipation or you’re all, like, “whatevs.””
This is something we see all the time. Will you write the same thing in the next GTA4 article for example? Not likely, but its really not a less valid thing to say about that game as people will have the exact same two things representing their opinion. I don’t blame you though, everyone does this with games like this and I don’t know why, but for some games people will only point out that people are really excited about them even when there are tons of other that don’t give a damn. And don’t get me wrong, I live in Europe and own a Wii but not this game and I will probably not buy it, but is seriously tempted to get one of those GTA4/360 bundles when its released.
Its a neat video though, I really wanted to know what the tracks are like in this game.
That’s some pretty fine MK action their. The game looks as fun as ever! They’ve returned abit to their roots which is good!
This game totally gets a whatevs from me.
^^^I agree with Jared.
I still dont know why Nintendo didnt realease the game everywhere on one date! I have to wait!!! And I dont like that!!
I’ve been a bit “meh” about Mario Kart since the SNES one. I don’t know if this game has what it takes to elevate my opinion beyond that.
Dont complain Jeremy. After all, you guys already got Smash bros Brawl and it doesn’t even have a release date in Europe yet. We are most likely not seeing the game until the holiday sales near the end of the year. And Mario Kart Wii isn’t even over a month between release dates compared to Europe and the US. So in comparison its not a long wait is it?
I haven’t cared about a Mario Kart game since MK64…this continues that tradition.
Meh. The hand-held ports of Mario Kart will do me just fine.
Either way, tt hits North America on April 27. Do you mean ‘Either way, “it” hits North America on April 27.’ Im have minor dyslexia so it read fine, but I could be totally wrong and “tt” actually means something.
Keep GiantBombing
Oh yeah UK already has MK, thats got to be a first?
Blue sparks. Must get more blue sparks. Why drive straight when I can drive side to side to side to side…
This is the real Tokyo Drift right here, I tell ya.
If I had a Wii I would totally pick this up. Nintendo is very good when it comes to 1st party games.
I can confirm that this game mixes perfectly with alcohol, great fun
My only complaint about is that when you’re playing in 4 player split screen it sometimes gets a bit hard to see what’s happening
You mean Nintendo is attempting online again? Wonder how much they will fail at this one. :p I know I’m a hater. Mario Kart has always been awesome and will continue to be awesome.
I cant believe I watched that whole thing, lol, Mario kart is going to be so awesome!
AnTi PRO: IT”S ONLINE WILL RULE!
The end of this month is going to be beautiful. When I get tired of jacking fools, I can shoot shells from a motorcycle with Donkey Kong on it. Very, very excited.
I really would like to try this out sometime soon. It looks like a great peripheral and even though you said it isn’t that important, I love racing wheels.
It is a shame that GTA IV is going to be released virtually the same day as this. While I think MK Wii will get its due diligence from the fans of the franchise, this game deserves its own day of notoriety at a time when another huge franchise like GTA wouldn’t overshadow it.
whatevs
Totally liked Crash CTR on the original Playstation way more.
ctr
I picked this up two days ago (live in the Netherlands), and yeah, it is totally Mario Kart. The wheel controls work perfectly fine for me, and I haven’t felt the need to go back to the old gamecube ones yet, not even through mirror mode or online.
As for improvements, Finally having online is great and that alone makes it worth a purchase for me. I was totally a fan of the old Mario Kart and played it with my brother and sister for months. Having more players to go against should lengthen the playtime even more. And time trials have also finally gotten interesting with the addition of online rankings.
The bikes are more of a gimmick. The difference between them and the karts is negligible. You get less sparks in return for wheelies. And I guess the heavier bikes drifting is a bit different.
I kind of get the collective ‘meh’ coming out of a lot of gamers though. If you didn’t care about double dash for any reason other than lack of online, you’re definitely not going to care about this one. If you did care though, this game is worth a purchase. The wheel works great (at least for me it does), and the online is good to have. I’d give it a solid 4 stars
Meh… The Mario Kart series has has lost its lust lately (with the exception of DS).
April 27th, i wouldn’t bother buying this dumb game, and i’d save my money for April 29th.
MY GOD, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?!?
YEAH, GTA is gon’ rawk yo asses.
I will just play it without that plastic encasing for the remote.
Either that totally makes your insides go numb with anticipation or you’re all, like, “whatevs.” ………..NUMB SON,,,, NUMB!
I think the wheel works great
– Shadow, UK
I’ll definitely get this when it comes out here in the states.
I’m for the wheel and hopefully It will be as good or better then people are saying it is.
not as good as the og game and i dont like wheel
One Trackback
[…] WiiNintendo has gone through the PAL(European) release of Mario Kart Wii and made a 2 hour video showing off the game’s 32 courses. Mario Kart Wii is going to be released on April 27, 2008 in North America. 2 Hours of Mario Kart Wii (all 32 levels) from WiiNintendo.net on Vimeo. Via Giant Bomb […]