Mario Kart Wii Review
Mario Kart is an awesome series, being my favorite racing series. The newest installment to this long running franchise arrived on the Wii. It is a very great game, and well worth the money... especially those new to the series. For veterans such as I, this game lives up to its predecesors, but it does little to alter the experience.
The Good: Addicting right from the start, pretty decent visuals, awesome music, very interesting characters (especially newcomers), and a really cool control scheme, wi-fi
The Bad: The new items are a let down (to me), not enough new amusement to keep veterans entertained for a long time, lack of close by multiplayer
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Mario Kart Wii ranks pretty highly among many Wii games, but it just isn't as fresh as the other games to the series were. Sure, it has its awesome quirks, yet it all feels the same to me. Its the same old style, just slap on some new items, characters, and add a Wi-fi Option.
Anyways, for those who don't know, Mario Kart is a racing game featuring Grand Prixs that are vital to unlocking things and proceeding on in the game. The division of the Grand Prixs are 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and a more recent Mirror Mode (introduced in Double Dash). Furthermore, these Grand Prixs are divided by cups, in order of their difficulty. There are the new maps (4 cups), as well as some nice retro maps, selected from older games of the series (4 other cups). Completing all 8 of these cups in first place results in victory, and then you move on to the next mode (50cc to 100cc...etc.)
Using the unique functions of the Wii, Mario Kart has some really great controls. The new steering wheel is awesome, and it really takes time to master. The 2 button accelerates your driver, and the 1 brakes. Items are activated by hitting the B or D-Pad. Items are critical to your success in races, as well as your defeat. What do I mean by that? Well, items can be found scattered throughout a track, and you randomly acquire powers if you drive through them. The better you are placed in the race, the worse the items become. There are traditional items, such as the red shell and banana peel, but Mario Kart Wii added on some new items. Sadly, these items are not as innovative as new ones once were, and some of them are replicas of some of the old powerups. Such an example is the Lakitu Cloud, which focuses on certain racers and then shrinks them down with a thunderstrike... Its basically the same as the initial lightning powerup, but its selective. There are other new items in the mix, but, they aren't particularly memorable.
Another new part to the game is the use of bikes. These bikes are pretty cool, and I really enjoyed using them. The 100cc racing, is a Bike Only tournament, which is an interesting idea, in my opinion. The final new feature to this game exclusively is the tricks. When you gain air, you can perform a stunt that grants you an extra burst in speed. As you progress in difficulty, you will find performing this tricks to be of aid. By simply flicking the remote, your character will perform some random trick. I am glad that these stunts are really easy to control, instead of some complex combination of buttons.
New karts and characters are also introduced to this game, but its pretty much the same old stuff. The only really new idea is the use of Miis. The graphics in this game are a big improvement to previous installments, and they are pretty good for Wii games. The music in the game is really catchy too, which it generally is. I have the main theme to the game stuck in my head at this present moment.
Finally, this game has its let downs. The primary one for me has to be the multiplayer. Sure, Wi-fi is okay (despite the lag when I race), but there is limited multiplayer with friends. You can't race with 2 people on a Grand Prix, which is totally absurd, due to the addition of racers. I don't know why that happened. The traditional Battle and Versus Modes are there, but they just completely knocked off the 2 player Grand Prix. Another thing for me, is repetitiveness. Some of you are probably arguing that this game is completely fresh with new and awesome ideas, but I don't feel the same way. I've been a fan since the initial Mario Kart, and I can't say this one has impressed me as much as the others. It just gets boring a whole lot faster than the other games, even with its new additions. I don't know if its because I have been playing these games for so long...I loved Mario Kart DS, its my favorite of the series...This one is not as fun for me.
Those new to the franchise will love this game and will be playing it nonstop...But for old timers to the series such as myself, I would rent it first.
-Oblivion
The Good: Addicting right from the start, pretty decent visuals, awesome music, very interesting characters (especially newcomers), and a really cool control scheme, wi-fi
The Bad: The new items are a let down (to me), not enough new amusement to keep veterans entertained for a long time, lack of close by multiplayer
---
Mario Kart Wii ranks pretty highly among many Wii games, but it just isn't as fresh as the other games to the series were. Sure, it has its awesome quirks, yet it all feels the same to me. Its the same old style, just slap on some new items, characters, and add a Wi-fi Option.
Anyways, for those who don't know, Mario Kart is a racing game featuring Grand Prixs that are vital to unlocking things and proceeding on in the game. The division of the Grand Prixs are 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and a more recent Mirror Mode (introduced in Double Dash). Furthermore, these Grand Prixs are divided by cups, in order of their difficulty. There are the new maps (4 cups), as well as some nice retro maps, selected from older games of the series (4 other cups). Completing all 8 of these cups in first place results in victory, and then you move on to the next mode (50cc to 100cc...etc.)
Using the unique functions of the Wii, Mario Kart has some really great controls. The new steering wheel is awesome, and it really takes time to master. The 2 button accelerates your driver, and the 1 brakes. Items are activated by hitting the B or D-Pad. Items are critical to your success in races, as well as your defeat. What do I mean by that? Well, items can be found scattered throughout a track, and you randomly acquire powers if you drive through them. The better you are placed in the race, the worse the items become. There are traditional items, such as the red shell and banana peel, but Mario Kart Wii added on some new items. Sadly, these items are not as innovative as new ones once were, and some of them are replicas of some of the old powerups. Such an example is the Lakitu Cloud, which focuses on certain racers and then shrinks them down with a thunderstrike... Its basically the same as the initial lightning powerup, but its selective. There are other new items in the mix, but, they aren't particularly memorable.
Another new part to the game is the use of bikes. These bikes are pretty cool, and I really enjoyed using them. The 100cc racing, is a Bike Only tournament, which is an interesting idea, in my opinion. The final new feature to this game exclusively is the tricks. When you gain air, you can perform a stunt that grants you an extra burst in speed. As you progress in difficulty, you will find performing this tricks to be of aid. By simply flicking the remote, your character will perform some random trick. I am glad that these stunts are really easy to control, instead of some complex combination of buttons.
New karts and characters are also introduced to this game, but its pretty much the same old stuff. The only really new idea is the use of Miis. The graphics in this game are a big improvement to previous installments, and they are pretty good for Wii games. The music in the game is really catchy too, which it generally is. I have the main theme to the game stuck in my head at this present moment.
Finally, this game has its let downs. The primary one for me has to be the multiplayer. Sure, Wi-fi is okay (despite the lag when I race), but there is limited multiplayer with friends. You can't race with 2 people on a Grand Prix, which is totally absurd, due to the addition of racers. I don't know why that happened. The traditional Battle and Versus Modes are there, but they just completely knocked off the 2 player Grand Prix. Another thing for me, is repetitiveness. Some of you are probably arguing that this game is completely fresh with new and awesome ideas, but I don't feel the same way. I've been a fan since the initial Mario Kart, and I can't say this one has impressed me as much as the others. It just gets boring a whole lot faster than the other games, even with its new additions. I don't know if its because I have been playing these games for so long...I loved Mario Kart DS, its my favorite of the series...This one is not as fun for me.
Those new to the franchise will love this game and will be playing it nonstop...But for old timers to the series such as myself, I would rent it first.
-Oblivion
