Mario Kart, among legendary classics...will history be doomed to repeat itself or will this be an instant let down?
Mario Kart is an amazingly addictive game that I have been pleased to play through countless times again. So many different titles on so many different systems....I've yet to play a Mario Kart that actually disappointed me. This game however is a tad different from it's predecessors in a couple of ways though. These differences may or may not disappointed you, but in a general overlook they should be very pleasing.
Story-
Umm....not too sure. It's a Mario Kart game so do we really need any dedicated plot?
Gameplay-
The first new feature that many players will notice right off the bat is the inclusion of bikes. Yes that's right it's not just Mario Kart anymore.....nope it still is. But anyhow bikes can achieve any thing Karts can do except for reaching an orange power slide. Once you hold down the R- Button and turn sparks on your vehicle turn blue, then orange. Well on bikes it never reaches the orange state. They can however do wheelies, which are just short little bursts of speed that you can use when you're going straight for a while. Besides that most of them do the same things as karts do. Beyond that, I'm sure you've heard many different things from GameSpot....and Gametrailers.com....and IGN. Well many of these reviews are NOT CORRECT. In the Gametrailers.com review they said that the new power sliding technique downgrades the game and makes poor players more able to adapt and be just as good as the pros. They also exaggerate that this will eliminate a border between the seasoned pro and the "noobish" amateur. This is no further from the truth...I've played online enough to be able to tell the difference between poor players and talented players. There is a fine line so no one should be disappointed about that. In GameSpot's review the say that the retro tracks are catered to the karts and the new tracks to the bikes because on the new tracks there are some sections that if you press a button (or shake the Wii-mote/wheel) you'll do a fancy trick that gives you a certain boost. Okay gamespot has obviously not had much of a good sit down with the game because KARTS AND BIKES BOTH HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO TRICKS. Yes that's right both of them can do tricks. And it doesn't have to be on a half-pipe for you to perform them on either. It can be ANY jump on said track, even if the jump is very minuscule. So don't be fooled, you heard it right here. GameTrailers.com and GameSpot are obviously not very in tuned to Mario Kart at all....I disagree with there scores too and even I'm pretty strict with ratings. The only thing I agree with these guys is the extreme surplus of items. They're absolutely EVERYWHERE! It takes some skill to doge the incoming onslaught of green shells and bananas, but ones that will really annoy you are the lightning bolts...and those darn blue shells. Nintendo might of went a teeny bit overboard with the items that seem to come at you only at the most inconvenient of times. (When you're in first and still not too far ahead of the backed you will get absolutely BEASTED by items). That's why the reviews think that 150cc is so challenging is because of items. The AI is pretty decent too so yes you will get bored of doing The Grand Prixes over and OVER again when you find out your were just 1 point away from the gold. Oh well, not everything can turn out perfect, but this is for the most part the only flaws in the game. Most everything else is executed perfectly so don't just let the single player get to you. Remember that's not the thing Mario Kart is known for.
Online-
Absolutely incredible. A complete relief for anyone that has had the misfortune to tackle Super Smash Bros. Brawl online capabilities. Compared to any Wii game on the market this is hands down the most carefully crafted online mode that you will be able to experience on any game that has made its way to the wii. You can even hop on there with a buddy (which I just did today and it's a no less than an amazingly addicting experience). Beyond playing with others you also have all your stats periodically updated after every race for your viewing pleasure. So on top of actually being able to see other peoples name, stats, and where everyone is from, you can even download ghost data from others and view world records of time trials. I've even played a Nintendo developer online so look out for those goons as well.
Control-
Wii wheel experience? Better than I expected. I think Nintendo knew that people wouldn't appreciate the wii wheel that well so if you've been using it and winning a bit, you get a golden wheel icon by your name (whoa,,,). It supports basically every controller type available for the wii AND the gamecube's controller (which is the instinctive choice for most). The Wii wheel is very responsive so I would try it out before turning to your precious Wave Bird.
Conclusion-
This is by far my most favorite party/multi-player/online title I've played for the Wii. I would defiantly recommend this for anyone that likes to play there Wii games for others. With so many unlockables...and so many unique and fun to play courses (The 16 new courses are very cool, some of them blew my mind with all their creative jazz that the Nintendo goons put in), this for many will be an instant classic when they start to play. Go out and pick up a copy, if you enjoy Mario Kart, you will absolutely love this much appreciated edition.