Mario Kart Wii blends addictive gameplay, superb graphics, and a lag-free online system into the best Wii game yet!
The bad: Absolutely nothing!
It seems Nintendo has been dishing out their best titles fairly quickly. It hasn't even been a year and half since the Wii hit shelves, but already we have seen the release of such great games as Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and now, Mario Kart Wii. But this isn't just another racing game with the Mario name. Mario Kart Wii blends addictive gameplay, superb graphics, and a lag-free online system into the best Wii game yet.
The game comes with the "Wii Wheel", a plastic steering wheel that makes a huge difference in gameplay once you put the Wii Remote inside. Tilting the steering wheel allows you to turn your vehicle in-game, and while it takes a while to get used to it at first, it definitely makes Mario Kart Wii more enjoyable than if you were to play it with the Wii Remote + Nunchuk, classic controller, or GameCube controller (all of which are usable, by the way).
Once in game, you will set up your "license". This license tracks your game progress, telling you which championships you have won and have yet to complete, your ranking, and your favorite track and vehicle. These stats are useful online as well. With the Mario Kart Channel, you can compare your overall times with other players in your region or around the world, and even download ghosts of the top players, so you can see what they did that made their time so much better than yours. You can also enter online
tournaments, and register friends.
The single-player modes allow you to enter the Grand Prix, try to set a new time record, have a normal race with custom rules, or enter team battles. In the Grand Prix, you will have to race 4 tracks and try to get first place. Here, you can unlock new tracks, and new characters. Difficulty levels are the 50cc (karts only), 100cc (bikes only), and 150cc (karts and bikes). After you have beaten the 50cc tracks, you can race in the 100cc and further hone your skills. Time Trial mode is pretty explanatory, in which you will have to race for the best track time. A normal race will pit you up against other Mario characters in a race to the finish. This is great if you are pressed for time. Team battles put you on a team with which you will have to complete a task, such as breaking balloons or collecting coins. All of these modes are great fun.
Some other parts of the game that are worth noting are the inclusion of tricks, the great graphics and the lag-free online racing. If you are going off a rap, you can tilt the steering wheel upward to make your character do a trick, which, when landed, will give you a minor speed boost. The graphics are superb, and are a joy to look at. Unlike Guitar Hero, Mario Kart Wii always has your attention focused to the screen, so you really get a chance to soak in all the lush scenery and little details that the graphics have to offer. Lastly, it is awesome to be able to race against people from the US, the UK, Japan, and even Australia and not have the frame rate slow down at all.
Mario Kart Wii is kart racing at its very best. It's a must-own for any Wii owner, and it could be possibly the best Wii game to date. If you like racing, if you like Mario, and you like online play, you will love Mario Kart Wii. Pick up a copy and you will not regret it.