Mario Kart Wii

Before there was Smash Bros., Mario Kart was Nintendo’s multiplayer ace in the hole. After two good, but not great console entries in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Nintendo released Mario Kart DS and gave the series a much needed boost. In addition to being a very good racer in its own right, it added simple online play.

Now, two and a half years later, Nintendo has delivered the franchise’s Wii incarnation, and it delivers the goods.

Anyone familiar with the Mario Kart formula will certainly know what to expect. The gameplay hasn’t changed a heck of a lot over the years, and Mario Kart Wii is still a race between different Mario mascots complete with wacky courses and a variety of items. And as a racer alone, the game succeeds. The course design is quite good, with a few of the later ones being especially fun and challenging.

On top of this tried-and-true setup, Nintendo has added some very welcomed minor tweaks. The most noticeable one is the motion-controlled Wii Wheel, which comes packaged with Mario Kart Wii. Now, the Wheel is merely a shell that the Wii remote fits into, but it feels really good, nonetheless. There is a slight learning curve because there is no steering column. Therefore, you have to get a feel for how much of a tilt gives you the maximum turning power. Once you get a feel for it, though, it works very well, and I had no problem defeating players that used a standard controller setup. Kart Wii is compatible with every possible Wii controller from a GameCube pad to the Classic Controller. So if you are afraid of change, you still have that option.

The ability to perform tricks while in the air has also been added. The reward is a slight boost after landing. This works well, as it adds a level of strategy. Those who try to hit every jump will eventually pay for it by flying off the track, so it becomes very much a game of determining when it’s worth the risk.

Motorcycles have also been added. This adds another welcomed bit of strategy, as bikes can perform wheelies for speed boosts, but have almost no turning ability while doing so. Karts on the other hand can perform a higher level of boost via power slide. To power slide, simply holding the slide button and release when blue of or yellow exhaust appears. This slide mechanic is far simpler than in the DS version, which required the player to alternate pressing left/right on the d-pad to get the boost.

The happy by-product of this change is that ‘snaking’ has been completely eliminated. As anyone who played the DS version online will know, ‘snaking’ is a way to maintain a state of constant boost by power sliding back and forth continuously. Because it takes a set amount of time to get the boost now, it is actually detrimental to snake.

This alone would have made Mario Kart Wii a better online experience than the DS version, but the improvements don’t end there. Mario Kart Wii’s online mode is stellar all-around. Most importantly, unlike Smash Bros. before it, Kart’s online is super quick to connect and runs at a completely smooth 60 frames per second. There is no perceivable difference between Kart running online and off, and that is very impressive, especially given that the game supports 12 players in a single race. You can even play online alongside a friend, as the game supports two local players to play online.

The online mode also includes added features such as time trial leaderboards, where you can compare your times to players all around the world. You can also download ghost data for top players and try to break their records. The game also promises tournaments, and even features a Mario Kart Channel that you can install in your Wii Menu. This channel will constantly update stats and various info via WiiConnect24. Quite simply, this is an online feature set that we have never seen from Nintendo before, and combined with the smooth-running gameplay, it really is the star of the show.

Unfortunately, the battle mode doesn’t fare as well as the standard racing either online or off. The mode has been gimped by a lack of options and required team-based gameplay. Players are split into two teams, whereas before you had the option of competing individually. It’s a very strange limitation and one that does hurt the experience for those who have loved the Mario Kart battle mode in past games. That’s not to say the mode is worthless now, but why not give gamers the choice instead of removing the option altogether?

It’s also worth noting that the single-player Grand Prix mode features some frustrating ‘rubber banding,’ especially in the 150cc mode. If you are in first, you can expect to be pummeled by items in the final lap, many times costing you the race. This means that you can essentially race perfectly and still come in dead last depending on when and how badly you are assaulted. Thankfully this isn’t a major problem in the 100cc, which is the best balanced overall. 50cc is very much for beginners, as karts appear to slow down and let you catch up at times.

Visually, Mario Kart Wii won’t drop any jaws, but it is still a good-looking game. The graphics are very simple, as close-up inspection of the tracks and character models will show, but while racing, they are sharp and very vibrant. The game also features a few very nice visual effects. Best of all is that the game runs at a constant 60 frames per second in every mode except three or four player split screen.

The music may not be anything special, but it’s decent enough. The voices are repetitive, but not overly annoying. Kart does have some very good sound design from its surround setup to the clever use of the Wii remote’s speaker as an alarm for incoming threats.

While Mario Kart Wii certainly has a few nagging flaws in the single-player and battle-mode areas, it’s still a very good game. The new gameplay additions all add to the experience and the motion controls work very well. The online mode is exceptionally good and will have gamers coming back again and again. If you like Mario Kart and you like competing online, this game is for you.

Gameplay: 9.0
It’s not terribly different from previous entries, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. The minor additions there are, however, work well. Tricking, bikes, simplified power slide, and a number of very good control options (including the Wii Wheel) all add to the experience. There are also a few masterful track designs, especially in the later cups.

Graphics: 8.0 
Mario Kart Wii has a very smooth and sharp look to it with vibrant colors and some nice visual effects. The game also runs at a silky smooth 60 frames per second in every mode outside three- or four-player split screen. That said, the visuals are fairly simplistic, as close-ups of character models and tracks will reveal.

Sound: 8.0
The music isn’t particularly memorable and some of the voice work is on the annoying side, but the sound design is quite good. The game makes nice use of surround sound and the Wii remote speaker.

Difficulty: Medium
Racing classes of 50, 100, and 150cc range from very easy to infuriating. The Wii Wheel does make the game very accessible.

Concept: 8.5 
It’s certainly not a revolution of the Mario Kart franchise, but it does provide a good balance of new and old, aside from the baffling battle mode alterations, that is. The game gets major points for the fantastic online mode and well conceived control setups.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Local multiplayer is as enjoyable as ever, but the online mode easily outshines it. It connects and runs very quickly and, most importantly, very smoothly. It also features a bevy of extra features such as time trial leaderboards, downloadable ghost data, tournaments, and even a Mario Kart channel for the Wii Menu which will constantly update via WiiConnect24.

Overall: 8.8
The core Mario Kart gameplay remains basically unchanged, but it’s well executed and slightly enhanced by minor tweaks and a variety of control setups. The online mode is the real star here, however. If you liked playing online with Kart on DS, you will absolutely love playing online on Wii.