Friday, January 23, 2009

Mario Kart Wii Review


Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii is the newest installment of the Mario Kart series that started on the Super Nintendo. It has gone through many changes throughout its history and this version incorporates many elements from every previous version of the game.

Mario Kart Wii ships with the Wii Wheel. This is the newest way to control the game and is the method used in the game’s promotion. The wheel has a slot in the middle that holds the Wii Remote sideways so you can tilt it much like a car’s steering wheel. You use the 2 button to accelerate and the 1 button to brake. The Directional Pad is used when you want to use objects that you collect at various points on the track. A quick shake of the controller and you can perform tricks off of ramps. It should be noted that this control method will take some getting used to as there is no way to accurately tell when you’re holding the remote centered and turns can be a little difficult to judge. After about an hour, though, you should be comfortable enough to control your kart well. You can also use the Wii Remote/Nunchuk combination as well as the Classic Controller and the Gamecube Controller. These methods will be used by players who are not comfortable with the Wii Wheel form of control. They also give you more pinpoint control of your kart.

Mario Kart Wii boasts more tracks than any previous console version of the game. Like the DS version this game has a total of 32 tracks. 16 of them are brand new and range from the fairly simple Luigi Circuit to the ever perilous Rainbow Road and everything in between. The Retro courses are taken from every previous version of the game. All the tracks are very colorful and have a lot of things going on. You can see Mii’s from your system lined up on the outside of many of them. You have 24 characters divided into 3 “weight” classes that you can choose and each character has up to 10 different vehicles they can select from. The game also has Mii support in the form of a playable character. Battle Mode also makes a return. You have ten different arenas that you can choose from to participate in Balloon Battle or Coin Runner modes. You can choose to race competitively by your self or bring along three other friends and join teams to see who can dominate the tracks together.

Wi-fi allows to play online against people from anywhere in the world in both race and battle modes. Online races allow up to 12 different people, with up to two players on a single console. All the modes available in the single player versions are allowed on the Wi-Fi Connection. With the use of a Friend Code you can join friends in races or you can elect to play random matches. You are given points depending on your finishing position in races and this is used to match you up with people of comparable skill. Chatting is allowed with people you have added as a friend with the use of pre-selected messages.
Mario Kart Wii is rated “E” for everyone because of Comic Mischief. This comes from players being able to run other racers off the tracks and throwing objects such as turtle shells or bombs at other players. None of these scenes are violent. They cause racers to spin out in place or fly into the air. If you own a Wii I would recommend that you pick this game up. You can have fun with this game by yourself, but it becomes a great time for everyone if you have multiple people to play with.

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