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.

Interview: Fabian Akker (Swords & Soldiers)

Nintendo’s WiiWare service has given us quite a few different types of games, and Ronimo Games, based in Holland, is about to add another unique experience to the list. Fabian Akker, co-founder of Ronimo, has joined us for a few minutes to discuss the upcoming WiiWare real-time strategy (RTS) game Swords & Soldiers.


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Can you tell us a little about Ronimo Games? How did you get started working on WiiWare?

Ronimo Games is small developer in Holland. We started the company with 7 friends after completing our study Game Design and Development at the art academy. During our study we created the original version of de Blob, which was picked up by THQ a few years ago. Last year, after we got the license from Nintendo, we started to develop for WiiWare.

Swords & Soldiers definitely has a unique style. What inspired you to do this game?

We are all huge RTS gamers, and after seeing the animation short "Super Moine," we thought it would be cool to make a side-scrolling RTS.

We love the art style for Swords and Soldiers. Full 3D graphics, or three-quarter overhead views, are usually the standard presentation in RTS games. Why did you decide to go with a 2D side scrolling style instead?

We try to create games that are a bit different from other games; of course a 2D engine is also a lot cheaper and easier to build with only 1 full-time programmer :)

What types of game modes will be available in the game?

The game has a whole bunch of different modes and settings:

3 story campaigns, 1 for every faction, 30 levels in total (this is already 6-8 hours of game play, if you are an experienced gamer)
3 different challenges:
The survival challenge, in which you have to hold off waves of units and spells as long as possible.
Berserker-run, in which one berserker needs to get as far as possible with only using spells.
The last challenge is boulder, in which a large, Indiana Jones-inspired rolling stone rolls through the level and you need to kill all the Vikings and jump over your own Aztec units.
Skirmish, with 3 difficulties and different options
Multiplayer with 9 maps and all kinds of different settings
25 achievements

At the time of this interview, there have been 3 races announced for the game-- the Aztecs, Vikings, and a third mysterious race. Can you tell us a little about them and what makes them different from each other?

The Vikings are these brutal, strong fighters, and they really love their barbecues. The main guy in the story is Red Beard, and he is after Black Beard because he trashed his barbecue party, the bastard! The Aztecs are these evil vegetarians. They grow huge vegetables for their vegetable growing contests. Recently, Fullthrotl, one of the Aztec leaders, managed to grow a huge, mind-controlling pepper which the Vikings want to make it into barbecue sauce.

Every unit and spell is different in the game. The Vikings have slower and stronger units, while the Aztecs have fast units and rely heavily on magic and poison to kill their enemies.

How did you decide on the 3 races you have? Were there any others that you considered but left out of the game?

These were the coolest factions we could think of. We threw out some other factions, mostly because the three that we have now are so different from each other, and the units and spells could be as unique as possible. These factions will definitely see a return in a possible sequel, and maybe we'll give the Space Marines a second chance. :P (Ed.: the space marines were an April Fools joke from Ronimo)

Is this going to be the beginning of a franchise? Can we look forward to some downloadable content (DLC) for other races or modes?

We don't have any DLC on the menu yet. But we have a long list of features, units, spells and other cool stuff to make a sequel; it all depends on the success of this first game.

How has the experience been developing for the WiiWare platform?

WiiWare is really fun to develop for. It's easy and relatively cheap. It is nice that small developers get a chance to show the world some new and exciting games.

We're really looking forward to this game. When can we expect to see the game available for purchase and what kind of price are you looking at?

The game will be out in a few weeks and the price is around 1000 points.


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Addendum: Additional information was made available after our interview with Fabian-- the third race has been announced, and an excerpt from the developer's blog provides the details.

At long last the veil of our secrecy is lifted! Emerging as the third contender for world domination is the CHINESE EMPIRE! Ruled by their child emperor, the Chinese care little for Viking barbecue feasts, or Aztec Vegetable growing contests. The Child Emperor tasks his subjects with gathering the the most exquisite toys from the corners of the world. Of course this will lead the Chinese empire onto a collision course with the other two factions. The Child emperor's army consists of disciplined warriors, ranging from martial arts specialists and spiritual zen-masters to firework-strapped rocketeers, and will prove to be evenly matched to the brutish Vikings and insidious Aztecs!


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We sincerely thank Fabian for taking the time to answer our interview questions and can't wait to get our hands on the title.

Video Gamer, Not "Hardcore" or "Casual"

I was listening to the latest installment of Invisible Walls from Game Trailers this week and was hit by part of a conversation I heard. I’ve transcribed the portion in question. Read it and then my comments will follow.


What you do think is the biggest downfall of this generation of gaming?

Shane Satterfield: For me the biggest downfall of this generation of consoles is the emergence of the casual gamer. Never thought I’d say this, as much as I love, ya’ know, being able to play Rock Band with people other than the dudes I usually play games with. When I look at the overall cost benefit analysis of it I’d rather have it just me and my dudes playing games and getting more games for my tastes.
Um, I don’t like it that anybody is diverting resources away from making games I want to play for making games my wife, or your girlfriend or whoever wants to play. It really struck me with Prince of Persia. Like, that game has totally been made for, like, the Wii crowd, the Scene It! crowd, the people who play one or two games a year. They’re going to be able to jump on that game, they’re going to be able to finish it. Ya’ know, they may die, but you’re not really punished for dieing in that game. I just feel that that whole game has been set up for this new audience of people. The same people, ya’ know, my wife has some magazine called N Style and she’s, like, flipping through it I see and ad for the DS in N Style.
I see the commercials for Animal Crossing and they’re all 30 year old women going, ya’ know, “Oh my God, I can’t believe you got that pair of jeans”.

Marcus: You know who we can blame for this is Nintendo

Shane: You’re exactly right. It does go back to them. They are the one who started this, and granted it’s making them a lot of money, but it’s not resulting in a lot of games I wanna play from it.
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I see this sentiment a lot when perusing video game websites and blogs and listening to podcasts. I spend many hours a week listening to the latest and greatest gaming podcasts out there while at work and I am amazed how often I hear statements that mirror this or are very closely related. “Elite Gamers” or “Hardcore Gamers” as they like to call themselves like to vilify “Softcore” or “Casual” gamers because games are being made for the latter category. I personally hate those terms and think that there are simply people that like video games and those that don’t. I hate those labels. I, myself, would be classified somewhere in the middle even though a “Hardcore” gamer would probably call me “Casual”. I couldn’t be a “Hardcore” gamer because I don’t have an Xbox 360 or PS3, but I’m not a casual gamer either, because I don’t play Popcap games exclusively. According to my Wii’s clock I play around 15-20 hours of video games a week. That doesn’t include any time spent playing the PC where I do play games like Call of Duty or Half-life.

I don’t understand this mentality. Why should it be wrong, like the conversation above insinuates, to create games for “Casual” gamers? Are these people not allowed to play games? Is it wrong for them to have fun playing Wii Fit, or Mario Kart, or Scene It!? I don’t remember reading anywhere it was illegal for these people to enjoy themselves with a video game console. They may not like getting shredded with a Lancer or attempting to survive against the biggest Zombie apocalypse the world has ever seen. The Wii has been credited with this rise in “Casual” gamers and while that may be true it’s not exclusive to the Wii. Every gaming platform out there has games that could be considered “Casual”. Every company is out there trying to make games that appeal to every audience. This may take away resources from the latest FPS, but it also shows that there is a hugely diverse gaming population out there. Gaming isn’t just about the boys anymore.

Gamers everyone are asking, “Where can I find a girl that’s into video games?” “I wanna be with someone who enjoys games as much as I do.” Well, they’re out there. They may not want to play Gears of War 2 or Halo 3, but they’re out there. When they find them they may be into playing games like Peggle, or Cooking Mama, or Wii Fit. The next phrase is, “How do I get her to play Co-Op Call of Duty with me? She likes crappy games.” The answer, you might not be able to. You can’t have it both ways my friend. What do you want a girl who happens to like electronic entertainment or not? I was lucky enough to marry a woman who enjoys playing video games. I like Resident Evil, she likes Diner Dash. Do I think she shouldn’t be allowed to play that because I want another Resident Evil game? No. We have been able to find games that we both like to play. You have to go out there outside your testosterone filled gaming bubble and play something different. Those games are out there. They’re fun, they’re exciting. They can bring a sense of competition to your relationship. You have to be willing to play games like Mario Kart, Scene It!, Buzz, Sing Star, or Rock Band. You have to understand that not everyone enjoys the same things you do. You don’t hear this kind of talk in the movie industry or the book industry. There’s room for everyone. Everyone that wants to play games is entitled to play the games they like to play.

Companies today are starting to realize this and they’re opening their game libraries to different experiences. Nintendo seems to the “Hard Core” to be focusing solely on the “Casual” market. That may be true in their eyes, but I look at it a little differently. I look at it as the “Video Game” market.

Video games really started growing in the 80’s with Nintendo. Back then their audience was young boys and their friends. Gaming was looked at as a young male hobby. The games back then were marketed toward them and designed for them. Now 20-30 years later that audience is grown up. They have wives, and children. They want to be able to play games with their families. Their wives want to be able to play games because they’ve been introduced to them through those family games. That’s the type of experience they want. You can’t sit down on the couch with your 5 year old and play Gears of War with them, but you can sit on the couch with your 5 year old and play Mario Kart, or Wii Music, or Scene It!, or Viva Pinata. Those games are accessible to them. They understand them. They enjoy watching them. Then as they grow up and start to understand the controller a little more or want a bit bigger of an experience they move on to games like Super Mario Galaxy or Geometry Wars. The get used to those games and they become teenagers and they begin to get interested in Halo, or GTA or Call of Duty.

Wives play Mario Kart with their husbands. They’re good with time management so games like Diner Dash or Cooking Mama begin to appeal to them. Some enjoy movies like Saving Private Ryan and so the shooters may appeal to them. You can’t toss them in there with a controller and say have fun. Sometimes you can, but that’s not always the case. You have to ease them into the experience sometimes.

I can’t stand how the attitude among gamers is that games have to appeal only to me. If I don’t like a game then it’s stupid and shouldn’t be made. I want everything to appeal to me.

You were a “Casual” gamer once. You might not have realized it but you were. There are games that appeal to you and games that don’t. Play the ones you like. Don’t play the ones you don’t like, but everyone has the right to games they find appealing. I personally think that. You may not. The beauty of our country is at the moment we’re still allowed our own opinions. This one is mine. You don’t have to agree with it.

Games and the Younger Generation

As many people know, and if you don't know me you'll soon find out, video games play a large part in my life. Ever since I first got a Nintendo Entertainment System for my 10th birthday back in 1990. 
It was sort of inevitable that once I grew older and began a family that my children would also probably enjoy video games. Sure enough, that's the case. My 10 year old daughter is as avid a fan of video games as I ever was. My 5 year old daughter really could care less, she likes games if they involve Dora, Sleeping Beauty or Hello Kitty. My 4 year old son is amazes more than any of them. 
I make it a point to sit down with them when they're playing a game and play with them or watch them as they play. Today I was amazed by my son. He shouldn't amaze me, but he does. 
Recently I downloaded Super Mario Bros. 3 from the Wii's Virtual Console. It has become his favorite game. When I got home from work he asked me if I'd play Mario 3 with him and I told him I would. We sat down to play and usually he'll play and get a few steps into a level and possibly jump over a goomba or two then he'll die. Today though, and I've begun to notice it over the last few weeks, he finished nearly all of World 1 by himself. He was pulling off moves that many veteran players do and finishing levels I thought he wouldn't even begin to be able to complete. He's very aware of the worlds as well. He's beginning to learn secrets that help get him through levels. I saw him backtracking to get items that he had missed by taking a certain route through levels. He had the patience and button mashing skills to complete a level that scrolls automatically. that's usually a level I skip, because I don't have the patience to complete it. He was even using the inventory on the map screen to use items he'd gotten from the Toad House's. I hadn't even shown him that. He figured that one out on his own. 
I say these things not to brag on my son, though I would do that at every opportunity, but to say this. When I was younger video games were still new and weren't something kids his age were really introduced to so when I was 10 I had trouble doing things my son at 3 and 4 can do now. Younger players are learning far quicker skills like problem solving and deductive reasoning through playing games like Mario. It takes some really good hand-eye coordination to complete levels in many of the games today. Games from the past were much harder than they are now. I think back then they had to be. You didn't get the opportunity to play as many games then as you do now. Because of that the difficulty had to be ramped up to allow longer to play through games. The classics are great tools for learning certain skills. 
Don't keep your younger children away from video games because you think they're too hard. Give them the controller and help teach them the buttons they need to press to do certain things in the world. From there they'll begin to figure out how to solve many of the problems a game throws at them on their own. You certainly can give hints and clues and I think you should, but they'll be able to guide themselves before long. 
Young gamers, also, are not stupid. They can spot games that are not fun or have no real challenge to them. I bought my daugther a Dora game for the Gamecube because she really liked Dora. My son played this game as well, but it didn't last long before they were onto things like the original Super Mario Bros. The Dora game didn't offer them any challenge. They simply had to follow a preset path and press a button to jump when they got to a cliff face or wall they had to jump over. The only appeal, I think, it had was that it was a character they were familiar with. Soon though Mario took that spot when they wanted to play a game because it was challenging. 
Sit with your youngsters when they play and just watch them. You can literally see their brains working. They're learning different ways to approach the challenges that face them in games like Super Mario Bros. or Viva Pinata. If you teach them the basic controls that allow them to navigate the world they'll learn how to stomp on goombas or get their pinatas to do the Romance Dance. It'll amaze you.
It will be a long time before my son is ready to tackle a game like Halo or Metroid. Because those games pose challenges that baffle even the veterans of the game world and because they may have content you just don't want your children viewing, but the lessons they learn from Mario will carry through to other parts of their lives and you'll be that much more proud of them.

What is the ESRB?

The following quote is taken directly from the ESRB's website.

"The ESRB is a non-profit, self-regulatory body that independantly assigns ratings, enforces advertising guidelines, and helps ensure responsible online privacy practices for the interactive entertainment software industry."

But what does that all mean? Basically the ESRB works similarly to the way the MPAA works in regards to movie ratings. Developers of games send materials from the games they are working on to the ESRB in order for them to rate the game on the following scale:
EC = Early Childhood. These are games designed for children ages 3 and up. These games will not have any material that is objectionable.
E = Everyone. These games are designed for players ages 6 and up. These games are generally going to have anything up to mild cartoon violence and may have some mild language.
E10 = Everyone ages 10 and up. These games will have more than mild cartoon violence, mild language, and minimal suggestive themes.
T = Teen. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.
M = Mature. These games are for audiences ages 17 and up. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
AO = These games are for audiences ages 18 and up. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.
RP = Rating Pending. This rating is used for games that have either not been sent to the ESRB yet or are awaiting a rating from the ESRB.

Well now you know what the ratings are, but what exactly do each of these things mean? Well I'll try to spell it out for you as best as I can.

Games rated EC and E are generally going to be found on games that are targeted towards children and/or families. These games are going to many times be based on popular cartoon characters or popular characters in video games such as Mario or Sonic the Hedgehog. Many of these games will be educational, or easy enough for anyone in the family to be able to play. You will generally not have any problems with anyone in your house wanting to play these games. Some examples of games that will fall into these categories are Mario Party, Wii Sports, Dora the Explorer, or Viva Pinata.

Games that are rated E10 are going to be targeted towards older kids. They may have more examples of cartoon style violence such as animated blood or mild use of language. They will not contain any harsh language, realistic violence or nudity. They may also be too difficult for children under 10 to really have fun playing. Some examples of games in this category are Dance, Dance Revolution, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, or the Worms series of games.

Games that are rated T are targeted towards players who are 13 years old or older. This is where games will begin to depict more realistic violence such as shooting realistic looking characters, or blood that begins to look real. They also begin to have language that is more harsh than the other categories. Some examples of games in this category are: Guitar Hero, Metroid, Call of Duty or the Sims 2.

Games that are rated M are targeted towards audiences that are 17 years old or older. They carry penalties that can include monetary fines if sold to persons under 17 years old. They can be bought by people over 17 and given to players that would be too young to buy them. These games will include prolonged scenes or graphic violence, realistic violence, blood, nudity, intense/profane language and sexual content. Some examples of games in this category are God of War, Gears of War, Resident Evil, Halo and Mortal Kombat.

Games that are rated AO are intended for audiences 18 years old and older. These games will generally be very graphic in nature. This can include ultra realistic violence against characters who are or appear to be human, intense sexual contact, prolonged periods of nudity, and excessive language. Many retail outlets such as Wal-Mart and Target will not sell these games on their shelves. Console manufacturers do not allow games rated AO to be played on their systems. You will mainly find games rated AO on PC's. Recently there has been some controversy over Take-Two's game Manhunt 2 which was rated AO in the US and not allowed a rating in other parts of the world. Examples of games in this category are Manhunt 2, Playboy: the Mansion, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, or Thrill Kill.

That is just a beginning course on exactly what the ESRB is and what you can expect from them. Generally if you follow their suggestions you have a good starting point as to what to expect from a game you may purchase. These cannot be taken as strict guidelines and you should so some additional research on a game to find out more about it. Many review sites such as this one or Gamespot.com, or IGN.com will have detailed information on what kind of content is in a game. You may also be able to find out information about a game from the publishers website. If you have any questions you may contact myself and I may be able to help you with where you can find the information to make an informed decision to protect yourself and your family.

List of Reviews

Here you will find a list of all the reviews I have done. This will provide you with a quick link to them all so they are easy to get to.

Arkanoid Plus! (WiiWare)
Battle of Giants: Dragons (DS)
Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop (DS)
DRiiFT Mania (WiiWare)
Dr. Mario Online Rx (WiiWare)
Eduardo the Samurai Toaster (WiiWare)
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (WiiWare)
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Wii)
Gravitronix (WiiWare)
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Wii)
Lost Winds: Winter of the Melodias (WiiWare)
Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
Mr. Driller W (WiiWare)
MySims Party (Wii)
Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)
Nyko Control Pak (Peripheral)
Nyko Wand (Peripheral)
NyxQuest: Kindred Sprits (WiiWare)
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (DS)
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Scribblenauts (DS)
Spaceball Revolution (WiiWare)
Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwahl (WiiWare)
Tales of Monkey Island: The Siege of Spinner Cay (WiiWare)
Tales of Monkey Island: Lair of the Leviathan (WiiWare)
Texas Hold'em Tournament (WiiWare)
The Munchables (Wii)
The Three Musketeers: One For All (WiiWare)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii)
Wario Land: Shake It((Wii)
Water Warfare (WiiWare)
Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
Word Searcher (WiiWare)

Interviews Done by Nintendo Okie

Interviews

Fabian Akker (Swords & Soldiers)
Luc Bernard
David Braben (LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias)
Paul Gold (Fast Draw Showdown)
Scott Merriam (Rage of the Gladiator)
Ole Teglbjærg (Max & The Magic Marker)
Ole Teglbjærg (Max & the Magic Marker) Pt. Deux
Ole Teglbjærg (Max & the Magic Marker) Pt. Trois