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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Racing Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo |
Since its induction 15 years ago on the Super Nintendo, Mario Kart has been going strong and continues to gain speed as more games
are added to the series. From its humble beginnings, the series has seen six games covering over 100 tracks and creating millions
and millions of players around the world. Every version of the game has added its own subtle additions to the franchise and everyone
has their favorite that never seems to change, such as Rainbow Road, but it never really stays the same. This series has also proven
that it works as a single player game just as much as it does as a multiplayer game, especially with the introduction of “Mario Kart Wii”
for the Nintendo Wii.
For those that are new to the series, the Wii may be the best system yet to be introduced to the series. Since Mario Kart has always
been a pick-up-and-play racing game that is full of characters from the Mushroom Kingdom and weapons from their world, including
turtle shells and bananas. The concept of the game may seem quite childish but in the end players will see that this is a game created
for both kids and adults alike. With the introduction of the Wii Wheel, the controls for the game have gotten even easier; simply steer like
driving a car.
The Mario Kart series has never really been considered a game for hardcore gamers, but it also hasn’t gotten the title of casual for
those gamers that enjoy a game every once in a while. “Mario Kart Wii” takes into mind both types of gamers and included its three
typical speed classes to match with each gamers own style. Casual gamers will enjoy the 50cc class, moderate gamers will enjoy the
100cc and hardcore gamers will have a challenge in the 150cc class. Of course gamers can expect unlockables to be included with the
completion of each class. Each character in the game has a race class they fit into along with specific light, medium and heavy cars to
choose from in that class. For those that have already been initiated in the way of Mario Kart, there is nothing specifically new about this
game, instead elements are made better. Why fix something that isn’t broken?
There of course are some welcome additions to the game. The first and most noticeable is the Wii Wheel, a steering wheel that holds
that Wii Remote and makes the process of steering more believable and realistic. Also, motorcycles have been added to the mix, and
multiple cars to choose from. There is also Mii support in the game and 32 total stages to master, half of the tracks are brand new to
this game and half are classic track from previous versions of the game. On top of it all there are also new weapons to use on the track,
such as Bullet Bob, when activated steers the driver along the course at a high speed. The game overall feels like a Mario Kart game,
but the new additions are quickly noticed, some are loved and other not so much, but they are welcome additions to the game.
“Mario Kart Wii” is a rewarding game and offers a large amount of replayability, something that is getting to be more and more popular
among gamers. What is the point of paying $50-$60 for a game that can be beaten in 5-10 hours and nothing new can be found? With
the inclusion of IR and non-IR supported menus, the seamless integration of Mii characters, the never-ending list of WiiConnect24 and
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection features, retro levels and much more gives players the opportunity to play “Mario Kart Wii” over and over
again without doing the same thing twice. The game offers a seemingly endless amount of content for gamers. Some will love all of
the additional content, others won’t want to go through the game a second time to get the unlockables, but that is the beautiful thing
about this game, it is fun for all players, no matter what their motives for the game are.
For those that are fans of the multiplayer mode, “Mario Kart Wii” is a must-have addition to the gaming library. While split-screen
suffers from a drop is the fluid movements on the track, online blows it out of the water. Connecting is easy and fast overall, and
connecting to rooms is seldom ever an issue. Once in the game, the mix of ease of use, speed and options online makes it easily the
best Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection game available to date.
All in all, a game like “Mario Kart Wii” is a game that should be in every library. In a game that allows gamers to play against millions of
others worldwide, the series offers players to connect with those around them. Also, with all of the additional content that has been
added to the game, players will never run out of things to do or unlockables to try and collect throughout the game. Of course the game
has a few flaws that hopefully will be corrected in the next addition to the series such as the lack of voice chat online, a reliance on friend
codes, and the fact that the tides can change so quickly with a single item being picked up. Granted, that is what the Mario Kart series
has been known to be like, it does get quite frustrating.
Every player will have their own things that they love or hate about the game, but in the end the game offers so many things, it is nearly
impossible for someone to see the game as a complete failure. Although, anyone that sees “Mario Kart Wii” as a failure needs to take
a look at previous versions of the game and see all of the improvements that have been made for this version.
are added to the series. From its humble beginnings, the series has seen six games covering over 100 tracks and creating millions
and millions of players around the world. Every version of the game has added its own subtle additions to the franchise and everyone
has their favorite that never seems to change, such as Rainbow Road, but it never really stays the same. This series has also proven
that it works as a single player game just as much as it does as a multiplayer game, especially with the introduction of “Mario Kart Wii”
for the Nintendo Wii.
For those that are new to the series, the Wii may be the best system yet to be introduced to the series. Since Mario Kart has always
been a pick-up-and-play racing game that is full of characters from the Mushroom Kingdom and weapons from their world, including
turtle shells and bananas. The concept of the game may seem quite childish but in the end players will see that this is a game created
for both kids and adults alike. With the introduction of the Wii Wheel, the controls for the game have gotten even easier; simply steer like
driving a car.
The Mario Kart series has never really been considered a game for hardcore gamers, but it also hasn’t gotten the title of casual for
those gamers that enjoy a game every once in a while. “Mario Kart Wii” takes into mind both types of gamers and included its three
typical speed classes to match with each gamers own style. Casual gamers will enjoy the 50cc class, moderate gamers will enjoy the
100cc and hardcore gamers will have a challenge in the 150cc class. Of course gamers can expect unlockables to be included with the
completion of each class. Each character in the game has a race class they fit into along with specific light, medium and heavy cars to
choose from in that class. For those that have already been initiated in the way of Mario Kart, there is nothing specifically new about this
game, instead elements are made better. Why fix something that isn’t broken?
There of course are some welcome additions to the game. The first and most noticeable is the Wii Wheel, a steering wheel that holds
that Wii Remote and makes the process of steering more believable and realistic. Also, motorcycles have been added to the mix, and
multiple cars to choose from. There is also Mii support in the game and 32 total stages to master, half of the tracks are brand new to
this game and half are classic track from previous versions of the game. On top of it all there are also new weapons to use on the track,
such as Bullet Bob, when activated steers the driver along the course at a high speed. The game overall feels like a Mario Kart game,
but the new additions are quickly noticed, some are loved and other not so much, but they are welcome additions to the game.
“Mario Kart Wii” is a rewarding game and offers a large amount of replayability, something that is getting to be more and more popular
among gamers. What is the point of paying $50-$60 for a game that can be beaten in 5-10 hours and nothing new can be found? With
the inclusion of IR and non-IR supported menus, the seamless integration of Mii characters, the never-ending list of WiiConnect24 and
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection features, retro levels and much more gives players the opportunity to play “Mario Kart Wii” over and over
again without doing the same thing twice. The game offers a seemingly endless amount of content for gamers. Some will love all of
the additional content, others won’t want to go through the game a second time to get the unlockables, but that is the beautiful thing
about this game, it is fun for all players, no matter what their motives for the game are.
For those that are fans of the multiplayer mode, “Mario Kart Wii” is a must-have addition to the gaming library. While split-screen
suffers from a drop is the fluid movements on the track, online blows it out of the water. Connecting is easy and fast overall, and
connecting to rooms is seldom ever an issue. Once in the game, the mix of ease of use, speed and options online makes it easily the
best Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection game available to date.
All in all, a game like “Mario Kart Wii” is a game that should be in every library. In a game that allows gamers to play against millions of
others worldwide, the series offers players to connect with those around them. Also, with all of the additional content that has been
added to the game, players will never run out of things to do or unlockables to try and collect throughout the game. Of course the game
has a few flaws that hopefully will be corrected in the next addition to the series such as the lack of voice chat online, a reliance on friend
codes, and the fact that the tides can change so quickly with a single item being picked up. Granted, that is what the Mario Kart series
has been known to be like, it does get quite frustrating.
Every player will have their own things that they love or hate about the game, but in the end the game offers so many things, it is nearly
impossible for someone to see the game as a complete failure. Although, anyone that sees “Mario Kart Wii” as a failure needs to take
a look at previous versions of the game and see all of the improvements that have been made for this version.
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