Mario Kart Wii user review

Mario Kart Wii is totally rad.

Review written by
dave the dragon slayer

The best two words I can find to describe Mario Kart Wii are "fun" and "addictive". It's just one of those games that results in a frown when you have to lay down the controller. I'm a Mario Kart veteran and I have very little qualms with the new Kart.

Gameplay

The game plays similarly to other Mario Karts. There are tons of items, and the game is fast and full of twists and turns. The new control schemes are great, and I recommend playing both "classical" style and with the wii wheel (aka wiill). Performing boost tricks (air, wheelie, drift, etc) is very cool, and hitting enemies with shells and bombs is still as fun as ever.

Highly competitive people will become angry with the cheap AI and the item system that gives big items to the losers, but it doesn't hurt the fun. I'd also like to mention that the karts and motorcycles aren't nearly as clunky as those on MK Double Dash.

Lifespan

There are tons of unlockables and 32 tracks. The online is a blast and it's tons of fun to play with people all over the world with no lag whatsoever. If you're already familiar with Mario Kart, you will know how much time one can invest into such a game. And this is before you even try battle mode.

Note: You will run into some jerks online. These people are overly concerned with their scores more than having fun, and will insist on racing the same two courses over and over again. Make sure to batter them with whatever items you have at hand. If you don't have items, ram them into players who do, because you'll be tired yourself after playing Moo Moo Farm three times in a row.

Graphics

The character models are weak. They look like models from an early Gamecube game, but once you select a character and they blend in with the beautiful tracks, you will probably forget about it. The tracks are more detailed, and everything just looks more vivid. The lighting effects help, but the amount of objects moving and the Mii integration will make you want to tip your hat, or.. maybe not. There are some tracks that are borderline amazing though.

Sound

The music is still chipper and upbeat like Mario Kart Wii's predecessors. These tracks are way better than most of those on MK Double Dash.

Conclusion

Speaking of Double Dash, it would have been nice to have the double dash feature with two characters sharing a car. Fortunately, the gameplay itself has been revamped, and there is hardly ever a dull moment when playing the game.

I've seen so many first party Nintendo games get well-deserved praise over the past few years, but I think Mario Kart Wii deserves my personal vote even more, because it's been a long time since I've hated turning the power off so badly. Go let Nintendo drain your wallet once again, and then you can think about finally getting a third party game after Nintendo learns how to make their games less awesome.