Mario Kart Wii (Wii) Reader Review

The Mario Kart franchise has had a long and colourful history. Starting out with the Super Nintendo classic Super Mario Kart, the series has had an iteration on each of Nintendo's consoles since; from Mario Kart 64 on the Nintendo 64 which brought the series into 3D; Mario Kart Super Circuit on the Game Boy Advance that retained its ancestor's 2D Charm; Mario Kart Double Dash on the GameCube which explored a new 2-man Kart mechanic; Mario Kart DS on the currently-reigning Handheld that brought online racing to the fans, and presently we are at Mario Kart Wii for Nintendo's revolutionary ice-breaker, all of which have sold in record numbers. Certainly not bad for a spin-off that was widely criticized as a Mario Cash-in upon first unveiling, and then ruthlessly copied for other character franchises, including Bomberman and even Sonic. So then, how does the Wii version do against the others, and what is it like?

Well, firstly, it doesn't stray too far from the successful formula, if at all. Although Double Dash brought the idea of two players on one kart (an idea that was subsequently not very well-received), MKWii reverts back to One-man Karts. Gameplay still involves driving around a track collecting weapons when needed as using them against other racers to ensure you reach the Finish line first, although of course it isn't as simple as it sounds.
New to Mario Kart in this version is the ability to choose a Motorcycle to ride instead of a Kart. Not a big deal you may think; surely they handle the same anyway? Well, yes, and no. When using a bike, you can do a wheelie, that will give you a brief speed boost, although your maneuverability is limited for the duration of the wheelie. Subsequently you get a stronger cornering boost when using a Kart, so both choices have their advantages and disadvantages, evening things out. Also, in relation to Vehicle boosts, the Snaking mechanic (a special boost that activated when the player skidded around corners) that was considered cheating in the DS version of Mario Kart has been altered, in that the boost depends on how long you skid for, instantly improving play and making things more fair.
Other Gameplay additions are the inclusion of more weapons, like the Mega Mushroom first seen in New Super Mario Brothers, for example, and the welcome expansion of 12 racers on the track at any one time as opposed to the original 8. There are also more characters, some old, some new, and the unlockable option to race as your Mii representation.

Along with any purchased copy of Mario Kart Wii comes the Wii Wheel, a simple frame that you can slot the Wii Remote into. This allows the player to rotate the controller to emulate a steering Wheel whilst still having access to regular buttons for weapons fire, acceleration, etc.
There is definitely a learning curve for this control option; depending on how fast you adapt to irregular controls it will take time to master. The Wii Wheel doesn't really improve the experience outside of replication, but it can be a fun alternative to sticks and D-Pads. Other control options include Wii Remote separate from Wheel, Classic Controller, Gamecube Controller and (this reviewer's favourite) the Remote and Nunchuk together, so there is an option for everyone. Each control option works fairly well, although there is no button-replacement option like in Smash Brothers Brawl, so what you see is what you get.

Making it's second appearance in a Mario Kart title is Online play, and for this game it has been greatly expanded. Upon selecting Wi-Fi play from the game's menu, you are brought to a spinning globe, similar to the one you'd find in the Wii News Channel, where you can see your Mii character standing on whichever part of the world you live in, and the choices of Worldwide Races, Continental Races, or Friend Races.
If anyone feels the need to hold their breath at the mention of Friend, they can let it go now; the dreaded Friend Codes do make a return. But, and this is a big But, they are nowhere near as annoying as usual. You'll still have 12 digit Number sequences to enter, but provided you have a few people on your Wii's Friend list, the game will automatically send out invites for them, and provided they accept, will be added to your list minus the need for Numbers. This doesn't seem like a huge step, but it is one Nintendo need to put in all future Online Wii games. Although there is no Voice Chat or Keyboard support for MKWii, there are pre-determined text samples to communicate to your friends with. Not very helpful, but a chatroom somewhere (hint,hint) takes care of that problem. There is also a team-based battle option for groups of friends and strangers too, which works quite well, although is limited by only having a team feature and not a single one.
Worldwide Races, which does as the name suggests, and Continental Races, which lets players race against others only in their region, both work brilliantly well. When selected, the Globe takes you (and a Player 2 if there is one) to each racer it finds ready for a race on the globe, wherever that may be. So to see individual Miis smiling and waving at you from countries all over the world is a very nice touch. This process doesn't usually take very long, and it all works seemlessly. If the group you find is currently racing, you can watch the race until it finishes, which you can then join. Better than a loading screen, that's for sure.
Evey regular course (of which there are 32) are playable online, and are determined by a randomizer from player's choices. Each one works without a problem, providing you have a reasonably strong internet connection, and the other Karts are very rarely affected by another person's weak connection. If one person quits out during a race, that race is not affected except for racer position, so less interruptions are welcome.
There is also an option for a Mario Kart Wii Channel to upload onto your Wii's main menu. This Channel helps keep track of current competitions (changes weekly), Leaderboards, best Course times between friends and worldwide players, the option to download Time Trial Ghosts of players to race against, and to check if any of your friends are playing online at the moment. You can do all this in-game, and to play one of these modes from the Channel itself you will need to insert the Game Disc, but it is a welcome extra that boosts the online ability of this game.
In short, the Wi-Fi mode is fantastic, and definitely worth trying out, regardless of how good at the game you are.

Offline-wise, single player firstly offers the traditional Mario Kart-fare of 50cc, 100cc and 150cc, each cc corresponding to the speed you'd be going; from slowest to fastest. For 50cc, you are limited to Karts only, 100cc only allows Bikes, and 150cc allows for both (as does the unlockable Mirror tracks), this limitation allows for a decent amount of variation, both in the number of Bike and Kart Classes and models you can choose, and how you approach each race. Each cc lets the player race on one of 8 Cups, each with 4 tracks. There are also Battle Modes and Time Trail Modes, for both Single and Multiplayer.
Speaking of Multiplayer, it is largely the same deal, although there is only a minimum of two players allowed to do the regular Grand-Prix mode, 3 or 4 players can only go against one another in races. For Battle mode, you can now only compete in teams, online and off, and traditional players will miss Solo-Player competitiveness.

Visually, the game looks great. It isn't a huge leap, or even much of a jump over Double Dash on the GameCube, but it looks solid enough. Each of the unique 32 courses are done in that traditional and unbeatable fun style of Mario Kart uniqueness, many of which combine water, fire and rainbows (you know the one) to create some dazzling sights. Mario Kart is never a series you play for graphical innovations, but the Wii version does well in this regard.

Music-wise, the game is fine too. There are collections of classic themes paired with the 16 Retro race tracks (the other 16 are all-new), and some of the newer themes are instant classics in their own right. You'll love Maple Treeway's pleasant melody and DK Mountain's go-get'em theme. Every Weapon sounds as you expect and although the Character voices can get annoying, you soon get used to it.

No game is perfect however, and MKWii is no different. There is a slight Weapons-imbalancing in the game, where players near the back get stronger weapons like the ever-annoying Blue Shell a lot more often, as do the racers behind the top three. This can be overcome with the right amount of skill, but it takes time and practice.
Another fault leading on from this is that computer players in the 150cc and the Mirror races suffer from the rubber-banding effect, in that they stay a lot closer to the lead racer (most likely you) than a racer at a regular speed. This affect has been seen in other MK games, although it is more obvious here. Again, this can be overcome with skill and a little luck, and can also be seen as a significant challenge.

With excellent Online, Multiplayer, Time Trail Challenges, Tournaments and special events from Nintendo themselves, and lots of characters, vehicles and tracks to choose from, this is one game you'll be playing for a long time. See you Online!