I originally got into the Mario Kart franchise back on the good old 16 bit days with the SNES. Fast forward several years later and we now have Mario Kart Wii. Graphics - I felt like the graphics were pretty pretty good and set the standard how a Mario Kart game should look. Gameplay - It plays like Mario Kart but once you get to 150 cc or Mirror Mode the difficulty picks up. Also its worth noting the item system is a little unbalanced as in get hit with a blue shell while in first is fine but then get hit by a red shell and then by a green shellf and then finally by another time and your going to be pretty aggrivated. Overall though thats my only real gripe with Mario Kart Wii in the gameplay department and with that extra difficulty it will extend the amount of time playing. Sound - Its your typical Mario Kart music and sound effects which is a good thing. The developer did a good job in this department as well. Replayability - Wit more unlockables and karts to chose from and characters and tracks than any other Mario Kart game you could very well spend a huge chunk of a few weeks in this game and you would still want to come back for more. Online is great and I have no complaints as in it runs seamless without a problem. Verdict - Must Own Final Score - 9 out of 10
Mario Kart Wii isn't a homerun, nor is it a train wreck. I can state that it is an improvement on it's Gamecube predecessor, but not enough to leave me wanting more. Let me start off with the character selection. Of course, you've got your Mario and your Peach, and your Yoshi... but why did Nintendo have to leave Birdo, Diddy Kong and Bowser Jr. as unlockables this time around, when in Mario Kart: Double Dash, they were available from the start? Also, what's up with the baby characters? There are just too many! More recently, they have taken up the majority of the spots in the Mario spin-offs. Trust me, there are more deserving characters out there! In addition to some of the veterans are the newcomers. Funky Kong and Dry Bones are good additions. Dry Bowser, Baby Daisy and Rosalina? Err... not so much. Why would Nintendo add in such obscure characters? This really puzzles me.Anyhow, moving on...The graphics. Is it just me, or do the characters seem extra glossy and shiny? The courses are more detailed than those in the previous installments in the Mario Kart series, which is good. Of course, from a Mario game, you'd expect colorful visuals and wacky patterns all over the place, right? Mario Kart Wii has it all! Overall, not too shabby, but I just know that the Wii is capable of much more! Now, the challenge. This one is actually tough to explain. The game does have an extensive learning curve, but for those who are veterans to the series shouldn't have a problem with the difficulty. I find that the game can be frustrating on 150cc and Mirror, due to the fact that items can easily bombard you, especially those annoying blue shells! The opponents also cheat sometimes, and they even make their own short-cuts, which isn't just. Controls - they are pretty weak if you ask me! The game comes packaged with a "Wii Wheel," a steering-wheel peripheral which is optional for the game. Not only is the Wii Wheel unprecise, but it is frustrating to use! But, I do like the fact that the Gamecube controller and the Classic controller can be used as alternatives. I also have a problem with drifting and turbos. They are complicated to figure out (at least to me). The new addition of tricks is great, and they are easy to pull off. The interface is a minor problem with the game. I feel that there is too much happening on-screen, and I just wish there was a way to remove some stuff, so that the view can be more clear. Unfortunately, the interface does bring down the game's overall score.The track variety is the game's high point. There are 32 tracks, both new and old, which is a genius idea. But, I must say that some of the tracks are in fact boring or commonly hard. A few of the retro track choices are quite lame, too.Vehicle variety. One word: bikes! Mario Kart Wii introduces bikes, each one with a unique color scheme for the different characters. Obviously, there are still the traditional karts, which is always good. In all, there are 36 vehicles to choose from in the game (18 karts, 18 bikes), differing depending on the weight class. I am definitely pleased with this area.Vehicle customization. Okay, really, I don't have much to say... since when is there vehicle customization in this game? It automatically gets a 1 out of 10, since I haven't spotted any customization or modification instances in Mario Kart Wii.Sound; when will Nintendo stop it with those annoying character voices and aggravating sound effects? It does get madly stressful after a while! But, I can say that I do like the music that plays on the courses; it perfectly fits the theme of each individual track.In general, Mario Kart Wii is a GOOD game. Nothing less, nothing more. The multiplayer is good, the online is decent and the mini-games are quite fun. If you know you are going to play this game alone, don't bother buying it, since it WILL get repetitive and boring very quickly! But, then again, Mario is Mario, and you can't refuse the series no matter what!
Overall rating
5/ 5
Gameplay
5/ 5
Graphics
5/ 5
Sound
5/ 5
360 Addicted
Slimmered to Perfection
PostedMay 2, 2009
This is hands down the best wii game I have beside Endless Ocean. This is the classic Mario and his friends going at it. A cool feature is that you can you can race online via your wireless router or Nintendo Wi-Fi USB. There is great multi-player, so that is clearly an upside. You can pull off amazing, mind bobbling, just sick nasty tricks. The way you unlock characters and courses is through winning circuits. The Mario Kart Wii Channel is awesome and convenient, but you do need the disc in, to race. This channel allows you to race with friends,play in tournaments, and you can do time trials and check your standings with the disc in of course. This game is addicting, BELIEVE ME!!!!! Once you play this game, your hooked. The only down side is that it takes up 23 of your valuable blocks, you can't transfer the data to an SD Card. Overall, you don't need to rent this game like I did.
Overall rating
4/ 5
Gameplay
4/ 5
Graphics
4/ 5
Sound
4/ 5
ERRN
Love this game
PostedApril 11, 2009
We love this game. My grandson is 3 and my grand daughter is 7, and they can play it together with almost no fighting. They love to drive the cars because they can hold a real stearing wheel. We tried M&M race, and it doesn't compare to Mario Cart. Every time you clear a level it opens something else. You can open up new cars/players and tracks. The figures and cars are so cute there is a lot to choose from. The scenery on the tracks is so pretty, if you can sit and watch someone else play. It has different modes like racing alone, with the computer or playing against another player. It is probably not for big time racers but it is so cute and easy to operate and play that anyone can do it even a three year old. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
