May 12, 2008
Review: B+
'Mario Kart Wii' has users saying 'whee'
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For a video game franchise in its 16th year and on its eighth incarnation, expectations for originality and innovation should be fairly low.
And while Mario Kart Wii has little in the way of originality (characters and whole tracks have been yanked from previous versions verbatim), innovation comes in the form of the Wii Wheel. Your existing Wii remote control plops into the center of the white plastic disc. And what looks like the plaything of a 2-month-old becomes a smooth-handling virtual steering wheel.
The graphics have been spruced up for the Wii system, and new characters and vehicles (minimotorbikes!) join the races, but the concept is essentially the same: Mario and company joyride around tracks all while pummeling each other with ridiculous projectiles like turtle shells and bananas.
New obstacles such as a squid that obscures your vision have been added, but the biggest improvements here are the controls. With the Wii Wheel, you seamlessly weave through turns and can even pop a wheelie. You can play Mario Kart Wii with a regular Wii controller, but it's decidedly less fun and really no different from Mario Kart: Double Dash! (the last home version).
The game comes with one Wii Wheel, but to get the most out of the game, players will have to shell out $15 for an extra one to keep their in-house opponents happy.
The multiplayer aspect of Mario Kart has always been the game's chief selling point, so Nintendo has wisely outfitted this Kart for hassle-free Internet gameplay. With the Wi-Fi connection, players can race friends or strangers around the world. While intercontinental gameplay may seem daunting, the interface is extremely easy to use, and it's surprisingly free of technical glitches.
Playing someone in a far-off locale like Japan may sound intriguing and novel, but Mario Kart's chief selling point is the same as it was when the game was first released for the Super Nintendo in 1992 - good ole' in-person multiplayer. Few games can match the controlled and strangely wholesome mayhem of a four-way battle royale.
There is something oddly satisfying about running a friend off the road and hearing him grumble and groan as your cute cartoon avatar speeds through the finish line.
Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun
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