I was very happy with this game, but I'm beginning to hate it. It isn't Mario Kart anymore because you can play with bikes, it doesn't matter how good you race at the first 2 laps of a grand prix because you always get a bullet bill, you only have to wheelie on time trail, the retro tracks are too retro or you can't even see that it's a retro track (like GV2), the straights are too long and the online function won't make the site real. I think there's also something else wrong with the time trail mode (please help at the vids topic!), but most of all: It's great to drive with the Wii Wheel, but the NGC controller is better. It doesn't have anything to do with the accurancy, but if you wheelie, you always steer a bit and slow down. It's just like the real Mario games: The first game is good (SMK), the second bad (MK64), the third one good (MKDD) and the fourth one bad again (MKWii). Still, just like MK64, I have to play it for the combined rankings
And yes, there's something in the game that I really like: The battle mode.

Worth buying a Wii for? In a word, no. There are better games out there now that can justify buying a Wii (Mario Galaxy the first that jumps to mind).

As for MKW, it's good, but at the moment I'm not blown away. The new tracks vary (imo) in quality and although some are great for multiplayer moments, some are just average tracks. The main difference is probably the exclusion of snaking, and although I was never good enough at it to get high in the rankings, I do miss it. The bikes are an okay addition and I find they work better than karts on some tracks at time trial.

The one things that has annoyed me beyond everything else is the frequency you'll get attacked when 1st in grand prix. Every time I think I'm doing well enough to win, and far enough ahead not to worry about a blue shell, I'll get blue shelled, red shelled, lightning bolted and powed in a short period of time sending me from 1st to 8th when the finish line is barely a few seconds away....

Although it does have its drawbacks, I can see me playing this one for quite a while on time trial, especially as the times are going to be very competitive and achievable to a lot more people than they were with DD.

The only thing I can't comment on is the online multiplayer because I haven't tried it yet, although the rankings and ability to download ghosts is a nice touch. I read that some people are not happy with the way Nintendo show the times (or lack of) online. It doesn't bother me, if I want a competitive site to race other at time trial I'll come here to do so.

EDIT: Last thing I forgot to mention - the Wii Wheel. I don't like it and have just stuck to the GC controller, much more acurate and easy to use. I'll use the wheel when playing against my friends but that's about it.

Mario Kart Wii seems to be good fun, but it may get boring very quickly, as this is for sure the easiest Mario Kart yet.

The online features are amazing and without them this game would hardly be worth playing.  The CC in a wi-fi match is now determined by the number of players & their skill level which is a very nice touch.  When there are only good players racing the game steps up the speed to 150cc.  

The game throws out an absurd amount of items on wi-fi.  In MKWii it is not unusual to get four or more blues in one race then the item hits continue even after you have dropped down into 3rd or 4th place.  :'(  Those damn item boxes are everywhere so even if you can build a big lead over the others it is not always enough to ensure victory.  On the first day it was hilarious but  it is becoming tiresome. I suppose Nintendo did this to give more people a chance to win but sometimes you can hardly move from getting pelted by items. It really is that crazy.  

M. Sax wrote on 04/14/08 at 03:48:55:


Yes, off course, but it's not relaxing at all.

termoPilucco wrote on 04/14/08 at 04:33:54:

That's true also

Alvin van Asselt wrote on 04/14/08 at 01:18:19:


My heart bleeds, MK64 is a bad game? what the hell are you smoking Alvin, are you on drugs! hah I am just kidding but I can´t believe you just said MK64 sucks. Everyone has their own opinion....ya...MKDD good? blah it sucks the crazy charging countless MTs makes the game very annoying. Ask Finn, William, Pobre, Michael F.

Anyway my friend has this MK wii game and he doesn´t like it at all, he gave up quite easily on the game because of the bikes, this is not kart anymore.

It's funny how you people go crazy about MKDDs MTs but nobody mentions the unhuman MKDS MTs

As for MKWii - great game, simple but great. And online is fun, no matter how hard the items are against you

Karina Villa wrote on 04/14/08 at 07:55:26:


hey Karina !
Alvin's obviously smoking his socks . MK64 is maybe a bit hard to get into, because those mt's don't come easy. but once you've got the hang of it, you realize that the game is a wonderful combination of simplicity and complexity. there's just that one technique, but you can go on improving it for years. and the tracks: no flashy distractions, just what you need to steer by, more or less+a wonderful freedom to move off track and explore strange routes. it's the same with the tracks as with the mt's; you can go on for years learning them better and better, and as you improve, you find new facets all the time. In short: within utter simplicity you have infinite complexity - and an everlasting challenge.

MKDD was an enormous disappointment after that, allthough I realize that I never got really into the game, as I only played it for two months right at the start. but I don't want to; r-tech and a-tech and all that stuff sounds ridiculously stressful.

From what I hear, MKWii may seem to have MK64's simplicity - but maybe not it's complexity. I don't know, it obviously is far too early to say. some devoted players must hjave played it for a few months, at least, before we will know it's potential as a tt game. (and that's what interests me.) but anyway I'm happy for it's not having the stressful features of MKDD and MKDS.

of course I'm gonna get it, but you know, I've only played MK64 for 9 years, so I've got a lot more to do there before I'm ready to take on a new game for real !

finn

really it looks very similar to non snaking mkds racing.

IMO(and people will disagree with me here, but it is just my opinion), Mario Kart 64 wasn't a step in the right direction for the Mario Kart series. I'm not saying it was a bad game, not at all; I'm just saying it was lacking something, something that the MKs to follow do have(with the exception of Super Circuit, that game is by far the worst game in the series). I am unable to put my finger on exactly I felt was missing though. Onto my main point...

Mario Kart Wii, again in my own opinon is a... sequel to MK64(again I welcome any criticism to what I have just said), I feel that the playing style, karts, tracks, time trials, GPs have been vastly improved. It's not that I enjoy getting raped every five seconds by oncoming items, it's just that it adds to the zest of the game.

To me, it's a newly crafted, yet original idea... taking all the good qualities of the previous Mario Karts(especially MK64) and putting it into one single game. I'm 100% sure hundreds of people will disagree with me here, but it's the best Mario Kart yet. And sure you all have the right to be pissed off with the addition of bikes and the new MT system, but... no one cares, stop bitching and play the god damn game.

First impression =  
Second impression =   (it's already having that MK affect on me(I'm screaming at the wall when I screw up on time trials or get item raped by stupid CPUs, and the odd human))

Flaming is welcome.  

Astr0 wrote on 04/14/08 at 22:39:43:


That was where I stopped reading your

I'm sorry. But it's true. We all have our own opinions.