Mario Kart Wii: Impressions

I have been a huge fan of the Mario Kart series since the SNES release. I was a huge fan of the N64 Mario Kart, and I have religiously played that one with friends and family ever since it came out, especially after being sadly disappointed with the GameCube Mario Kart installment (with exception of the networked gamecube multiplayer mode). So, you'd think Mario Kart Wii might also be disappointing to me, but I found myself pleasantly surprised.

I'd like to just start off saying Mario Kart for the Wii was a great experience for me. All-around, I feel it did a great job taking the good from previous Mario Kart games (including some of the old courses!) and making a very well-polished Nintendo-style racing game. So, if you don't like the Mario Kart series, then don't bother with Mario Kart Wii.

First off, I'm going to get nit-picky on features here. My love for Mario Kart 64 made me really start honing in on some of the little skills like drifting and hopping, which really make a big difference when being used correctly. When I played the GameCube MarioKart it seemed like they kept those around, but made them clunky. In Mario Kart Wii, not only did they refine these features, but they added the mini-boost system, which makes more experienced racers find a whole new way to enjoy their racing experience. The car system in MarioKart for GameCube was dumb, as well as counter-intuitive, but it allowed for mixing and matching skills and aptitudes to make really good racers. MarioKart wii brings a system that allows for the same customization and mixing and matching, but it is much more intuitive, as you are mixing and matching characters with vehicles.

So, MarioKart Wii went back to basics in every way that it needed to. Not to mention, though, that it was one of the easiest multiplayer experiences I've ever dealt with. Now, don't take this at all seriously, but I swear all they do is make random bots from random locations around the world and say you're playing against other people, because the online gameplay was AMAZINGLY seamless. Just choose whether you want to play worldwide, in a local region, or with friends, and before long you are connected with up to 12 players. There were no hiccups, I experienced no lag, and I was able to really find some great challengers to try my skills out on. Why aren't other games for the Wii that online-multiplayer ready?!

Alright, now to talk about the wheel that comes with Mario Kart Wii. To me the thing was initially a joke. I feel I have so much more control over my kart using an analog stick, and rotating that wheel in free space trying to keep my car on course was like a huge step back. BUT, the wheel has a very important application. I plan on testing this on my grandma tonight, but I believe that the Wii wheel really helps people new to the Mario Kart series get into and enjoy the game. Who doesn't know what to do when a wheel is placed in their hands? So, this factor considered, I probably won't sell my wheel on ebay, because I will probably hold onto it for friends and family who are intimidated by the nun chuck.

So, final word in my book for Mario Kart Wii is: The game is awesome, and does the Mario Kart series major justice.