Mario Kart Wii

[Cookyman]

From IGN

 

More Mario Kart Wii Impressions

 

Matt weighs in with his thoughts on Nintendo's forthcoming Wii racer.

by Matt Casamassina

 

US, March 11, 2008 - Well, I've put several hours into Mario Kart Wii now. Bear in mind that the Wii units which let us play pre-release software are unable to go online, so obviously I couldn't test what is bound to be the racer's biggest draw. (And even if I could, I'm under an embargo not to discuss the online mode.) But one thing I can write about now is the fact that given the choice between playing the game with the Wii remote or a more traditional pad, I would definitely go with the latter, easily, without question. And this, mind you, is coming from perhaps the only IGN editor who forced himself to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl with the Wii remote.

 

You guys might have listened to my early impressions of Mario Kart for Wii on our Wii-k in Review Podcast (which, by the way, will post on Mondays and with a new name going forward). However, here are some brief thoughts on what I've played thus far, just in case you don't want to download our podcast.

 

Kart for Wii looks a lot like Double Dash!! with a new 16:9 widescreen mode and bloom effects. The texture work is not overly defined and the character models and environments seem a little light on polygons, but the title does run at a solid 60 frames per second and it does have a clean, colorful style and an overall good sense of polish. The tracks are wide – perhaps wider than those in the GCN effort and the sense of race speed falls somewhere between Double Dash!! (which is slower, in my opinion) and the DS project (which is faster). There are three different race speeds, from 50cc to 150cc, the latter being the only acceptable choice – everything else is both too slow and too easy.

 

Mario Kart Wii controls adequately with the Wii remote. The karts themselves are heavier and looser than the new motorbikes and this is especially noticeable during power-slides (or drifts, if you prefer), which must be utilized throughout races if you're to stand any chance of winning. You'll quickly find that you need to time power-slides earlier with karts because they don't turn as quickly; trying to take corners using the same technique with motorbikes will send you into the wall, though.

 

Snaking is out – a good thing, in my opinion -- but you will still gain boosts from power-sliding and the longer you hold your drift, the greater your boost will be. Boost power is also affected by the cars you choose prior to the races. One thing I've noticed, though, is that regardless of my vehicle or how long I hold a drift, the end boost is usually pretty insignificant – it's not like you get this sudden speed burst that really propels you forward; rather, your car more or less farts and by the time you even notice you've gained some speed, it's over. It's just not very pronounced and as a result it's not as satisfying. Yet, there's definitely some strategy to using the slides, as has always been the case. If you time them well, you can drift around corners without losing speed and when you're good enough, you'll be able to drift around a right curve and readjust for a left one without losing much momentum. That stuff is still really fun.

 

However, it's much more fun with a GameCube or classic controller, I've found. The Wii remote makes an already loose control scheme feel even looser and it is particularly difficult to quickly switch from a right curve or a left one (or vice versa) using the peripheral. After some frustrating rounds in which my Kart became very friendly with the barriers surrounding the tracks, I plugged in the GCN controller and found a much tighter experience waiting. I immediately noticed a dramatic improvement in my rank throughout the courses, too.

I know that Bozon had mentioned in our podcast that he couldn't find a way to perform tricks or wheelies in Mario Kart Wii using a GCN or classic controller. You can, though – the functionality is just mapped to the D-Pad. So when you go off a jump, tap up on the D-Pad and you'll trick. Same for wheelies. That seeming omission was the biggest drawback to using the old controllers, which otherwise offer improved maneuverability mapped to the analog stick, but have no fear because it's all good. It's in there.

 

Race AI is cheap. The chances are very good that if you're in first place coming into the second lap, you will get nailed by a blue shell, lighting bolt, the squid, a POW block, and maybe a cloud for good measure. You can go from first to twelfth place in a matter of a few seconds, or the other way around. It's all good and fine if you happen to slide into first at the end of a race; you probably won't complain too much. On the other hand, try to imagine yourself bombarded by a host of cheesy items just before you finish a race, only to drop in place behind a half dozen competitors or more – not because you messed up, but because the AI kicked in. This issue is multiplied by the presence of 11 additional racers; more karts, more chances for the deployment of annoying items. It's discouraging stuff. On the flipside, I've actually seen karts ahead of me slow down to let me catch up – almost patronizing me, really – which is also a pretty cheesy way to keep some semblance of balance.

 

Still, the core experience remains in tact and it's entertaining so far. The more I play it, the more I like it. And frankly, it's unfair to judge the racer based on what I've played of the single-player mode alone. That'd be like rating Smash Bros. on its Subspace Emissary option. The Kart titles have always been decent single-player and exceptional multiplayer affairs and I'm expecting nothing different from the Wii iteration. In fact, with 12-player matches online, I have really high hopes. I would like a very competitive experience. I also hope that – unlike the single-player option, which enables you to turn off or set sporadic delivery of items – you will be able to determine exactly which power-ups you want to individually turn on or off. Like Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in other words. Why not allow that kind of customization? It would definitely make players like me happy.

 

When I finally do go online, though, I'll be holding a Wave Bird.

[Helmsly]

Thats good to know about the tricks and a little suprising that Bozon made that mistake and never thought to tap the D-pad on the GC controller.

 

Also, if these guys are saying they would give this game 7.5 without having tried the online mode yet, the end score is going to be a lot higher

[canand]

Thats good to know about the tricks and a little suprising that Bozon made that mistake and never thought to tap the D-pad on the GC controller.

 

Also, if these guys are saying they would give this game 7.5 without having tried the online mode yet, the end score is going to be a lot higher

 

Yeah it well have a bigger rateing than 7.5

[Owen]

Thats good to know about the tricks and a little suprising that Bozon made that mistake and never thought to tap the D-pad on the GC controller.

 

Also, if these guys are saying they would give this game 7.5 without having tried the online mode yet, the end score is going to be a lot higher

 

Perhaps there annoyed that Europe are getting it before em? No Mario Kart is worth a 7.5, is it?

[canand]

Perhaps there annoyed that Europe are getting it before em? No Mario Kart is worth a 7.5, is it?

 

no it should be 9.0 not 7.5

[Strange Cookie]

No Mario Kart is worth a 7.5, is it?

 

It very well could be. No classic series is safe from the odd slip. I'll reserve judgement until I get to play it myself, though.

[marcel]

odd that they did not try the wiimote nunchuck combo

[Kurtle Squad]

ONM: 94%

poooooop

[welsh_gamer]

ONM: 94

poooooop

 

I really want to see their so called review.

 

The last time I purchased ONM was for their exclusive Mario Galaxy review, and it turned out to be basically a poorly written preview with a score attatched on the end of it. "We won't reveal any details about the game, as we don't want to ruin your enjoyment of it" roughly translates to "We haven't actually played the game, and know nothing about it, so we decided to call our newest preview a review instead so we could sell more copies of the mag!".

[canand]

ONM: 94%

poooooop

 

Was that in ONM issure 28?

[The-chosen-one]

im going to get this game for sure no matter wich rating they give it

[Kurtle Squad]

Was that in ONM issure 28?

Yeah

DOOOPYWOOP

[canand]

Yeah

DOOOPYWOOP

 

Have you got a cover of it becuse I have to wailt tell Friday to get it and what is the free gift?

[Domstercool]

Out April 27th in USA. I like how they get it like 2 weeks after us, but when it comes to brawl, we don't get it 2 weeks after them ¬_¬ GITS!

[Kurtle Squad]

Have you got a cover of it becuse I have to wailt tell Friday to get it and what is the free gift?

?Cover?

 

The free gift's a double sided Mario Kart DD/Mario Kart Wii poster.

 

The DD side was used as a poster by NOM once though, but a smaller ver. found inside a calendar one year.

[ReZourceman]

I love how when NOM relaunched they said the magazine would be better with extremely high end free gifts...

 

 

....like posters.

[Owen]

Out April 27th in USA. I like how they get it like 2 weeks after us, but when it comes to brawl, we don't get it 2 weeks after them ¬_¬ GITS!

 

Yeah, i'm quite annoyed at that to be honest. They should like wait till May or June for this.

[canand]

?Cover?

 

The free gift's a double sided Mario Kart DD/Mario Kart Wii poster.

 

The DD side was used as a poster by NOM once though, but a smaller ver. found inside a calendar one year.

 

That is rubbish why does it have to be a poster?

[ReZourceman]

To be honest, I dont care/want to spite Americans for getting this soon after us. The Brawl delay isnt their fault its Nintendos fault, and I still find it disgcusting we don't even have a release date announced.

 

My excitement for Brawl has actually long reached its peak, but the fact that its not out for a while has simply diminished my excitement, and now Im much more pumped for this in all honesty.

[Kurtle Squad]

I'm pumped for Brawl ^_^

PLEASE come this week!!!

[Owen]

To be honest, I dont care/want to spite Americans for getting this soon after us. The Brawl delay isnt their fault its Nintendos fault, and I still find it disgcusting we don't even have a release date announced.

 

My excitement for Brawl has actually long reached its peak, but the fact that its not out for a while has simply diminished my excitement, and now Im much more pumped for this in all honesty.

 

Yeah your right, it's not Americans fault! It's bloody Nintendos!

[Dyson]

 

Race AI is cheap. The chances are very good that if you're in first place coming into the second lap, you will get nailed by a blue shell, lighting bolt, the squid, a POW block, and maybe a cloud for good measure. You can go from first to twelfth place in a matter of a few seconds, or the other way around.

 

 

For fucks sake. You'd think they'd have listened.

[Kurtle Squad]

I forgot...there's also SEGA Superstars Tennis Wiimote sticker cover things & stickers for whatever else you wish

[canand]

I forgot...there's also SEGA Superstars Tennis Wiimote sticker cover things & stickers for whatever else you wish

 

Cool I can put them on my note book.

[Cube]

I'm not worried about the speed now. If it's faster than Double Dash (like IGN say) then it's the fastest Mario Kart yet.