The brothers Mario clash on the racetrack. As their karts grind together, the combined mach speed threatens to tear the lip warmers from their very faces. The scene seethes with venom - never has Nintendo dredged up such ferocious rivalry. As an opening FMV? It's a killer. As an indicator of the day at the races to follow? They're being a little liberal with the truth.
Entering our first race - Luigi's Circuit in Mario's 50cc banger - the tash-flapping wonderment of the intro is dispelled instantly. It's a dull loop - roughly shaped like Patrick Stewart's head - that's far too wide; a sea of tarmac that denies you anything close to a satisfying racing line. It makes the bloated tracks of Double Dash look super-skinny. It's hardly the best opener.
Then you hit the accelerator aaaand... not a lot happens. Yes, the 50cc Grand Prix has never been the speediest of events, but this feels wind-up car slow. A piddling trickle of movement, it's particularly jarring if you've recently played Zippy The Wonder Boy, aka Mario Kart DS. Why the treacly pace? It's likely due to the wheel peripheral - speed and new controls are going to take the precious 'expanded audience' time to grasp.
While it's hard to write passionately about a plastic wheel (we give it a try in 'Wheely Good', right) the control it offers, although alien at first, is soon warmed to. It's not long before you're translating the minimal analogue tweaks that got you through Mario Karts of yore to the wheel, though seasoned Kart-heads will probably stick with the tried-and-tested analogue stick, especially for the bikes.
Oh so remote But never fear: this shambles of an opening race is in no way a clear indicator of how good Mario Kart Wii can actually be. Pop out the remote from its plastic casing and ramp up your vehicle class to 150cc, and the game is transformed into the Mario Kart you know and love. Basics first. Analogue stick steering? Fine. It sits somewhere between Mario Kart 64 and Double Dash - there's none of the sluggishness of Dash's fattened karts, but it's got more grip and presence than 64's pseudo-3D floaty-mobiles. And drifting? Really solid.
Instigated by performing a hop, a drift boost is no longer gained by steering in and out of the slide, but is now dictated by the length of the slide. Drift for long enough and the blue sparks turn to blue flames, before flaring a bright, super-boost-coloured red.
Boosting is a case of less is more. Despite being easier to pull off than the old waggling technique - you literally just hold down the hop button and steer into the bend - the boost is harder to trick and manipulate. Is this the end of snaking? We certainly hope so. Sure, you can hop and force a drift along a straight, but the game doesn't like giving you boost power unless you're on a corner. It may be technical witchcraft, but we won't send it to the ducking stool.
Having to hold the drift for as long as possible actually makes for a riskier game. Do you try to drift through multiple bends in one manoeuvre for a mega boost, or chop it into more manageable pieces? It also calls for re-evaluation of the retro tracks included here, as strategic slides question your tried and tested racing lines, and best times once thought unbeatable are soundly trounced.
Not only are you attempting to cultivate a zen-like appreciation of corners, but you have a stunt boost to chase, too. Whether launching off a ramp or passing a minor bump in the road, a quick remote shake activates a trick and rewards you with a turbo upon landing. There's no way to mess it up and no tricksy angled landings ŕ la Excite Truck. It's as pure and obvious as Mario Kart has ever been.
Not all courses offer ripe openings for both abilities. Bumpless tarmac tracks focus more on smooth drifts, while others are so bump-fat - racing over the knotted roots of Maple Treeway, for example - that you rarely touch the ground, let alone drift. Trick spots are even sparser in the four retro cups - it's quite obvious where ramps have been shoehorned in. The inconsistency isn't game-ruining, but it'll surely help some tracks find stardom quicker than others.
On yer bike Then there are bikes. Four wheels good, two wheels bad? When we hopped on Peach's scooter for the first time we thought Nintendo had seriously messed up. Steering the two wheeler with the wheel was horribly unnatural, the rotation motion completely at odds with the handlebar twist you'd expect from a bike. Squeeze the waggle stick out of the shell and the problem is solved.
Bikes differ in two key areas. For one, they're equipped with a wheelie capability that offers a slight hike in speed at the expense of steering stability. Flick the remote up and the front wheel lifts up; flick the remote back again and the wheel lowers as full control returns. It's a tad mechanical - a wheelie will naturally last around five seconds - but the extra speed boost it affords is a genuinely sneaky treat, especially when applied to overtake on the final stretch.
So the two vehicles are unbalanced, then? Nintendo would say no. To compensate for their crafty one-wheel antics, the bikes' drifting capacity is curbed at blue flames. No matter how long you powerslide a bike for, you ain't going to milk a speedy red flame from its engine. Is it enough? Maybe not. The difference in speed between a blue flame and red flame boost isn't really great enough to warrant labelling the kart's extra drift reward as compensation.
Family tree "This is not your father's Mario Kart." So proclaimed Reggie Fils-Aime when he unveiled Mario Kart Wii at last year's E3. And yes, with bikes, tricks and a heavily modified drift you'd be forgiven for believing him. Just half an hour of play, however, reveals that same old game running underneath.
Three, two (accelerate for a boost), one. And they're off. Congested madness followed by a few drifts to reach the front of the pack. Feels like our father's Mario Kart to us. The same old difficulty-balancing tricks rear their ugly heads: heavy characters magically upping their acceleration to apply some final lap pressure and a constant flow of blue shells for Mr Rubbish in 12th position. That's a constant flow of blue shells subsequently spammed by the still moronic AI.
Racing online An extra four karts - Mario Kart traditionally uses eight - ramp up the chaos within the lower ranks, but the ease with which you can glide away means you'll only ever spy the congestion on the map. And an extra four karts means an extra four loads of items chucked about - so thanks, Nintendo, for a remote speaker alarm and onscreen warning for approaching items. Seeing exactly where an item is travelling improves avoidance odds, though DS fans will miss the comprehensive map the bottom screen offered.
But hold on a minute. If the extra four karts don't add anything to the Grand Prix, why include them? It's not like Nintendo to crowbar in excessive features for the hell of it - they're the master game pruners. Keep that in mind as we enter the final lap of our Mario Kart Wii review. In racing terms, this is where you pull your finest tricks out of the bag to get ahead, but likewise, this is where slip-ups are most painfully felt.
The trick we're referring to? Online play. This is what Reggie hopes will differentiate this Kart from our father's. And he's mostly right. As an online Wii experience it shames its rivals. Smash Bros may offer a cavalcade of online modes, but it's crudely handled. Press a button and you play Smash Bros online. Caveman basic. Mario Kart is a crafted online experience designed to develop a community.
Wi-Finery From the immensely slick and welcoming lobby system to the special Mario Kart Channel installed on the Wii menu, everything about it drips thoughtfulness. It's the first online Wii title where you feel like you're developing a competitive online profile and not just accessing a rubbish database that only records how many games you've won (ahem, Mario Strikers Charged and Pokémon Battle Revolution).
Chasing best times has always been the lifeblood of Mario Kart, and through the downloadable ghost runs of the Mario Kart Channel it's taken to a global level of competition. Challenge your friends to beat your racing ghost or download the number one ghost time in the world and see how you measure up against them. No longer will results have to be filtered through monthly magazine pages to find out whether 'I'm the best'. This is an instant, ever-evolving online contest.
And online, 12-kart races finally make sense. Humiliating 11 AI karts is nothing like racing 11 human minds. The barmy chaos of the lower ranks that you're denied by the ease of single-player? Not an issue here. Not to mention the 12-player takes on other modes. Balloon Battle is now a team effort - four gangs of three working to burst as many as possible. The Grand Prix can be raced as a team, you and friends clubbing together to ensure you all place higher than rival members.
Mad. Ridiculous. But all in the spirit of fun. It's Nintendo all right. Only it isn't. Because the Nintendo we know and love would never sacrifice one portion of a game for another. Nintendo trim and tweak to perfection. Not so here. The pressure to deliver an online experience has led to Nintendo overlooking the local multiplayer mode - the one that carried Mario Kart for all these years.
Four-player Balloon Battle? It stinks. Designed for 12 players, the remaining eight team-mates are AI drivers - completely undermining the skill-based play the mode has always rewarded. Same goes for Coin Grabbing, a new battle mode that needs little explanation.
Split-screen racing? Fine, but it struggles visually - never dropping frames, but noticeably chugging compared to solo karting. We'd ask why Nintendo didn't simply give us the option to turn off AI karts, but all the modes, maps and tracks have been so tailored to that magical number 12 that the game wouldn't play properly.
Almost awesome No matter how rich the Wi-Fi mode is, to strengthen it at the cost of one of Nintendo gaming's most beloved pastimes - good ol' four-player Mario Kart - is downright wrong. Maybe in time we'll warm to it, but we've played enough Kart, from SNES to GC, to know when something has been messed with.
It's not enough to deny the game the accolades it deserves for formula tweaks and for finally kicking off Wi-Fi Wii as it should be done, but Nintendo rarely disappoint like this. For all their moves that have baffled long-term fans - namely the casual gaming shift - this is their first decision we're truly uneasy with. What a shame it should arrive in an otherwise delightful package.
Addendum:
How ironic that, just as we cross the finishing line, Nintendo should fire off one of their patented blue shells and stop us in our tracks. While playing the game we failed to find the option to turn off AI karts, leading to the unpleasantly crowded races outlined above. Turns out the option is in there, squirreled away amongst the many menu screens (and, boy, does this game love menus).
So, with a press of a button all the problems are cleared up? Yes and no. It's great to race without interfering AI, but at the same time, this is a game clearly designed for 12 players. Track design and arena size reflects this, and without those extra 10-8 heads (depending on your local multiplayer) they can seem a tad lonely - you don't need all that space for four karts.
And balloon battle? It still stinks. Meddling AI is but one of many criticisms of the mode, the balloon battle we know and love has been properly gutted - the last man standing survival element replaced with a score points against the clock event. Lose three balloons? You jump right back in with another three. AI or no AI, this ain't right. Apologies for the AI confusion, but the score stands.
A really solid Mario Kart with a terrific online setup. There's plenty here to make up for the disappointment of local multiplayer, but it does stop short of magnificence.
I've loved Mario Kart on every platform, yet I've been worried about this game from the start. After all the delays for Galaxy, Metroid and Smash Bros, Nintendo really came up with the goods. Yet Mario Kart seems to have been turned around in a much shorter time, because of this I've had the feeling it would be lacking in some areas.
That said, it's still a decent score, just not quite up to Nintendo's usual high standards (that said I will still be buying it!). I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.
I read this review in NGamer. It doesn't say much about the solo mode, and in the mag the mission mode is only mentioned in a picture caption. The review was written by one Matthew Castle, whose reviewing skills leave much to be desired, and I can't believe they give him all the big games (he reviewed both Kart and Smash Bros.). I think a better reviewer may have given it a 90 rather than 88 (CVG post scores as being out of ten, but 8.8 is still a rating out of 100).
Still, can't wait, every installment has been a treat.
I can't believe the review was biased by the lack of offline multiplayer. Seriously, there are already a million titles for people who want to play in the same room with 3 other people. The online mode is exactly what the rest of us have been waiting for.
Odds are I'll play the offline when my brother visits - every 6 weeks or so. That's hardly a score-dropping issue.
C&VG. Can you tell us if all the GP cups are available online ? In the review you only touched on GP as being an multi player option online. The Grand Prix can be raced as a team, you and friends clubbing together to ensure you all place higher than rival members
I can't believe the review was biased by the lack of offline multiplayer. Seriously, there are already a million titles for people who want to play in the same room with 3 other people. The online mode is exactly what the rest of us have been waiting for.
Odds are I'll play the offline when my brother visits - every 6 weeks or so. That's hardly a score-dropping issue.
And what about the people who love nothing more than a bit of 4-player split screen mazza kart?
I think its a perfectly good reason to give it a slightly lower score, mario kart has ALWAYS been the best split screen game on any console, to ruin it in anyway is a crime.
Still can't wait to get this game tho, kart is probably my fave of all the Ninty games.
That sounds exactly like what I was expecting: a lazy, underdeveloped rushjob.
It isn't though. It's just lacking in a few features. Personnaly I think this will be an excellent game! I will buy it as soon as it is on the shelves!
The score isn't surprising considering how many controversial changes were made. I think Nintendo have abandonded their fanbase to make a game that won't be disappointing if you never had any of the previous Mario Karts.
What difference does the review score actually make???? So what if it got 88 and not 90.... Reviews mean less and less these days. Why should one persons opinion mean that much to you? It's impossible to quantify games with scores... Sure it's good to know you're not buying a complete dud, but it doesn't take a genius to work out that a 1st party Mario Kart game will be great fun. I'll pick this up, and I bet it's great. I think the series needs a complete overhaul though, and I don't just mean add bikes... SSBB, Metroid, MK, Zelda have all run their course really. Nintendo really need to step up their game for the inevitable sequels we'll get on wii 2
I can't believe the review was biased by the lack of offline multiplayer.
Holy s**t. I missed that in the review. C&VG why didnt you shout this. NO MULTI-PLAYER
I loved the n64 original. Me and my friends played this (and GoldenEye 64) for almost 2 years non-stop. racing, shouting, cussing. Fun! We were all looking forward to recreating that.
Of course online is a good addition, but why the f**K did they leave out a split-screen mode? Some games i want to play with REAL friends. What harm would it have done to include it?
I can't believe the review was biased by the lack of offline multiplayer.
Holy s**t. I missed that in the review. C&VG why didnt you shout this. NO MULTI-PLAYER
Stop your panicking... it's there, the reviewer simply didn't think it worked as well as the online multiplayer:
The pressure to deliver an online experience has led to Nintendo overlooking the local multiplayer mode - the one that carried Mario Kart for all these years.
Four-player Balloon Battle? It stinks. Designed for 12 players, the remaining eight team-mates are AI drivers - completely undermining the skill-based play the mode has always rewarded. Same goes for Coin Grabbing, a new battle mode that needs little explanation.
Split-screen racing? Fine, but it struggles visually - never dropping frames, but noticeably chugging compared to solo karting. We'd ask why Nintendo didn't simply give us the option to turn off AI karts, but all the modes, maps and tracks have been so tailored to that magical number 12 that the game wouldn't play properly.
I'll pass on it. It's more of the same, possibly even dumbed down further, and the online muliplayer alone isn't enough to warrant me purchasing it.
Also, according to Eurogamer, you can't race through whole GP championships in multiplayer and there's no free-for-all Battle Mode. Nails. In. The. Coffin.
in other words, nintendo probably felt there was no reason to put in an offline 2 player gp.
one could argue that they should've expanded the offline gp to support 4 players this time around, but to say they cut something? that's not entirely correct, is it?
"Since this review was published, Nintendo has informed Eurogamer that it is possible to play sequences of four races with friends both offline and online. Offline, you can choose to select a race each time, randomise, or play in order - effectively allowing you to play through a regular GP if you select the usual first track. Online, racing with Friends, each player can select a track from those available on their save file. This clearly contradicts our observations of the review code and we apologise for the error. After discussion we feel the score below still fits the game."
it does, but not in gp mode, meaning you can only race one track at a time.
That sucks...
That's how it's always been though.
Tbh, they seem to have nitpicked too much at this drop of performance on 4 player. Although I was VERY skeptical about bikes and tricks, i am still wholeheartedly looking forward to this game.
Well, this is all as clear as mud to me. Can or can you not play GP in 2 player mode, split-screen, offline. Not 4 player, 2 player, just like all the other Kart games. And I mean proper GP, with points and trophies.
the hop's back and manual speed boosts have been removed from slides : cool. if i'm hosting a game online can i set the rules : number of laps,players,power up distribution? can i ban bikes so it's just,y'know,karts? is the free race option from the gba available in single player? is koopa still s**t-hot(i know there were faster characters but koopa was the one in snes multiplayer)? does the online mode work better WITH friends (like brawl's p2p) or do all games play the same regardless of locale and friend codes? the 'review' has left me with more questions than answers. oh well,see y'all online on ghost valley 2...maybe.
well..some things for those interested: -multiplayer (local) gp is available in a form,basically 2/3/4 players play 4 maps in concession with players earning points,the most points gets the gold trophy..the maps can but do not have to belong to the same gp..so if u wanna play one gp just choose those 4 maps..pretty sweet imo.
-snaking is NOT in the game as we know it,but a very similar tactic can be used on many laps which,yes, will allow very skilled players to easaly defeat others..although it's only on 150cc where it's really noticable(the other speeds are sooo slow )
-there are 8 cups in total, 4 wii cups, 4 retro cups ( i hope u can imagine what the retro contains..)
-you can unlock new chars/cars by playing well on the wifi,there prolly is a way to unlock these locally,but no confirmation yet.
- I played through the whole 50cc last night and the new maps are for most part pretty sweet..although you do notice how the new maps are very wide..
-items..man,some of them totally can ruin the game..
-controls: the gamecube control seems to be the best imo,but you can't do tricks with it...(why not just let us press a button for it..). but overall the handling feels slighly sluggish..want more mk64 feel ..
-slides: you have to choose manual to do slides.. basically the longer you hold the better boost.. the sharper the corner the quicker you get best boost. ie.. you can slide on straights (due to the fat tracks) but it will take longer to get boosts..but it's still quicker than driving straight (hence the new "snaking" )
i picked this up at 7.20am this morning from my local supermarket and they hardly had any copies left. people had been arriving at 6am to buy this game. i wasn't expecting that!
I can't believe the review was biased by the lack of offline multiplayer. Seriously, there are already a million titles for people who want to play in the same room with 3 other people. The online mode is exactly what the rest of us have been waiting for.
Odds are I'll play the offline when my brother visits - every 6 weeks or so. That's hardly a score-dropping issue.
And what about the people who love nothing more than a bit of 4-player split screen mazza kart?
I think its a perfectly good reason to give it a slightly lower score, mario kart has ALWAYS been the best split screen game on any console, to ruin it in anyway is a crime.
Still can't wait to get this game tho, kart is probably my fave of all the Ninty games.
that is why you read the review and make a judgement, your needs are different to an overall view of the game obviously. if you wont use a feature then ignore it and read the rest of the review, the score is just and overall indicator.
I can't believe the review was biased by the lack of offline multiplayer. Seriously, there are already a million titles for people who want to play in the same room with 3 other people. The online mode is exactly what the rest of us have been waiting for.
Odds are I'll play the offline when my brother visits - every 6 weeks or so. That's hardly a score-dropping issue.
And what about the people who love nothing more than a bit of 4-player split screen mazza kart?
I think its a perfectly good reason to give it a slightly lower score, mario kart has ALWAYS been the best split screen game on any console, to ruin it in anyway is a crime.
Still can't wait to get this game tho, kart is probably my fave of all the Ninty games.
Exactly , you can't give a game high marks because it doesn't acheive in an important area, just because there are other games that do it well - that's ridiculous?
"racing is terrible, but there are tons of other great racers, online is terrible, but there are tons of other great online games. Score 0, but because it is Nintendo - 10"
To be honest, what with Edge's 6/10 and a Nintendo mag stopping short of giving this a 9, it would seem that there are problems with all aspects of multiplayer, which is a crime when you consider that this is one of it's best aspects.
So online WITH AI is crap because AI carts are crap, and online WITHOUT AI is crap because the courses are so wide and it becomes boring.... so unless you have 12 racers all human controlled then it is crap online. and offline is crap and they've meddled with balloon battles.
And the Wiimote makes it worse than controlling with a 6 year old Gamecube controller.... ...
....so.... this would seem like Edge's 6/10 was accurate.
i picked this up at 7.20am this morning from my local supermarket and they hardly had any copies left. people had been arriving at 6am to buy this game. i wasn't expecting that!
not played it - some of us have to work
I think Wipeout HD on the PS3 will blow crappy Mario and his gayboys out of the water.
....so.... this would seem like Edge's 6/10 was accurate.
Had the game for a few days now and while I'll admit this is by no means an amazing game, it is in no way a 6/10. Okay, I will admit the first hour or so I thought it was just a port of the GC version with bikes, tricks, online and Wii-mote gimmick added on. To some extent it is but the game is still a quality experience and bags of fun with the right company. The main thing that bugs me is the Wii-mote control. It's not suited to the game as when you have those tight turns and potential fall point, the Wii-mote fails. Sadly you can't do tricks with the GC control so Nintendo are obviously trying to force you to use the Wii-mote with the wheel thing. Anyway, personally I'd give this an 8.5/10. Anything lower than a 7 is being way too harsh and anything over a 9 is being abit of a Nintendo fanboy.
im looking to get this i started playing my wii again the other day after getting no more heroes, i thought it was only me who had noticed how the ai on mario kart used to cheat all the time the n64 ai was ridiculous! im actually shocked that this game is out so soon its like it just appeared out of nowhere! its a shame about the local multiplayer tho
Kart Attack on ps3 will be faster, slicker, graphically superior (1080p), acoustically sounder and the control on the amazing Six Axis (SonyTM) will blow away the completion.
Kart Attack on ps3 will be faster, slicker, graphically superior (1080p), acoustically sounder and the control on the amazing Six Axis (SonyTM) will blow away the completion.
Face it Nintendo your baby games are old now!
It'll blow away the Completion? um okay then. Anyway, just got it, played it for a bit in store. not sure about the wheel handling... see if i get used to it i suppose.
Kart Attack on ps3 will be faster, slicker, graphically superior (1080p), acoustically sounder and the control on the amazing Six Axis (SonyTM) will blow away the completion.
Face it Nintendo your baby games are old now!
It'll blow away the Completion? um okay then. Anyway, just got it, played it for a bit in store. not sure about the wheel handling... see if i get used to it i suppose.
Thank you w1gg1ns for pointing out my spelling mistake, but U no i Talk the tooth.
Kart Attack on ps3 will be faster, slicker, graphically superior (1080p), acoustically sounder and the control on the amazing Six Axis (SonyTM) will blow away the completion.
Face it Nintendo your baby games are old now!
It'll blow away the Completion? um okay then. Anyway, just got it, played it for a bit in store. not sure about the wheel handling... see if i get used to it i suppose.
Thank you w1gg1ns for pointing out my spelling mistake, but U no i Talk the tooth.
Even Edge gave it a 5
Sorry but know thanks
stupid post, i would rather play mario kart wii than any of the games listed in your profile. hardly classics are they?
Troll - noun An electronic mail message, Usenet posting or other (electronic) communication which is intentionally incorrect, but not overtly controversial (compare flame bait), or the act of sending such a message. Trolling aims to elicit an emotional reaction from those with a hair-trigger on the reply key. An individual who chronically trolls in sense 1; regularly posts specious arguments, flames or personal attacks to a newsgroup, discussion list, or in email for no other purpose than to annoy someone or disrupt a discussion. Trolls are recognizable by the fact that the have no real interest in learning about the topic at hand - they simply want to utter flame bait. Like the ugly creatures they are named after, they exhibit no redeeming characteristics, and as such, they are recognized as a lower form of life on the net, as in, "Oh, ignore him, he's just a troll."
The definition of fanboy may be relevant to you also. Do you know what that is Mr. Mothman? Look in the mirror.
Troll - noun An electronic mail message, Usenet posting or other (electronic) communication which is intentionally incorrect, but not overtly controversial (compare flame bait), or the act of sending such a message. Trolling aims to elicit an emotional reaction from those with a hair-trigger on the reply key. An individual who chronically trolls in sense 1; regularly posts specious arguments, flames or personal attacks to a newsgroup, discussion list, or in email for no other purpose than to annoy someone or disrupt a discussion. Trolls are recognizable by the fact that the have no real interest in learning about the topic at hand - they simply want to utter flame bait. Like the ugly creatures they are named after, they exhibit no redeeming characteristics, and as such, they are recognized as a lower form of life on the net, as in, "Oh, ignore him, he's just a troll."
The definition of fanboy may be relevant to you also. Do you know what that is Mr. Mothman? Look in the mirror.
So whats a Fanboy then?
I asked the person in the mirror but they just asked the same question.
anyone elses pre order get cancelled due to lack of stock last week? it's put me off online retailers for good. you may pay more on the high street but at least you'll get it,play.com suck balls.
This is a great game, online is awesome and smooth as silk, and for the people going on about GC controllers - Jeez, just use the damn wheel!! It takes half an hour to get used too and Im winning 12 player online races already!! Im no mario kart expert either, I've never really been a huge fan.
As for Edge marking it down for poor local multiplayer, well where was that logic when reviewing the pitifully short single player on Halo 3 and COD 4?
Seriously, I cant believe how good this is - I wasnt even gonna buy it till my mate convinced me today, but Im so glad he did. Best Mario Kart I've ever played easily. AS LONG AS YOU USE THE WHEEL!!!
If anybody is struggling to find a copy on the high street try your local supermarket, i got my copy from morrisons and they said there was loads in stock!
Yeah I think that reviewers are being overly harsh as well. The only thing people seem to be negative about is the lack of deathmatch style battle mode. As far as I can see - that's the only thing that's slightly (and I mean slightly) worse then previous Mario Kart games. Everything else is MUCH better, MUCH smoother and MUCH more entertaining. The online system is just spot on, sure it's nintendoised but it works an absolute charm.
absolutely amazing!!!!! havent even touched the campaign part yet, been playing online against my mates and its awesome, we've got round the voicechat bit by opening up a lobby in halo3 on our 360's and all joining..... most fun ive had on a game for years, i expected it to be good but its exceeded my expectations by quite a bit. i cant believe how good they have made the online part also, props to nintendo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
a bit harsh, it should get 9/10 at least. just a shame nintendo won't do voice-chat because of their nanny like approach to online gaming. having to open up a lobby in a different game on a 360/ps3 just to talk with friends while playing on a wii is just a hassle. come on nintendo i think most kids know about the evils of online grooming nowadays.
mario kart wii is the biggest letdown since just cause and thats saying something. the framerate is poor the gameplay is tedious and is technically a step back since double dash. the bikes and steering wheel are just gimmicks to distract and make you buy the game. ive played every mario kart game to date and this is by far the worst. its the worst Ł35 ive ever spent. 3/10 keep up the good work nintendo
mario kart wii is the biggest letdown since just cause and thats saying something. the framerate is poor the gameplay is tedious and is technically a step back since double dash. the bikes and steering wheel are just gimmicks to distract and make you buy the game. ive played every mario kart game to date and this is by far the worst. its the worst Ł35 ive ever spent. 3/10 keep up the good work nintendo
i thought that about the steering wheel at first, now im used to it i love it, oh and btw, double dash is the worst version of kart ever.....
mario kart wii is the biggest letdown since just cause and thats saying something. the framerate is poor the gameplay is tedious and is technically a step back since double dash. the bikes and steering wheel are just gimmicks to distract and make you buy the game. ive played every mario kart game to date and this is by far the worst. its the worst Ł35 ive ever spent. 3/10 keep up the good work nintendo
3 out of 10? Not as good as Double Dash?
MOVE AWAY FROM THE PLASTIC BAG FILLED WITH GLUE!
I think the game is amazing, I bought the Wii on the strength of this game and now have 360, PS3 and Wii and haven;t touched the others for two days.
mario kart wii is the biggest letdown since just cause and thats saying something. the framerate is poor the gameplay is tedious and is technically a step back since double dash. the bikes and steering wheel are just gimmicks to distract and make you buy the game. ive played every mario kart game to date and this is by far the worst. its the worst Ł35 ive ever spent. 3/10 keep up the good work nintendo
3 out of 10? Not as good as Double Dash?
MOVE AWAY FROM THE PLASTIC BAG FILLED WITH GLUE!
I think the game is amazing, I bought the Wii on the strength of this game and now have 360, PS3 and Wii and haven;t touched the others for two days.
you see, a man with sense, you sound familiar actually....
Looks meh , just give the orginal a HD make over, that would make me happy.
Now you're talking
I can't believe the review was biased by the lack of offline multiplayer.
Holy s**t. I missed that in the review. C&VG why didnt you shout this. NO MULTI-PLAYER
I loved the n64 original. Me and my friends played this (and GoldenEye 64) for almost 2 years non-stop. racing, shouting, cussing. Fun! We were all looking forward to recreating that.
Of course online is a good addition, but why the f**K did they leave out a split-screen mode? Some games i want to play with REAL friends. What harm would it have done to include it?
This is a very fair review. Especially the closing paragraph. I couldn't find those damn pesky "hidden" options either, but when I did it raised my opinion of the game a lot. It's still not the best Mario Kart, but it's damn good. At the end of the day, Mario Kart is Mario Kart, you're going to like it or you're not.
Apart from the bikes and the gimicky Wiimote steering, Mario Kart Wii brings nothing new to the table.
Where as Double Dash had plenty of brave, fresh ideas and game play, MKWii just feels like a next gen remake of an older version.
Some people may think this is a good idea, I simply disagree. A new game should feel like a new game.
double dash was poor... very poor, disappointed me lots...
Don't get me wrong, I like Mario Kart Wii, I think it is a very good game.
But I also think that the developers played it safe. They knew that DD wasn't everyones cup of tea so decided to make MKWii the same as the older 'classic' versions.
When Mario Sunshine didn't do very well, they could of made the next one, which later became Galaxy as we all know, like the older 'classic' mario platformers, but they didn't. They made a brave decision, and made Galaxy look and feel very different and it was a huge hit.
And this is exactly what they DIDN'T do with MKWii.
hang on there's loads of new stuff. a load of new wii GP tracks, plus loads of old one's from double dash, MK DS, and retro snes tracks. there's bikes, new cars and characters to unlock. you've also now got half-pipes, and can perform mid air tricks for a little speed boost. 2 new items, and all the online stuff as well!
I can't believe the review was biased by the lack of offline multiplayer. Seriously, there are already a million titles for people who want to play in the same room with 3 other people. The online mode is exactly what the rest of us have been waiting for.
this is MARIO KART ffs! mario kart is all about the side-by-side multiplayer and always has been. most games totally ignore one console multiplayer or tack it on at the end and now mario kart is the same?!?! very sad day.
also it seems that nintendo has just made the game a lot easier i mean come on, you just have to slide to get a boost, then you get another boost for shaking the pad when u go over a bump, then u get a boost on your bike etc etc. nintendo obviously going for the 'extremely casual gamer' here. not good for anyone on this website.
one last moan. nearly the whole review slags off the game but it still gets an 8.8!?! im guessing even the bits that the review says are the 'same old' mario kart means that its like double dash = too slow and too random. am i the only one who wants the fun and fast mario kart back? u know the type that actually rewards some skill rather rather relying on totally random and annoying blue shells?
This is a great game, online is awesome and smooth as silk, and for the people going on about GC controllers - Jeez, just use the damn wheel!! It takes half an hour to get used too and Im winning 12 player online races already!! Im no mario kart expert either, I've never really been a huge fan.
As for Edge marking it down for poor local multiplayer, well where was that logic when reviewing the pitifully short single player on Halo 3 and COD 4?
well this comment just about sums up what im saying about making the game way easier for a casual gamer. plus as far as the second paragraph is concerned - does no one actually remember the mario kart legacy or understand what the game is all about?? or is everyone here 12?
the reviewer is a BLIND NUB, you can disable the AI carts if you like, just go to the rules menu, he should edit his article ASAP
Btw using the wii wheel is NOT an option if you want to play the best you can no matter how many hours you spend playing with it, wii remote + nunchuck on the other hand ...
low framerate on spliscreen is indeed an issue, please nintendo fix it
this review is absolutely correct. The game is emence, and there are so many different tracks. multi player is entertaining. unfortunatly after a while it gets slightly boring on multi player but online you could play forever.
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. I mean, MARIO KART WIFI! It's like a dream come true!
