MARIO KART REVIEW
The Mario Kart franchise has been one of the great successes of the gaming industry and has been for 15 or so years. Be it on the SNES, DS, GCN or N64, the series has always had a strong following. So, with the release of the Wii in 2006 and no new Mario Kart since the critically acclaimed edition for the DS in 2005, fans all over the world were getting excited (and nervous) about the new version’s imminent release - will it take things to the next level? Exactly how different will it be? Will the wireless technology hinder the gameplay?
I can tell you that the answers to these questions are : Sort of-ish, Not particularly and no.Mario Kart Wii offers all the usual ingredients that we have come to know and love - large numbers of weird and whacky tracks (not to mention a lot of the old classics), frantic kart battles and multiplayer mayhem - plus some new added features/improvements : Mid-air stunts (performed by flicking the wii-mote), dynamic course changes, a steering wheel, motorbikes, new battle modes, improved online facilities and some (minor) graphical enhancements. It sounds like it should be the best Mario Kart yet…
But it just isn’t. Well, not quite anyway.
The nostalgic feel of playing the old courses is great. But it wears off quickly and leaves you with a set of tracks that just aren’t as fun as the new ones.
Now I’m sure this has happened to all of us. Frequently. Too frequently - you’ve been in first for quite some time. It’s the last lap. Just coming up to the last corner. Heart pumping. Sweat dripping from forehead. Using every bit of willpower to avoid scratching the itch on your nose as you know it will all be over soon. Victory is guaranteed, surely? But, no. The computer/friend/bastard fires a blue shell at you. 5 karts whizz past. Controllers are smashed, discs are snapped and friendships are broken. Most people will have been hoping that this edition might somehow stop this happening so much or give the player some method of dodging these heartbreaking weapons. I regret to inform you that there is nothing you can do. Infact, things have got worse. There are new, more powerful weapons which appear so regularly its painful. Too many times the result is merely a lottery.
Mario Kart Wii looks okay. It’s not brilliant, but not dismal either. The difference can clearly be seen when comparing with previous games, but not enough to warrant any kind of special mention.
However, this is where the criticism ends. These minor blemishes shouldn’t put anyone off purchasing this game. It plays fantastically, its brilliant offline, online and with friends and grabs a hold of the Mario Kart torch with a firm grip. It might not be the defining game of the series but you’ll play it for hours and you’ll enjoy it. Essential for your Wii collection.
The Score: 88%