Mario Kart Wii

[AnimaWish]

This is more of a personal rant than a review, but it does give my opinions on the game, so, yeah.

I liked Mariokart DS. It was fun, exciting, had great multiplayer, and was one of my first Nintendo DS games.

Now, several years later, Mariokart Wii comes along, toting everyone's favorite motion gimmick with the addition of a hunk of plastic shaped in the loose approximation of a scaled down steering wheel.

After swiftly giving up on the motion based hunk of crap that was the wiimote, I downgraded to the Game Cube controller, and found it to be a much more enjoyable experience. It's got to say something about game and console design when using a controller from a previous generation means you own the person using the fancy new technology designed a half a decade later.

Leaving aside the game developers' insistence on using the newest Nintendo gimmick, the game is relatively fun. The controls on the Game Cube Controller are fluid and responsive, and the graphics are as decent as the Wii can get. So now you might be getting the assumption that I like Mariokart Wii. Well shut up and stop getting ahead of me, buddy, because you're wrong. It's got good aspects, and there's the thought of a good game in there. But there are certain things that I just can't stand.

Full fledged races are one of those things. The game relies 95% on being lucky enough to get a red shell at the right time and 5% on being half decent at racing games. I have had repeated scenarios where I am ten miles in the lead of the race, and suddenly some ass-hat in last place gets a blue shell and shoots it at me, causing my bike to spin about and causing me to flail my arms around helplessly as every racer and their mother finishes the race.

Now that we're on the subject of bikes, I'd like to stay on it for a moment. I like the bikes, and I think they're great addition. But now that I have bikes, I can't imagine ever wanting to ever go back to karts, because bikes are far superior in the forementioned 5% where you actually race. This also completely alienates me from ever playing any other Mariokart game other than Mariokart Wii, because every time I try to get anywhere in a kart playing Mariokart DS, I slam into the nearest wall because I look funny at the drift button.

Another thing that I can't stand about Mariokart Wii is the level design. The people who created Wario's Mine and Rainbow Road and half of the other maps must have been shooting heroin while popping antidepressants with a barrel of wine, while clubbing themselves over the head with a bat covered in an brain eating virus. The over-emphasis on being lucky enough to not have the malevolent god of that track decide that it would be hilarious for you to be crushed by an unnecessary weight placed in an otherwise empty location is completely mind boggling. What were they thinking? Did they think it was FUN to fall into a pit fifty times in a row while the entire population of the Nintendo Universe races past, effortlessly bouncing across the ten mile expanse of two centimeter wide platforms?

Which brings up the question of, why are they racing through these places? There is no plot to this game, unless the plot is watching me steadily crush my Wiimote in frustration. These people are hurling banana peels and shells that somehow can tell the difference between first place and second place while flying, and the racers pick up boxes that cause you to become a huge bullet.


Yeah, so, sorry if the short length bothers you, but I like to keep my rants concise.

 

[Mewick_Alex]

I know EXACTLY what you mean about the bikes. I like the game (even the crazy wheel controller) but the bikes are kinda overpowered. Ive completed pretty much everything in it (all vehicles, all characters etc) and there are maybe 3 or 4 courses where the karts drifting double boost is better if you're tring to beat a time, but otherwise the bikes just own.

 

[A Playful Shark]

The motion control is actually quite responsive and fun, you just have to get used to it.

I agree about the item spam... it's pretty crazy.

For rainbow road- use a heavy character. Only use mushrooms on a straightaway. Don't drift unless you know exactly what you're doing.
You'll get around 3rd

 

[PlasticTree]

- The motion control worked, like Brigallo said. You have to get used to it, and when you are going for top notch time trials controllers have a slight advantage. But it's absolutely possible to rock with the steering wheel. I got pretty high in the time trial rankings and beated all the good staff ghosts with it. Oh, and it's just so much more fun than when you know how to use it.

- Bikes are indeed better than cars, but they're also harder to master. I found them a good way to seperate the men from the boys make sure both casual and hardcore gamers could enjoy this game.

- Yes, the luck-factor is way to high in this game. Can't get around that one. Can't agree with your point about the leveldesign though. All these 'lucksituations' can be avoided when you know how to do it.

- I know this is a rant and not a real review, but I can't resist the urge to say something about the time trial and online mode. Time trial was an enormous upgrade from the previous Mario Karts. I used to play it for 5 minutes or so, but now I found it pretty much the best feature of the game. Which is, yes, influenced by the insane luckfactor when you play against other players/bots, but it still is awesome. And my point about the online mode is pretty obvious: it has been done before in de DS version, but now it's simply bigger and better.

 

[Kage Me]

I assume you're aware that items can be turned off?

 

[YurdleTheTurtle]

I agree with what PlasticTree said.

A lot of the things in this rant is kind of unfounded. Sure, motion control is dependant on opinions, but to say it is worthless is false. I've done very well with Wiimote and plastic wheel, or Wiimote by itself.

The bikes and the luck factor are pretty much the two biggest gripes of most people anyways. They should have gave the bikes less handling or something.

Also, the level designs are actually fine. I don't know what you're talking about, but I don't ever encounter those situations where you "fall in a pit fifty times". Seriously, just practice man. Those tracks are not that bad.

But nevertheless, what I can agree with you is that it can be frustrating. However, most of the time I'm actually laughing while being frustrated because of people getting me. And of course when I get those awesome cheap powerups, it's kind of exciting to catch up and take out the people in the top 3 just before the finish line.

As most Mario Kart experts would say, you should stay back within 2nd or lower places, so you don't risk getting hit by blue shells. As the race approaches the end, then you move up the ranks into 1st place.

Oh, and what KageMe said. Items can be turned off.

 

[AnimaWish]

I assume you're aware that items can be turned off?

Of course they can. I always turn them off in regular races. But they can't be turned off during the Grand Prix, which was mainly what my focus was, even though I didn't really explain that.

And with the motion control, it can be okay with a ton of practice, but I always win when I'm using the GCN controller against the wheel.

 

[Oddyssey]

That rant didn't really make sense to me, almost everything that was said was absolute rubbish, and I find Karts waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy better because of the drift AND stunts.

Falling into a pit 50 times in a row, mabye once, on a bad sometimes even twice, but never more that twice.

Luck factor? The only thing worrying about is blue shells, and they can be avoided by slowing down to let somebody pass you, and once they get hit, speed past them.

 

[Kage Me]

I assume you're aware that items can be turned off?

Of course they can. I always turn them off in regular races. But they can't be turned off during the Grand Prix, which was mainly what my focus was, even though I didn't really explain that.

And with the motion control, it can be okay with a ton of practice, but I always win when I'm using the GCN controller against the wheel.

Ah... Yeah, I've had some RAAAAGE moments in the Grand Prix too. But as for the wheel, I've never had a problem with it. And I still like karts from time to time... Especially with small characters.