Mario Kart Hits the Wii

By Connect2Mason reporter Daniel Sims

With every new generation of Nintendo hardware comes a new iteration of each of Nintendo’s franchises. Most of the time each sequel is justified simply by the presence of more capable hardware, but in many ways Mario Kart Wii feels like Nintendo is just going through the motions.

The game created here successfully applies the Wii’s ideology and technology to the Mario Kart franchise, but the end product isn’t as impressive as past entries like Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart DS were when first released.

Mario Kart Wii’s two main additions are motion controls and an online mode improved from that of MKDS, but the game overall has also been streamlined somewhat.

Those who buy Mario Kart Wii get a Wii steering wheel which is really just a plastic casing to put the Wii remote into. The real work is done by the motion controls already continued in the Wii remote itself, which MKWii uses as a simpler alternative to the classic controls.

These motion controls, while not as tight as the analog stick, do work and probably provide a smoother way for the Wii’s targeted audience of newcomers to acclimate to a racing game (it’s also cheaper than say, the PS3’s GT Wheel). While playing online with the analog stick I have been beaten by people using the motion controls.

Another noteworthy thing here is how power sliding – a Mario Kart technique similar to drifting that gave players a small speed boost - has been changed completely in Mario Kart Wii. Here players simply jump and turn once simultaneously. On one hand it’s become a lot simpler to do, but on the other hand since the speed boost doesn’t happen as quickly as before, snaking – a skill used in the past by the most hardcore Mario Kart players - is a lot harder to master now.

Perhaps the most notable thing about Mario Kart Wii is how smoothly its online mode runs. Although players are unable to chat, finding a game through matchmaking is never difficult and connection problems are rare if not nonexistent.

These things do turn Mario Kart Wii into a competent Mario Kart game that utilizes the Wii’s capabilities well to make a family-friendly experience that’s somewhat streamlined compared to previous games, but overall MKWii feels like just another Mario Kart game.

There are new characters and stages and the designs for them are great, but none of them stick in my mind like the established stuff does. Bikes have also been added to Mario Kart Wii but they don’t have nearly the immediate impact on the game I’d expect from having a whole new type of vehicle thrown in. The graphics also aren’t a big improvement over Double Dash on the Gamecube.

Bottom Line

Mario Kart Wii’s transference of the game to a somewhat simpler, more family-friendly feel is a successful one, but other than the surprisingly smooth-running online mode, many Mario Kart fans may be hard-pressed to find a reason to upgrade to this game.