Mario Kart Wii (2008)

Mario Kart Wii

Platform: Wii

Developed by: Nintendo EAD

Published by: Nintendo

Genre: Racing

Players: Single player, multiplayer

Released: April 11th, 2008

Reviewed: Ken Mooney

Banana Rating: Four-Out-Of-Five Bananas

Do you know those people who have a tendency to lean to one side when playing a video game, as if it will urge their character around a corner faster? Well Mario Kart Wii was probably designed with people like this in mind. The latest outing from Nintendo’s speed-demon racing franchise comes hand-in-hand with their attempts to appeal to a market of gamers and non-gamers alike, effectively trying to be all things to everyone at the same time. The funny thing is that it actually works.

Mario Kart Wii comes pre-packaged with a Wii Wheel, a holder for the standard Wii controller, and this is all part of its appeal to the non-gamer. The Wii Remote isn’t necessarily as cumbersome as some other controllers on the market, but there’s something almost organic about holding a steering wheel in your hands while playing: it’s not quite your ten-and-two position, but whoever gets that right the first time around anyway? The genius of the Wii Wheel is that as you turn, so too does the car (or bike) that you’re controlling, and the harder the turn, the harder the effect. Suffice it to say that even the most technophobic individual could get their hands around the controls (literally). Even if the console itself is solely the kids’ domain, you’d be hard-pushed to find parents and grandparents not wanting to join in, potentially even proving more successful thanks to their motoring experience.

It all helps to make the game itself one of the most immersive experiences outside of those sitting-on-a-bike-surrounded-by-three-screens simulators in some arcades. That said, Mario Kart Wii isn’t exactly committed to realism, much in the same way as all of Mario’s spin off games such as last year’s Mario Strikers Charged or any of the Mario Party games. Near-impossible physics (one level has a bouncing track), devastating weapons (homing missiles) and a series of lovably animated characters and their rides mean that this instalment of the Mario Kart series is all about fun, rather than who comes first. This is one of those games where you want the person next to you to be playing as well, not just for the adrenaline of seeing who’ll come first, but for the sheer Battleship-style excitement of seeing if your missile will indeed sink your opponent. Knowing that this is its strength, Mario Kart Wii offers on-line playability through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection: even if the person next to you doesn’t want to race, someone else out there will, whether a friend who has a Wii, or in a race against local challengers. The on-line aspect of the game is, importantly, safe as well, with contact between players limited to the race itself, unless they are indeed friends.

But despite its strengths, Mario Kart Wii is lacking in some tiny ways: a broadband connection is necessary for the on-line play, but the Wii supports wireless only. Similarly, if you fancy a race against the person next to you, you’d better hope you have a spare controller, since the Wii itself only provides one remote; if said competitor wants the full experience, you’ll need a second Wheel casing as well. And to be honest, there’s only so many times you can race around 32 tracks at three different speed rankings on your own before getting a little bit bored with things.

Verdict:

It’s a great game, and well worth the E50, but make sure you’ve got someone else to play with before splashing out!

Originally published on FrankTheMonkey.com