Review by Mr_Power30

"A great game, but on the other hand..."

Mario kart has been a great and enjoyable franchise up until now---from Super Mario Kart to Mario Kart DS. This year, it's Mario Kart Wii that has been released. Despite being a great game to pick up, it has some disappointments and things Nintendo left out that could of stayed there.


-Great and enjoyable game
-Quick online play on WFC
-Decent graphics
-Offers different options of gameplay (Wii Wheel, Wiimote and nunchuk, etc.)
-Bikes come into play


-Limited to 1 person per kart/bike
-More frustrating than challenging
-The com hates you, you always get hit by shells
-Some tracks are almost identical to previous ones, yet arent in retro
-Powerslides become a disappointment
-Music and sound gets irritating


The game still retains all its Mario Kart features: Grand Prix, Time trials, Vs., Battle and Multiplayer. One addition is online play on console, and I must say it is excellent. It is quick and easy to choose a race and play. You first choose vs. or battle and then you choose your character and kart/bike. Once that is done, you choose to look for players worldwide, regional or friends.Next, you vote for a race/stage you want to do, and then it gets chosen randomly. After that, you play!

The Grand Prix is still the same to the other games except for this: it is even more frustrating. They added Pow Blocks that make everybody in front spin out, lightning clouds that hover above you till you touch another player or time runs out (then you get shrunk) and the oh-so-frustrating blue shell follows. And that was just a few.

Nintendo has made an addition to the game: bikes. I mean seriously: BIKES! SWEET! THEY'RE SO AWESOME I MEAN THEY TOTALLY PWNZORZ!!!1! The bad part? There's only one tiny difference between karts and bikes. Karts can powerslide till orange flames, but cant do wheelies, and vice-versa.

Speaking of powerslides, they became, honestly, pitiful. Now when you powerslide, you have to wait for the flames to appear after a certain amount of time. Yes, that means snaking has died. And the only time you'll be doing mini-boosts like that are big u-turns, which is rarely seen in the late races.


Mario Kart Wii doesnt have horrible graphics, but it's just a step up from Double Dash. Also some tracks are a little hard to see the road for a few people (i.e. Rainbow Road). Other than that, the graphics are pretty good.


The music in some tracks gets irritating, while others are ok. The sound is where it falls. It is the same thing other and over, from the people's laughs and cries to the beeping sound when something is coming at you. It is ok for a while, but once you get used to the music and sound I recommend listening to your I-Pod or a CD.


Mario Kart Wii is a great game to pick up and play, and I recommend it. Just beware of the cons, and make sure you can handle them. With that in mind, it is a good game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10 | Originally Posted: 06/25/08



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