Video Game Review: Mario Kart Wii - a podcast by ApocD

The Unbox:

I picked up Mario Kart Wii just over a week ago at Yodobashi Camera in Osaka. Here's the box it came in:

And, when I opened it, here's what I found inside:

There's no option to buy the game without the wheel, at least not yet. Also, I didn't see any separate wheels for sale, but I assume they either have them available or will soon.

Here's the front of the wheel with a Wiimote next to a DS Lite for scale.

Getting Started:

The graphics on this version of Kart are impressive and unlike Smash Brothers, which has given me latency issues, the graphics don't slow down the action. The gameplay is similar to previous versions of Kart with some exceptions. There are bikes now, as well as karts. The 50cc circuit is only for karts, the 100 is only for bikes, and both are available for the 150. The return to single player karts simplifies the gameplay. There are, as far as I know, eight cups, giving us 32 courses.

Controls:

I've been worried about the controls for this game since I first saw a Wiimote. Nintendo has done it right, giving players the option of using the Wiimote (with or without the supplied wheel), a classic controller, or a GameCube controller. I started with the wheel, which was much easier to use than I had expected, but still left me running into walls with some of the more cumbersome karts. The 2 button on the Wiimote acts at the accelerator, the D-pad is used to launch items, and the B button, which connects to a trigger on the back of the wheel, controls jumps and slide. On some jumps, you can shake the wheel and do a spin in the air, which gives you a mini-turbo when you land. I haven't figured out how to do this with the GameCube controller.

The GameCube controller works much like the controls for the DS version. Although I'd like to use the wheel more, the GameCube controller still offers the best control, especially for power slides. Speaking of which:

Snaking:

It's still possible to get mini-turbos on power slides like some previous versions, but it's more difficult, if not impossible, to get them consistently on straightaways. So, snaking, if not impossible, is very difficult. I've run at least 20 online races and I haven't seen anyone snake. I don't think it's going to be a problem.

Mii:

Data, for both online and offline play, is associated with one of your Miis. So, unlocked characters and courses, as well as other data, are saved just for that Mii. Each Mii you take online gets its own Friend Code.

Online:

Yeah, we all know Nintendo sucks at online play, but I think they've got it right with this game. When you first go online, it asks you if you're sure you want to connect because other people will be able to see your Mii. Up to twelve players can compete in the same race, which means it's much easier to get a game than it was with the DS. When you're connected to a race, it shows a globe and your Mii standing on your country, waving. The globe spins and stops on each player's country, allowing the Miis to wave. It sounds stupid, but it's cool to see everyone's Miis and it's cool to see where everyone is from. If a race is already in progress and you need to wait to join the next one, it shows you the race in progress. I think that's really cool. Since the game's only out in Japan and the EU, all of the players have either been here or in Europe. I can't wait till the bloody Yanks get in on the mix; then it should be even easier to get a race. The only problem I have with the online play is that twelve players can just be too many. With twelve players, it can be a challenge just to get an item. Also, and this may just be because I'm playing it in Japanese and don't know how to do this, but it seems that if you continue after an online race, you can't change your character or kart. That would be silly if it's the case, but I haven't seen a way to change characters, yet. Overall, the online play is solid and really, really fun.

Overall:

This game is highly recommended. It looks great and plays smoothly. Once the U.S. gets it I'll be able to play people I know online, which will make it even more fun.

Update:

I've settled on the nunchuk and wiimote as my preferred controls. To do tricks on jumps to get mini-turbos, you just have to shake the wiimote, which beats shaking the wheel and hitting the D-pad on the GameCube controller.

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