Finally, my most anticipated wii game is here! As a fan since the original snes version, I was really looking forward to the next mario kart while everyone else was getting wet over Super Smash Brothers: Brawl. What I received was somewhat of a disappointment, as well as infuriating at times. However, it is still Mario Kart, and there is still some fun to be had.
Basic Gameplay
The first thing you will notice upon playing is how it has reverted back to one character per kart. This is a welcome change for many, but I found it disappointing. Having 2 characters per kart, along with character specific power ups, added a small amount of startegy to Double Dash which I really enjoyed. The character on the back was much more likely to get his/her powerup, so you could switch them depending on position to hope for a certain powerup. It was also much more family friendly for the less skilled drivers to have the option of playing passenger.
Now down to the racing. I personally used the wii wheel, and found it to work extremely well. I've decided to stick with it as it just feels more fun than a traditional controller, but most players will find the wavebird to be more precise. That might just be due to not being used to the wheel, though, as it does work extremely well. I've experinced trouble when having to shake the wheel for wheelies, tricks, and to avoid pows, by which I mean I've found it hard to do without turning into a wall or off the track. That has gotten better with time, however, and I've found the wheel to work extremely well. Also, the drifting feels a lot more natural with the wheel. All said and done it isn't much less precise, and is a lot of fun. I feel like I'm playing a racing game at the arcade.
Powerful items are much more prevelent than they were in the last version. There are still the blue shells, but I don't notice them as much. What I do notice is the constant pow blocks, bloopers, and players destroying me with bullet bills. I also notice more lightning bolts (multiple per race is regular). I was really hoping an option to turn off certain items would be available like Super Smash Brothers Brawl, but unfortunately this wasn't the case.
I have mixed thoughts on the trick system so far. They don't seem to really affect the gameplay very much, besides proving a speed boost after every jump. However, I've noticed some players are trick happy, and you can pass them when they go out of their way to hit a jump on the side. I've also gotten better at barely clipping hills for a minimum hop. You can still get small boosts from these with hardly any air time, which adds some nice skill to the game. This is a welcome addition, but not too game changing.
Two other seemingly big changes were motorcycles and the ability to jump again. I was seriously disappointed in the jumping, as I expected old school snes hopping to be back. This was also fun for trying to avoid a red turtle shell, as you had a small chance of hopping over it. Instead it is tied into the drifting, which i'm not a big fan of. It will take some more getting used to, but having to jump to drift if you are on manual is kind of annoying. The motorcycles are nice and have tighter controls. I've also found them to be easier to drift with, and wheelies add nice speed boosts on straightaways. A good racer can constantly wheelie when not turning if he's good enough.
Besides those points for basic mechanics, I wasn't overly impressed with the new tracks. Coconut Mall is by FAR the most picked track online, as it is one of the only good ones added. The new rainbow road is much easier than previous versions, but it also a lot cooler. I was kind of hoping for snes difficulty on this track to get back at those online who pick garbage tracks like Luigi Circuit, but unfortunately that isn't the case. The new Bowser's castle is also a very good track, and Koopa Cape is also growing on me. There are also 16 retro tracks, but most of them suck.
Single Player
Single player now dominates the unlocks, unlike Double Dash. With 1 person per kart, and only one kart per grand prix, you now have to unlock your content solo instead of having up to 4 people. This is a pretty big disappiontment, as I've never been overly fond of playing the grand prix by myself. Multiplayer grand prix was always a welcome addition, as local multiplayer just doesn't have enough people (getting lightning bolts when in 3rd place is pretty lame). I'm really puzzled as to why they would take out something that was in the original snes version, but oh well.
Now to the infuriating part. Catchup ai has been something the series has been famous for ever since the Nintendo 64 version. However, this version takes it to an entirely new level. I've seen the ai so close knit that you cannot even see a single person the minimap under your character icon late in a race. I've been sent from first place to last place, with the finish line in sight mind you, on multiple occasions. When in last I've seen racers fall off the track, run into obstacles, and just become retarded, only to become masters of all that is racing once I'm in first. It is really annoying. And since you cannot do a grand prix with 2 players anymore, you are forced to endure this solo.
Multiplayer
Online play is actually really good. You pick your driver and kart/bike, then join others and start racing. Between races you can choose a track, and it randomly picks the tracks the players have selected. This is when I wish there was online chat, so I can yell at the idiots who pick shitty tracks like Shy Guy Beach or Luigi Circuit. Seriously, I hate Luigi Circuit. It might as well be a straight line, as it is so god damn easy racing skill doesn't matter, and it becomes a game of "who was in first, last". I've disconnected a few times, and sometimes it can't find other players, but overall it's worked pretty well
Battlemode is interesting as well. It randomly picks between coin collection and classic balloon mode. Coin collection is pretty lame, as you run around gathering coins, then lose 6 every time you get hit. I'm sure the Sega team begged Nintendo to add this crap in, but I don't really enjoy it. My major complaint about online battle mode was the tracks are huge and spread out, which makes it annoying find people. The average amount of people you see online is normally 8, which means there will be 4 enemies. Except these tracks are much, much bigger than the older tracks, giving you a lot of time where you just wonder around with your thumb up your ass. I do like the retro tracks, though, and they took my favorite snes battlemode track, which is awesome.
Even with my complaints, though, online play is the main reason to get the game. I forgot to mention split screen multiplayer, which is actually pretty kick ass. One other thing that probably isn't a big deal to most is having your profile tied to a mii. I found this to be pretty lame, as I also race with a mii, and have 100 miis collecting dust, because I can't fucking change my mii. So every time you want to pull a new mii out of the closet, you have to deal with the catchup ai again to unlock the mii abilities.
The Good
The Wii Wheel is fun, works very well, and makes me feel like i'm playing in an arcade
Online play is great. Works really smooth, and has only minor problems
Finally a REAL game that lets me play with my miis
The retro tracks are a nice edition.
The Bad
Forcing players to play single player to unlock items for multiplayer is stupid.
The catchup ai is the worst of the series. I've gone from first to last with the finish line in sight on multiple occasions already
A lot of gameplay modes were taken out (coop grand prix, 2 players per kart, different types of battle modes, etc)
In Conclusion
The new Mario Kart feels like a step backwards with the exception of online play and the wii wheel. The catchup ai, which wasn't THAT bad in double dash, has been put on overdrive. Game modes were taken out. Players were moved back to 1 per kart, along with taking away driver specific power ups. That being said, it is still mario kart, so it is still fun
I give it a B-
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