Mario Kart Wii Review by Kotaku: I'm not angry, just disappointed

Fun fact: I'm a total Mario Kart fanboy. For the record: Double Dash is my favourite (I know, I know). So I'm used to watching the Mario Kart series take small, baby-steps forward with each new version. In this case, I was expecting just that. Small steps forward. Mario Kart Wii, however, feels more like a step forward, a shuffle to the side then, after a brief pause, a tentative step back.

[Pornlord]

I have this, and I don't care for the wheel, but the game is fun, just like the others were, definately worth getting.

[ChickeyCantor]

edit: opps wrong reply

[ItsDubC]

I don't care for the wheel too much but it works FAR better than I thought it would and is slowly growing on me. This game is extremely fun and I have no problem recommending this Mario Kart installment to anyone. Double Dash is actually my least favorite.

[ChickeyCantor]

DUb you are becomming Casual!! RUNNN you dont wanna loose your HARDCOREness(== your manhood)
(like the woman from " minority report") RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

[ItsDubC]

ROFL noooooooo!!!!

=D

[ChickeyCantor]

LOL we got some disagrees on our hands =(...why T_T

[ItsDubC]

Apparently the phantom disagreer really likes the Wii wheel lol

[ChickeyCantor]

I lol'd really hard AHAHAH.

[Danja]

Im actually a fan of this series...played it a couple times...

im not really fund of the wheel also...but I played Double Dash a few years back..and it seems like Nintendo really did not try to push the series in new directions this time around....but a fun game none the less...

[Ureval]

"Mario Kart Wii, however, feels more like a step forward, a shuffle to the side then, after a brief pause, a tentative step back."

WTF?

[Dacapn]

The Wii itself feels more like a step forward, a shuffle to the side then, after a brief pause, a tentative step back.

[Si-Pie]

Yeah I sort of agree with what the review said. I personally think this is the best mario kart since the Snes version and Ive played every one of them. The Snes version is still the best for me though! but got to agree with some of his comments such as about the stupid blue shell! Its just such a stupid item and is quite frustrating when you have gone all race in 1st place only right on the last straight to be hit by the blue shell and then be be passed by everyone else! its quite fun when playing with other people but when your trying to increase your rank on the GP cups its just stupid. Not much for the wheel though I just use the gamecube controller!

[Imallvol7]

agree completely. game is overrated. I am done with nintendo. I have had enough with playing the same games every generation.

[Baka-akaB]

of course its a step back , one to greatness . Double dash is unloved for quite good reasons .

They had to go back to the drawing table for that , and also to simplify once more the game for the Wheel . Not to mention add most of what made the DS game such a success .

Anyway i dont get the complaints about first place punishement . Its not like we get first out of sheer skills , most of the time we leave others behind because of their fighting , counter attacks , random and unfair obstacles effects and speed items .. so of course things such as Blue shell are good for the game ...
Why would you even run in the first place , if after being trampled by shells and maluses , you had nothing to catch up ?

The complaints are silly when actually once you're at the top , unless the opponent are close , they are so busy fighting each others , you are usually quite alone there , except for the occasional blue shells .

At last , i actually lament the loss of snaking ... i say it should have been neutered indeed , to the point it doesnt bring unfair advantages , nor even any advantage , but still kept there as a way of driving , for the drift fans .

[RecSpec]

Kotaku does reviews? Fascinating...

[Baka-akaB]

they should just replace the words "review" by "opinion" ... seems like every damn blog got its review now ...

[Baka-akaB]

nvm

[Denzelio]

Very poor menu system - There is to many screens to go through before you start any race, once in any race excluding Time Trials you cannot restart or return to a cup menu, you basically RESET the game and go back to the very first screen, I say the second screen for Single Player should be the default screen, so Multiplayer and the option of Automatic/Manual screens should be extra options elsewhere. Did they even have a people test the menu system on the game before release?

Ruined battle mode - My favorite battle mode of all time has been ruined the balloon battle, no-longer is it last man standing it's now a timed game where you loose you 3 balloon and you just get 3 more.. how lame, also the removed shine sprite battle mode was fun also.

Stupid menu option - Once i finished the 50CC & 100CC cups (all gold) your now able to use both Karts&Bikes in those cups, however the option never appears on thew menu, only a little word saying '+ switch' which is extremely hard to even see, at first i thought it was a serious glitch, so everytime you have to press switch on that page how crap, sure i won't be the last person to be baffled why the 50CC&100CC didn't say karts&bikes like you would presume would happen, again no testing by gamers before release.. very sad.

Changed Items - However not a huge problem the game was more entertaining when each character had an individual special attack.

Very hard AI - In previous games the AI used to stagger apart now most of the time they are a large group, so if your hit by basically a shell you go from 1st to 6th/7th or up to last. Also very strangely when in front you get hit by multiple shells within seconds being red then blue, very odd that and excessive amounts of lighting and the silly POW, i never found the squid a problem, as it did slow the comp down. Lastly to many POW's used right before jumps that slow you down then you can't make the jump and die(especially on the bowser track with the large fireballs). Last problem to mention is the very limited time your warned before hit by a red shell, combined with the time it takes to obtain your item when going through a question mark box, it's like 2 seconds and thats all the time you usually get when warned of a red shell so there hard to stop unless your carrying something.

Retro levels - These were good, however they missed alot of good the best tracks out IE: Snes tracks only 2.... snes was my fav Mario Kart so basically can't they make a seperate Mario Kart solely with Retro Tracks... Would sell easily as well as this Mario Kart... to bad Nintendo lacks intelligence. So basically in the end if they make only one Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart for the WII (nintendo WII's best games) as they did on the Gamecube then the Wii will flop, lets hope they use all there console money obtained to make a console that rivals Sony and Microsoft next time otherwise they will be reserved to being forever a retro console for the games of yesteryear.

[ChickeyCantor]

" Very hard AI -"

Winning all the time isnt fun either you know =P

" Very poor menu system "
i disagree, its not more, its still the same amount, the only difference is the fade ins and outs.

" snes was my fav Mario Kart so basically can't they make a seperate Mario Kart solely with Retro Tracks... Would sell easily as well as this Mario Kart... to bad Nintendo lacks intelligence."
of course it would sell, but these levels are designed with the current gameplay.

as for intelligence, its not easy to decide what you are going to trow in and leave out. Every developer has problems with this.
Because these things could easily break the game