Jonny analyzes Mario Kart Wii's excellent online features, how they can be used in other Nintendo games, and where there's still room for improvement. http://nintendoworldreport.com/editorialArt.cfm?artid=15968 There is no question that Mario Kart Wii is Nintendo's most advanced online Wii game (it compares less favorably to some of the top online DS games). I thought it would be worthwhile to dissect and analyze just exactly what makes Mario Kart Wii's online features so great, and I also suggest a few ways that they could be made better in future games. Certainly, we should all hope that Nintendo will maintain at least this level of online functionality in future titles, establishing a minimal feature set that is standard across first-party online games. We should also hope that Nintendo will provide the tools and standards to create these features to all third-party developers, so that the overall level of Wii online functionality will be improved. Without further ado, here are my writing crutches… a.k.a. lists.
Mario Kart Wii's Online Accomplishments
1. Smooth Online Gameplay – There is little or no noticeable lag, a smooth frame rate (though reduced with two local players), and matches start quickly and seamlessly. The "netcode" puts Super Smash Bros. Brawl to shame. It feels like there is no performance sacrifice to play online. Unless you are trying to unlock something, there is no reason NOT to play the game online.
2. Methods to Avoid Friend Codes – Finally, you can invite Wii friends without typing any new codes specific to the game. As in Brawl, you can also add friends-of-friends by clicking a button between matches. This saves a ton of time and prevents the usual frustration associated with trying to fill up a friends list.
3. Fast, Flexible Random Matching – As in most online Nintendo games, Mario Kart Wii lets you join either regional or worldwide matches. Unlike any other online Nintendo game, this one almost always finds a large group of 8-10 other players, within seconds. You can watch the group finish its current race while you wait to join the next one, giving you a chance to scope out the best players and their strategies. Other people can join or leave the group between races without messing it up for everyone else. The only thing missing is an option to meet up with friends, then join a random group together. This would let you race with friends without being stuck in one-on-one matchups on huge tracks.
4. Online Integrated Throughout – Online racing is available for either one or two players on the same machine. An excellent ghost-trading system is packaged with the best leaderboards on Wii, showing both overall rankings and friends-only comparisons for each track. Occasional tournaments offer altered tracks and another fun way to compete with friends and the world. Finally, you can play Battle Mode online in addition to standard racing (not available in Mario Kart DS or even in the LAN mode of Mario Kart Double Dash). Basically, online doesn't feel like a tacked-on extra mode… it is an integral part of the game.
5. Less Anonymity – Even in random matches, you immediately see where each player is located, and you can see their names and Miis. This is not dangerous information or an invasion of privacy. It actually helps you feel like you are playing against real people and not thinly disguised bots. It increases the thrill of winning and the disappointment of losing. It also fits in with the ability to race as your Mii online.
Where Even Mario Kart Wii Needs Improvement
1. Communication Options – Whether it's voice chat, text chat, PictoChat, even phrase chat… the important thing is that we should be able to communicate while actually playing the game, not just between matches. From a technological standpoint, voice chat could be implemented immediately, and it's the most desirable because it lets you communicate without physically interfering with gameplay. Wii is already Bluetooth compatible, as are many wireless headsets – so what's the holdup? As long as it is limited to your friends list, there is no significant risk of exchanging personal information with strangers, so it should not conflict with Nintendo's mission to protect children online.
2. Adding Friends Efficiently – Wii games should automatically import friend codes of friends who have the game, replacing this messaging procedure and the subsequent "handshake", which can take hours or days to finally confirm a friend. A huge part of the success of Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network is that those services don't require separate friend registrations for each game – it's handled on a system level. You still can't befriend random players if you like how they play, even in the limited "Rivals" tier of friendship established years ago by Metroid Prime: Hunters.
3. Always Online – There should be no need to constantly connect and disconnect from Nintendo WFC. The game should tell you upon boot-up whether your friends are online. This also means you could receive invitations to play online with friends even when you are playing the single-player modes. Establishing full online awareness will lead to far more opportunities to play friend matches, which currently tend to be set up outside of the game (by phone or Internet), even if you have a large friend roster.
Will any of these issues be addressed in Nintendo's next big online game? Will Nintendo even bother to match Mario Kart Wii's online feature set? These are key questions that simply cannot be answered right now, due to Nintendo's stubborn inconsistency with online games. What we can say is that Mario Kart Wii proves Nintendo has the ability to develop solid online games. Now we'll see if they choose to do so again, and if they will help other developers to do the same.
Topic: EDITORIALS: What Mario Kart Does Right (Read 8887 times)
