Having played a good amount of Mario Kart Wii in the last few days I am ready to offer my impressions.
First off, I wouldn't call it THE WORST MK game ever. Far from it. While it ain't the best game ever it isn't the worst either, and those that claim it is either set their standards way too high or weren't fans to begin with.
My gripes with the game are few, but are there nonetheless. First, I miss the personalized karts from Double Dash and MK DS. The unlockable karts and bikes are nice, but they are all universal karts, meaning that each character shares the same set of karts and bikes available. Not a big deal, really, but I miss racing on a big ass Yoshi head or a rhino :p .
Second, yes, the rubber band AI is extremely annoying. Its the one thing that almost keeps me away from the single player experience (which is required in order to unlock the best characters and vehicles). There are times in which it isn't so bad, and I'm so ahead of the other racers that the damage is very little. However, at times the AI gets brutal, even in the 50cc mode. I think the worst I have ever encountered was being hit by lighting, a blue shell and a blooper AT THE SAME TIME AT THE FINISH LINE IN DAISY CIRCUIT!
Really, I thought Nintendo was aiming to please casual players with this release. This sort of thing is bound to make them annoyed. Rubber band AI is a last gen trick that should get destroyed. Programmers are doing marvelous things with AI nowadays, the need to make the computer players cheat feels tacky and is an excuse for programmers to not balance a game out.
Finally, its a standard MK release, meaning that Nintendo played it very safe with this release. Yes, there are bikes, the absence of snaking and stunts that provide a speed boost when done right, but doesn't feel like the revolution is should be. Its fresh enough, however, to keep me interested. MK DS failed to do this as it was way too much of the same song and dance for me to keep interested.
Now onto the best parts of the game. The bikes rule. I know the game is all about the karts, but there's something oddly satisfying about pulling stunts and racing at the speed of light on a bike. Plus, some of the designs are very cool.
The graphics are awesome! Yes, I said the graphics are awesome, something many reviewers have trashed like it had destroyed, killed their families and gave them a terminal disease. Its true that the characters are very blocky and low poly, but the stages are very beautiful! They are so colorful and alive I sometimes have to stop and look at even the smallest details. The game is also runs at a silky smooth framerate, something vital in an action racing game like MK.
The usage of Miis is just as fun as in the other games featuring the digital caricatures, with sometimes very surprising and downright funny appearances.
So yeah, its not Brawl quality, but the graphics are top notch nonetheless.
Believe it or not I haven't used the Wii Wheel, or the tilt controls, that much, not because they are bad, because my gaming quarters are somewhat uncomfortable, getting in the way of my motion based enjoyment. But from the little that I played using the tilt controls I could tell there's a little bit of a learning curve involved, which would explain why some reviewers didn't even bother with it.
The driving is definitely in your hands, meaning that if the character drives well or not its not the game's fault, its yours.
I still need more time with the wheel before saying a final thought.
And of course, online rocks. Being able to join a race with anyone on the spot, inviting Wii friends to MK Wii through the message board, tournaments, ghost races, ALL of this are very sweet options. Now THIS is the game Brawl should have been; smooth and clean with enough features to satisfy old timers as well as newcomers.
So overall, MK Wii is a winner, despite its horrible AI issues and its "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mantra carried over from MK DS. Bikes are a very fun addition to the franchise, and online racing is the best ever seen on a Nintendo console.
Topic: Mario Kart Wii Mega Thread (Read 243804 times)
