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Mario Kart Wii

Published: Fri 11 Jul, 2008 | On:

Now, the thing that I know everybody is wanting to know is whether or not the Wii Wheel (packaged free with the game) actually works. And the answer is a resounding YES!

I know, I was as surprised as you are. The thing actually works. It not only works, but it works so incredibliy well that you won't feel as if your level of control is gimped compared to using a normal thumbpad. And the fact that you're controlling it just like a steering wheel makes it that much more natural and fun. If you opt out and choose to use the thumbpad options, you are officially a noob.

The tracks won't wow you graphically, but they suffice in terms of design and level of difficulty.

The music is the same as previous Mario Karts, which is not at all a bad thing. A new little feature in this one is a siren that goes off on your Wii remote speaker when an item is about to hit you. It gets louder as it comes closer, which is great as it gives you time to bust out the triple b-skin. A VERY nifty feature.

The online mode is amazing. 12 player online works without lag, and you can easily see whether your friends are online or not. If they are, you can just hop into their race or make a new friend exclusive one and invite them in. You start off with 5000 points, which increases with wins and decreases with losses. Random matches are selected based off your rating, so you always race people at a similar skill level as you.

150cc is incredibly hard, mostly due to the insane rubber banding. The other two classes (50 and 100cc) can be beaten solely by skill, however 150cc will definitely require an element of luck. The rubberbanding is a love/hate relationship. When you're behind, you love it. When you're metres from the finish line, it's your mortal enemy.

Apart from the incredibly hard 150cc (well, that's what I say, I may be a newbie, who knows?), this Mario Kart is my new favourite in the series, and is definitely worth your time if you're a fan of the series, or even if you're someone still not convinced that Wii controls can work, I am sure that this will convince you that they can.