Picked up Mario Kart Wii today, knowing I really didn’t have the choice not to. After fighting with Linux/Windows computer issues all afternoon, I abandoned the harsh computer world for the comforting Zone of Wii, a land where everything works right out of the box. My two biggest fears for this game included motorcycles and the Wii Wheel, an accessory that seemed both unnecessary and… well… dumb. It didn’t take long for my fears to be allayed, however…
The Wii Wheel works great, and no one is more surprised than me. Turning is responsive, accurate, and extremely intuitive. Tilt it to the right, the kart goes to the right, it couldn’t be any easier. That frees up the controller’s face buttons for items, hopping, braking and accelerating, and it all falls together quite nicely. The only problem: I feel like my mom, sitting on the couch turning the controller in my hands. Guess that’s -1 geek point for me.
As for the motorcycles, they end up being pretty much like a very light, drift-heavy kart. There’s the added ability to pop wheelies to gain extra speed, but driving a kart gives you more speed when you drift, so it balances out. I still don’t think a Mario Kart game should allow you to choose karts for drivers (there’s my old school Super Mario Kart/Mario Kart 64 bias coming up again), but it looks like it’s here to stay, so I’ll just have to deal with it. Or ignore it and choose the default kart every single time.
After just about an hour with the game, I am pleased to say I had a good time. Multiplayer is still on my list of things to try, and I still have several tracks to race in the main game. The course design and music are superb, by the way, and rivals the creativity I feel hasn’t been present since Mario Kart 64. But I haven’t gotten into a MK game deeply since then, so I’m sure some bias is leaking through, which is even more ammunition for the fact that Mario Kart Wii is pretty darn good.
If you ever want to race online, just drop me a line. I’m tired of getting schooled by Japanese schoolchildren. Haha.