Mario and friends return for another racing masterpiece

Mario Kart has been one of the best multiplayer games (ever since the days of the Super Nintendo). The newest installment, simply known as Mario Kart Wii is no exception. It provides great value for one person or many people at once.

(Note: this is a review about offline features only, as I haven't played it online.)

Plot

Just like the past Mario Kart games, there is no true plot. The game is simply Mario, his friends and enemies take part in a series of races in a variety of places.

I think the game could've had a plot of some sort, considering most other Mario sports games have a small plot at least.

Gameplay

The core of the game is unchanged: you pick a racer, a vehicle for him or her to drive, then you pick a cup (series of races) to play in. The game is for 1 to 4 players total.

The Mario Kart regulars return: Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Bowser to name a few. New characters are in the game as well, but I wont spoil things for you.

Mario Kart was only about karts as a vehicle you could drive, until now. This game features the inclusion of motorbikes. I don't care for them much, as I don't think they are that special overall. They are fun to drive sometimes, but the controls seem a bit harder than the regular karts.

Another major new addition to the game is the trick system. If you are in the air, you can perform a special trick to gain a speed boost. An added feature for the bikes is wheelies, which give you a boost as well. However, wheelies must be stopped (while the trick only lists while you are in the air), which causes problems sometimes.

The new trick system is a bit pointless in my view. The game would've been just fine without it. It seems to be just another gimmick for Wii's motion controls.

One big thing they removed from the game was character specials. Some of the Double Dash's specials return as items though, so that makes up for the loss a little. Overall, the items are about the same from the previous games. To name a few: shells, mushrooms and bananas. Items will help you during races. Also, you can now equip some items, which act as a shield.

The main part of the game is playing through various cups. Each cup is made up of four levels, with the ultimate goal of having the best overall score by the time you finish the fourth level. Each race features a total of 12 characters, so the action is fast paced.

The scoring system has changed a little, as there is now a ranking to go along with the points total. The regular scoring system awards you points for how you place in each of the levels. The new ranking system, ranks how well you raced (based on braking and tricks). Overall, the ranking system is alright but it seems like a knockoff of Excite Truck's system.

Besides the cups, there is time trials, battle mini-games and various single/multiplayer modes with different options.

A big complaint I have about the game is the computer-controlled characters are too cheap. If you are in first place for a while, expect many items to hit you. This is worse than in previous games. You get hit by one item, and then you're suddenly in 6th place or worse. It's usually fine to get back to first, however if it's the end of the race, you're done.

Controls

The game features various control layouts. The control layouts are Wii remote/nunchuk, Wii wheel (which has the remote in the center of it), classic controller and GameCube controller.

The Wii wheel is included with the game, and is a great addition for this game. You place the remote in the middle of it, and then you move the wheel as if you were driving a real car. It's simple to use and works very well.

For the most part, controls are easy to learn. The wheel takes a little time getting used to, but after a few races you should be used to it.

Graphics and sound

The graphics are well done for the game. All levels are colorful and full of great detail.

Sound in the game is also a good thing. Each level has it's own unique soundtrack, plus there is character voices. Each character has a few lines they will say during races. The lines are funny at times, so it adds a bit of humor to the game.

Replay Value

There is many characters, courses and vehicles to unlock While some are easy to unlock, many will take a while. The variety of courses will keep you busy for a while. Plus there is multiplayer modes, mini-games and time trials that are very fun.