17 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
Was the Wii Wiily in need of a Wiil?
Date of Review: Jul 22, 2009
The Bottom Line: Could be worth getting for mario kart, but lets wait and see what other driving games come out first.
The Wii Wheel is one of the better ideas by Nintendo in recent years despite what almost seems to be a cheap and cheerful approach to the construction of the device the fact it works so well actually enhances certain games. Originally released along side Mario Kart Wii, which it truly completes the game, the wheel has also found it's self available (optionally with Excitebike. The control is of a white hard plastic in a steering wheel mould, with a gap to fit in the Wiimote, a space for the strap and a space for the sensor on the control to "see through". On the back of the remote there,s a "trigger" that can be used to activate the "B" button whilst the rest of the face buttons are left open.
The device despite never being necessary for any games finds it's self in the place of making driving games more enjoyable and easier, the wheel fits the Wiimote in really easily with a snug fit and allows you to hold the wheel. This works on the idea that games that use the Wiimote to steer might as well use a wheel, which makes the whole thing feel more natural and complete as opposed to turning a wand on it's side and trying to control a car with it which just feels "odd". After trying to play Mario Kart Wii without the wheel the game just feels odds meaning the addition of the wheel does help the game.
However, the number of games that use the wheel are limited to just driving games (technically you can play almost any game with it "on" but it's pointless), and on the Wii there's not many driving games, limiting the use of the device if you buy a "spare" (obviously you should buy Mario Kart, but aside from that?). Admittedly if you play multiplayer with a family member or a friend a second one will be needed (other wise they wouldn't enjoy the game as much) but aside from Mario Kart there seems to be a lack of other top quality driving games. A problem with the Wii and not the Wheel to be honest.
So for an extra device that's effectively just a control "mask" the device does it's job well, though is a bit unneeded and can be seen as rather hefty as a stand alone device ( 9.99 for the unit). The "other" makes of the control (namely the one sold by Game and Gamestation) are a bit cheaper in feel and a little less quality (the Wiimote can slip out if you use it wrong) but can be bought for around 5. So if you're only going to be playing games occasionally with friends perhaps get the one of those instead as they do exactly the same job at half the price.
Overall the product has it's uses, but as they are so limited due to the Wii's lack of A-Class driving games. If your buying Mario Kart then it's a brilliant addition to one of the Wii's best games, but aside from Mario Kart you'll find little to no need for the wheel.
