Once again proves that Mario Kart should be on every Nintendo console available.
The standard Mario Kart gameplay returns – this time to the Nintendo Wii console. You pick your control scheme (using the nunchuk, classic controller, or sole Wii remote), pick a character from the Mario series, pick a kart or scooter, and race on vibrant and animate race tracks ranging from the cheerful coconut mall to the threatening Bowser's Castle variations. Races are fast-paced and unpredictable, since gamers (and AI racers) can use items, picked up along the racetrack, to hit other racers and speed past them. This is both rewarding and problematic. The hopeful or ominous presence of items, throughout all races, can either help you to gain the lead from a bad start, or tear you apart from a perfect race. You see, items are random and unpredictable, and your chances to get ahead or fall behind are basically equal. Yes, I am saying that the game is all about luck, with a small amount of personal skill involved. However, this has been the nature of the entire series, so I am not one to criticize the role of chance in this game. However, I will conclude this thought by admitting that Mario Kart Wii seems to have many more lucky and unlucky moments than its predecessors. I remember trying thirty to fifty times trying to win first place during the hardest 150 CC level of difficulty.
However, the sheer enjoyment, vital tweaks, and positive additions to the game far outweigh the discouraging levels of difficulty. The game has very natural-feeling controls and I have always felt in control of my vehicle whenever I race in this game. Moreover, the game has added the vital and positive "tricks" feature: allowing you to gain speed when flicking your controller with good timing. While this may seem difficult to get used to, rest assured that, from an avid gamer's perspective, it feels very easy to control. Also, as mentioned, gamers can now try scooters: adding a new element to this racing series. Scooters are lighter, mobile, and can perform wheelies for added speed. However, they are very fragile and karts can easily push a scooter out of the way. That is, if it can catch up. The thoughtful choice of choosing either a kart or scooter makes the addition of scooters a new, staple part of the Mario Kart series. I personally think that, because of scooters' significance, the series should be known as "Mario Kart & Scooters". Of course, that's a mouthful.
In addition to the racing modes is the well known "battle mode", where items are even more heavily emphasized and the direct goal is to hit enemies with items. This is always a great alternative to the (truthfully frustrating) racing, and gamers will be able to switch between modes to keep themselves interested in the game: strengthening Mario Kart Wii's replay value.
The game's replay value is also fortified with the new, robust online multiplayer mode. Moreover, the online multiplayer mode is all about racing and battling, and incorporates a rating system into all its features. This rating system, however, feels more like a structured fort than an amusement park. More specifically, the rating system is very harsh because you'll end up lowering your rating more often than raising it. For example, when you place as one of the top four or three race winners, you only get between one to around a hundred points. While this may seem like a lot, when you place as the fourth best or below, you'll lose anywhere from fifteen to three hundred points. This rating system isn't really fun at all, but it's always there. In general, games with the best online multiplayers should consistently give you points instead of taking them away so often.
The online multiplayer's technicality and mobility are also problematic. More specifically, it always gives you a time limit to choose your characters and vehicles (usually less than a minute), and there aren't easy ways to exit the game or move to a different group of gamers. I usually had to power down my Wii console if I had to leave right away – which is a shameful mobility issue. Secondly, gamers may "vote" for a racetrack by clicking on the one they'd like to vote for. However, the racetrack they select is thrown into a pool of all the others, and the actual racetrack is chosen by random. This defeats the purpose of voting and I felt dumbstruck when a map no one had voted for was selected for all of us to race on. In conclusion, I'd say that the online multiplayer is worthy of some recognition but very flawed.
Overall, Mario Kart Wii is a racing game with the standard Mario Kart formula and certain, vital additions and tweaks. It's a game that is far from perfect, but very good when considering how far the series has gone and been stretched. It's very possible that the game came out for the Wii simply because all the other consoles had one too. However, I think that Mario Kart Wii is a unique member, of the long Mario Kart series, that fits in well. It proves that the series is still strong, and that every Nintendo console still deserves a Mario Kart video game.