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If the mark of a good game is a gamer’s inability to put the controller down and take a break, then Mario Kart Wii does plenty to fall into that category. What’s astounding about that is just how the game stays familiar, while almost reinventing itself at the same time. No easy feat for any game.  Mario has already saved princesses, played a few sports and brawled against his fellow characters on the Wii, but this is the first time that his Kart series races onto Nintendo’s darling console.   The game also comes with a white plastic wheel that you can just clip the Wii remote into. But if that’s not your cup of tea, you can still play with the remote solo, the classic Wii controller or even a GameCube one. First the basics: There are plenty of characters to choose from, some of whom have to be unlocked. Each character has about six karts and motor bikes to choose from, with your standard strengths and weaknesses for each one. You also get a range of tracks, most of them new, but others have been brought from as far back as the Super NES and Game Boy Advance. The tracks are actually one of the most imaginative aspects of the game, mainly because you can roll to victory easily in one and have nothing but problems in another. The look and feel of each track is surprisingly unique, like being in someone else’s turf where the rules can change at any moment. You get this feeling mostly because you can totally ruin the race for those ahead or behind you. I was leaving banana peels behind me to throw off anyone trying to catch up to me. But in turn, I had someone back there throw a turtle shell at me to knock me off. Thankfully, they missed but I was still hit with a lightning bolt that reduced me to a miniature size because someone further back used a power-up. These kinds of mischievous antics keep things interesting, especially since they induce bragging rights and certain rematches. Before you know it, you’re trying every dirty trick in the Mario Kart book to shave off critical seconds on your lap times and keep everyone else eating dust. Now, playing in a room against friends and family is one thing, but hitting the road in online multiplayer is another. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect with the online experience, but I was pleasantly surprised. Races run smoothly with no lag, and the level of competition is as good as it gets with tight races and some real talented players taking part. And they’re playing from all over. A globe pops up before every race showing you where each player is from. You can also race against “ghosts” of some of the best players out there to see if you can keep up with them; a nice touch and a big help in improving skills on the track. Or at least I thought so, since I had the hardest time keeping up with some of those ghosts. I wasn’t even sure how some of the turns they were making were even possible. The ranking system within Mario Kart Wii helps keep things competitive at all levels, so it’s unlikely that you’ll find some rookie being embarrassed by a crop of pros. To be honest, I’m almost convinced that the best players at this game are maybe a little over half my age — and I’m still young myself. And that’s really the beauty of this game. It bridges gaps a lot easier than other games do, which maybe shouldn’t come as a surprise for a Mario title. I had some of the most fun playing in the Battle Mode, a team-based game where you try to knock out the other team’s members in an arena-like map. Play that for a while and you’ll see how good you become at making those sharp turns at crucial times in big races. Mario Kart Wii Format: Wii Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo ESRB Rating: E for Everyone Official Site: http://www.mariokart.com/wii/ Rating: 9 / 10

 

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About G4 in Canada
G4 Canada (formerly TechTV Canada) launched in September 2001. G4 is the one and only television station that is plugged into every dimension of games, gear, gadgets and gigabytes. Owned Rogers Media Inc., the channel airs more than 24 original series. G4 is available on digital cable and satellite. For more information, see www.g4tv.ca.