Mario Kart Wii is a nice collaboration of many of the great ideas we’ve seen in many the previous versions. The slide boosting, drift boosting, battle mode, and all the classic arsenal like bananas and turtle shells. One of the best upgrades added to the Wii version is 12 player online racing. The game also allows a second player to play split-screen on the same console during these online matches. Unlike the Mario Kart DS, there are online battle modes and now with up to 8 players!

Getting a Wii game online has never been easier. You have the option to choose between Worldwide or Regional. In seconds, you are matched up with up to 12 players. The time waiting to find other players seems a lot less annoying than many other Wii games by allowing you to join a group of racers before their current race even ends. While they are finishing up, you are put in spectator mode where you can watch the race live. Your also given the ability to toggle between the different racers and change the camera angle. This is a nice improvement over Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where all you had punching bag to beat up while waiting.

You’ll notice this version of Mario Kart excludes the classic 2 player co-op Grand Prix. This may be unfortunate for some, but I like what’s in it’s place. The online Ranking system. When you create a Mario Kart licence (or profile) you attach it with a Mii. When you take your Mii online, your Rank points are set to 5000. Winning races in the top positions will grant you more Rank points. This Rank score is accumulative with battle mode and the VS races. Losing a race will cause your overall Rank score to lower. This ranking system will definitely keep me coming back for more. I feels good to play online and rise in the ranks.

Additionally, The game also allows you to install an optional ‘Mario Kart Wii Channel’ to the Wii’s main dashboard. Once activated through WiiConnect24, you can receive ghost data from the top online players as well as from your friends on your friend list. The game tracks all online activity from your friends and you’ll be able to keep up with how they are doing. This channel also allows you to receive tournament invitation that are set to take place in the near future. These online competitions will only be available for a limited time before they reset. It’s a nice way to show off your skills if you can rank number one, even if its ‘15 minutes of fame’.

Tags: 2-Bit Blogger Picks, Nintendo Wifi, Racing, Review

This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 7:00 am and is filed under Nintendo, Wii. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.