Mario Kart: A Review

At this point in time, I think most people will have made up their minds about Mario Kart.

I have. Love it. That may influence this review somewhat.

The game has seen release on every major Nintendo platform since the Super Nintendo. It's a staple of every fanboy's life. Each iteration seeks to improve on the last without messing too much with the formula. If you're after something completely fresh you're out of luck. But if you're a Mario Kart fan, you're going to be happier than a powersliding Peach, because this game is great.

Although working from a familiar recipe, Mario Kart Wii brings some nice, fresh ingredients. Cliched expression aside, that's a good thing.

The old Kart experience is still there. Pick a character, race around wacky tracks [which is the name of my next band] and pelt the opposition with shells.

The most obvious addition is the Wii Wheel, a steering wheel-shaped shell that slips over the Wii Remote. It's surprisingly sturdy and responsive despite it's gimmicky first impression. I had no troubles using it as I wheelied my way to victory. 'Hard-core' gamers will blanche at its few shortcomings - an occasional tendency to misread the odd gesture - but its great for an audience veering towards casual, or those wacky enough to play a game for fun.

Tangent: That was an easy way to describe the device, but it came across as me describing it as 'casual'. That's not the case. It is possible to play competitively using the wheel. The only problems I have with it are mine and mine alone, such as the tendency for me to list to the left as my body requests sleep despite my demands for one more race.

A nice touch is the support of numerous control schemes, from the wheel to the Gamecube Controller. All are catered for.

Another addition are motorbikes. They're welcome as they lend a little more strategy to the package. Karts are more stable but bikes sport sharper turning. Karts can milk a power slide for more speed while bikes can wheelie for speed on a straight. It adds nicely to the existing choices of character and weight class.

The greatest addition is the online component, which works seemlessly and without lag, and allows you to race against 12 others. Great fun. It adds much more depth to the package. I'll be playing for a long time.

Mario Kart, in my opinion, is one of the all time greatest party games. Many a night have I spent screaming and swearing at the split screen with a few friends. This newest edition retains that. It also boasts enough subtle strategy to remain an entertaining single player diversion.

Having 12 on the track, as well as some new, powerful items joining the old favourites, makes for mucho craziness. Sometimes it gets a bit too crazy, and the AI is well-armed to overcompensate by blasting you with items and overtaking you on the final straight, but that's Mario Kart.

It's a love/hate relationship to be sure, but I wouldn't have it any other way.