Mario Kart Wii

Whilst people are experiencing the magic of Disney’s Theme Parks, the rest of us aren’t really feeling like we’re missing out. In fact we’re having a whale of a time knowing that we’ve got our own piece of Nintendo magic at a bargain price. Where the park visitors are having to stand in hours of long queues, we’re just simply waiting on a few seconds of a loading screen.
Whether it all started from playing Mario Kart on the SNES, Double-Dash on the Gamecube or generally following the life long legend of the Mario series, everybody old or new to the franchise will appreciate Mario Kart Wii. More multiplayer fun and another reason to get friends and family together.

There’s always something special about the presence of Mario games. Even adults can‘t deny the pleasant twinkling vibe and admiration of the larger than life characters. So it’s no surprise when encountering Mario Kart Wii, that like a cup of coffee it gets you all geared up and your adventurous spirit is awakened. The entertaining music is very catchy and quite often I find myself humming along as I’m revving around.

This game contains a vast amount of racing tracks to try out. From vert venturing routes, extremely heightened platforms, rumbling down the rapids, grinding the sand, bouncing across giant mushrooms, swerving past the goombas and being shot into the air by massive cannons. Mario Kart Wii defines wacky racing and of course playing it with your friends, don’t expect all to be too peaceful!

Now there’ll always be the skill order among the group but the balance of the weapon system at least gives the chance for anyone trailing behind the ranks. There are times where players who were last in the race redeem themselves in the last lap scooping up first place like it was nothing!
So among the arsenal there’s the familiar trap laying banana skins, mushroom speed boosters, star power ups and that same old preference for a red turtle shell rather than the green one. However the most unforgiving blue winged shell has also returned, a cackle for everybody who isn’t in first place but a big annoyance to the one leading the race.
It doesn’t just stop there because Mario Kart Wii has brought some new toys to play with. One of them I’ve discovered is the bullet bill which not only soars you into better position but also anyone in your path gets blown right off track!

I had originally rejected the idea of using the Wii Remote as a steering wheel but I’ve actually grown to it. The remote shouldn’t be undermined in it’s response performance although sometimes when you see yourself about to side track or bash into a wall, you wish that turning it 180 degrees would somehow grant a miraculous save. In all honesty when something like that happens it just shows you’ve got a bit more to learn about driving. Those of you who’d rather have your thumbs steering the wheel will be glad to know that you can use the GameCube or Classic controller. I will call you a party pooper though!

I can see Mario Kart being a strong one for longevity. Lots of characters, cars and tracks to unlock. The build up from 50cc to 150cc will occupy those who want to train themselves. Perhaps set out some challenges to your rivals on the time trials. So yeah, plenty of things to get on with!