Game Review: Nintendo Wii's Mario Kart

If you are one of the die-hard fans of the old Nintendo games, as I am, you are probably excited at the prospect of playing the new version of Mario Kart. Well, there is no need to fear! In my opinion, Nintendo has done a great job revising the old version of this game.

Nintendo did not change the main idea of this game, which is one of the reasons that I think it is so successful. You still have the choice of single or multi-player modes, as well as playing with others on the Internet. Nintendo kept the different game modes as well. Unfortunately, Nintendo has removed the Double Dash option, which is where two players ride on one vehicle against the computer cars. Even though this is no longer available, Nintendo has added more options to make up for the lack of the Double Dash.

What I like is the the flexibility of the controllers. You have the option of using one of the original Game Cube controllers, which is great if you are "old" like me, and not as adaptable to new controls. You can also use the Wii's classic controller, the Wii remote and nunchuk, or the remote placed inside the steering wheel. I would probably choose to use the old Game Cube controller if I still owned one, because I have a tendency to forget to use the entire remote as a steering wheel. Even so, I seem to be able to get more adept each time I play, which shows that you can teach an old dog new tricks!

A player has twenty-four tracks to choose from. The original twelve tracks have been refined with graphics and some increased difficulty. The remaining new tracks definitely keep even a veteran racer on guard, especially when combined with the new pick-up items. Nintendo has kept the old items, and has also added some new items, such as a Blooper, Bullet Bill, and POW block.

The Blooper is a squid that floats in front of you and then sprays your "windshield" with squid ink, making it very difficult to see. This increases the chance of falling off a track! Bullet Bill lets you fly automatically through the track, and this is useful to get rid of cars in front of you. The POW block shakes the ground when it hits, causing cars to spin, or items to be dropped.

There are more characters to use, and each character has different vehicles to use. Nintendo has only cars or motorbikes, but you are able to chose between several types based on the character and track. You are able to decide which to use by looking at the different features as you cycle through the different vehicles.

You might expect the old tracks to be boring. Nintendo has done an awesome job at revamping the old tracks by increasing the difficulty and wowing the graphics.

Personally, I feel that this game is a great success. You still get to enjoy the old feel from the original game, but have more options and levels of difficulty. I love the graphics, which sometimes is distracting because I watch the scenery instead of the track! Others may find that the graphics could have been done better. They are not quite as good as they could be when playing multi-player. Since the graphics are not necessary to play the game, I don't feel that this is a major problem. I still feel that the game is definitely worth the money! Whether you are a casual player looking for fun or a hard-core racer, you will enjoy this game.

So if you want to "go back in time" while moving into the future, Nintendo has done a great job in accomplishing this.