Mario Kart

Every Mario Kart title has been a must-have for those who own anything Nintendo. The original game was what hooked me on the company, and Mario Kart 64 brought the game to life with 3-D modeling and a battle system that never gets old.

Mario Kart: Double Dash brought us closer by adding creative multiplayer options and a possible LAN mode. Mario Kart DS introduced the first pseudo-online play the game has seen to date.

Overall, Nintendo has never failed to provide a Mario Kart that is charming, innovative and addictive. Mario Kart Wii is no exception.

Much like its predecessors, Mario Kart Wii is a game that anyone can pick up, play and win. The game includes all the classic mushroom kingdom characters, with some newcomers as well. If princesses and koopas aren’t your style, there is always the option of creating a custom character through the Wii’s Mii channel.

Each character now comes equipped with several custom vehicles. Different vehicles have different acceleration rates and top speeds, as well as some new categories such as off-road handling. This version also includes motorcycles, in addition to karts, which have a different boosting method that makes racing more interesting.

Mario Kart Wii is also packed with 16 new tracks while also including 16 remakes of older Mario Kart tracks. Races have also become even more hectic now that 12 players have been added to the fray, rather than the traditional eight.

Players still have the choice of driving at the three different speed modes (50cc, 100cc or 150cc) in Grand Prix.

However, the lack of two player options is where the game falls short as compared to its predecessor, Mario Kart: Double Dash. The game neglected to include the traditional two-player cooperative mode in the 50cc and 100cc Grand Prix, and the battle modes do not live up to replay value of Mario Kart 64. But the game’s superior Wi-Fi connection allows players to take the Wii online to race other players.

The game is still designed to favor players who are closer to last place. Frontrunners are graced with items that have little effect on others while those behind the pack gain items that launch them to the front of the pack or can dramatically sabotage the other players.

This new game engine also considers the overall points you have gained while playing in the single-mode Grand Prix to determine item distribution.

Even with Mario Kart Wii’s new additions, which further complicate the racing process, first-timers will find it amazingly easy to pick up any controller and play. Despite the game’s lacking single-player mode, Mario Kart Wii will still be on Nintendo’s museum of great titles.