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Mario Kart Wii first impressions

joystiq.com — Our first six hours with the final retail version of Mario Kart Wii. Click through to read our thoughts on the Wii Wheel, online multiplayer, the Mario Kart channel and more!

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  • dluv, on 04/26/2008, -93/+61st comment, GAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Shiftgood, on 04/26/2008, -15/+4Ive always wondered what would get the lowest diggs possible... i think you've pretty much nailed it.

      well done sir, well done.
      • ike368, on 04/26/2008, -19/+3i dugg him up, i think it was a pretty sweet comment.
    • Jalh, on 04/26/2008, -2/+5***** OFF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • wondertwins, on 04/26/2008, -0/+11this is not youtube
  • B1663r, on 04/26/2008, -44/+6Sooooo.... This is exactly as I predicted NintendoGame+1. Since it is a verified fact now that all AAA wii games are gonna be variations of the theme NintendoGame+1 will you guys quit calling me a hater for saying that?
    • krd1979, on 04/26/2008, -6/+24Soooo... Halo 3 is HaloGame +1 and GTA 4 is RockstarGame +1... etc. etc. so what does it really matter if the game is fun?
      • arobicha, on 04/26/2008, -10/+0The fact that you're perpetuating an endless cycle of take old idea - improve - make obsolete, and in the process paying 40+ dollars for a game you own 5 times over... wait... does it have a WHEEL? ... yeah nevermind, it's still the same game. Some creativity would be nice.
    • latova, on 04/26/2008, -2/+9Play the game so at least you can be an informed troll.
  • gcnaddict, on 04/26/2008, -28/+1I'm trying to think of something witty to say, but I'm not having much luck.

    Damn.
  • zulfy26, on 04/26/2008, -13/+42Who cares what the game review sites say; we all know everyone is going to get this game.
    • eliotmat, on 04/26/2008, -5/+2except me. I sold my wii. It pretty much got old after wii sports.
  • bawpcwpn, on 04/26/2008, -12/+5I've been pondering whether or not to get MKWii for two days now, and I think I will now go get it after reading this. It makes it sound like a lot of fun. Any other opinions from Digg members are most welcome.
    • JointVenture, on 04/26/2008, -6/+4You're going to get it because what else can you buy for the Wii.

      If I had a wii Id buy it too.
  • Doomsan, on 04/26/2008, -14/+7My first impression was "oh man this is just like any other MK game", not bad but not good either, very little in the way of changes and improvements, but still a good game.
    • alexforcefive, on 04/26/2008, -1/+4You're right, but give the online multiplayer a try. It's pretty good!

      Also, I'm finding it really hard to come to terms with the fact that I've had this game for weeks, and it's not even out in america yet. What happened?
      • dorkdork777, on 04/26/2008, -1/+1Nintendo felt pity on us Europeans: the US got SSBB earlier, we got MK Wii earlier. That hasn't happened since Zelda: Minish Cap for the GBA.
  • wesw02, on 04/26/2008, -10/+34Mario Kart was released in Europe (PAL) about 2 weeks ago, I picked it up the day it came out. So far its been amazing, they pulled out all the stops on this game. It contains everything gamers loved from previous versions in addition to a whole lot of new features, options and characters.

    If you enjoyed the N64 Mario Kart I promise you will not be disappointed.
    • morguth, on 04/26/2008, -6/+12But I enjoyed the SNES version better...
    • alexforcefive, on 04/26/2008, -3/+7It doesn't contain double dashing! Or boosting to get rid of blooper ink!
    • imikedaman, on 04/26/2008, -4/+11"It contains everything gamers loved from previous versions"

      It has Koopa Troopa Beach and the feather powerup!??
      • skywake, on 04/26/2008, -3/+3It has a beach track, Koopa Troopa and lots of jumping.... close enough?
      • Velirno, on 04/26/2008, -4/+4Sure I enjoyed the N64 Mario Kart...but I want a NEW version. I can go buy the old one on the VC and probably have just as much fun then. I just wish they'd change things up a bit more, such as put a proper online experience into the game.
        • zongamin, on 04/26/2008, -2/+1Guarantee this is far FAR better than the older versions. Try it.
      • d4rthsid, on 04/30/2008, -0/+1I want the feather back, that was the best way to dodge things in the SNES version, especially the level where you could jump into the water/plater box to avoid your opponents.
    • Lochie, on 04/26/2008, -2/+4They forgot to include 2 player grand prix.... battle mode and vs options.. what the heck? If they just put HALF the options that's included in SSBB then it'd be awesome. I don't want to battle with 8 other computer players ALL THE TIME!!
    • dorkdork777, on 04/26/2008, -2/+5Only disappointment for me was the new balloon battle. It's now point-based; when you lose all 3 balloons, you just come back with 3 more. The knockout version used in every previous MK was much better, IMO.
      • d4rthsid, on 04/30/2008, -0/+1The knockout version leaves noobs waiting until the time limit runs out, not that much fun for those that aren't very good. Its a good thing and a bad thing. I think the online login or whatever it is needs to speed up, I am spoiled by xbox live.
    • m00nmaster, on 04/26/2008, -0/+2N64 Mario Kart was the best.
  • Owwmykneecap, on 04/26/2008, -13/+8this has been out for a few weeks...

    Edge gave it a 6 and said that there were some very niggling problems with it.

    (6 being above average (5), not meaning its completely ***** like a 6 would on say IGN)
  • arist0tle, on 04/26/2008, -11/+6I firmly believe that this incarnation of Mario Kart has the potential to be one of the following:
    1) the best Kart ever thanks to online gaming and the wii wheel
    or
    2) the worst Kart game because of the wii wheel and because Nintendo's uncanny ability to ***** up online gaming.

    Although, I am hoping it is not the latter, and from what I hear and read, you can use the old style controls and screw the wii wheel.

    just a thought.
    • Owwmykneecap, on 04/26/2008, -5/+4wheel = ***** from what Ive heard., Using the nunchuck grand.
      Gc control being the best.
      • skywake, on 04/26/2008, -1/+1I have been a fan of Mario Kart since the SNES version and I quite like the Wheel. Then again when I first played Mario Kart I did try and use the SNES controller in a similar way to the Wheel so I suppose its just the natural action to make. Plus, nothing beats kicking someones ass with the Wheel when they are using classic controls (esp when they have heavy negative views towards the Wheel). Its the same feeling I got when I quite often beat snakers online in MKDS using traditional racing methods. :P
    • zongamin, on 04/26/2008, -1/+1The wheel is excellent - why bother to comment if you haven't even played it?
    • wyrdness, on 04/26/2008, -1/+1In a poll of UK games, some preferred the wheel, some the nunchuck, and some said that the the GC wavebird was the best controller. It's all down to personal preference. The wheel is fun, but can start to hurt your hands if you grip it tightly for a long while. The nunchuck is probably more accurate, allowing you to go a bit faster. You can even use the classic controller, but I haven't tried that.

      Nobody is forcing you to use the wheel if you don't want to.
  • teamparadox, on 04/26/2008, -8/+7You could read these impressions or you could just go to gametrailers.com and watch the full video review....
    http://www.gametrailers.com/player/33246.html
  • chucali, on 04/26/2008, -9/+3I already have this game preordered let me make my own first impression thank you very much. Give us civilians a chance to play it first.
  • gcman94, on 04/26/2008, -12/+4I think nintendo should stop relying on old titles and move on to new things like Galaxy.
    • WebWorker, on 04/26/2008, -1/+6Yeah that's a good idea.. they should make a Super Mario Galaxy! That would be sweet!
  • Falldog, on 04/26/2008, -8/+17That they have the same ***** AI issues is very disappointing.
    • antipoet, on 04/26/2008, -2/+19I happen to agree with you. What they call the 'rubber band' AI is frustrating, not fair.
    • skywake, on 04/26/2008, -7/+2To be quite honest I have been to busy having fun to notice it.
      • dorkdork777, on 04/26/2008, -2/+5You went all the way to Busy just to notice it?
    • porkdanish, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2Forget the AI issues, how do I get the 2 year old to stop standing in front of the tv giving his running commentary?!

      You got inked!
      Daddy, you crashed!
      No *****? Maybe it's because I can't see through you're enormous head!
  • korvan504521, on 04/26/2008, -11/+2while I'm confident it'll be a good game, and maybe I'm not the target audience since I don't have a wii yet, it just seems to me nintendo needs to get some new ideas.
    • YellowSnowDemon, on 04/26/2008, -3/+14Why are they the only company who isn't allowed to make sequels w/o getting criticized?
      • B1663r, on 04/26/2008, -4/+4This isn't even a sequel though. This is the same game with minor adjustments to play and a few new maps...
        • latova, on 04/26/2008, -5/+4We're not talking about Halo 3 here.
        • AsadM, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1We're not talking about Rainbow Six Vegas 2 here.
      • imikedaman, on 04/26/2008, -2/+2But every game company that makes sequels DOES get criticized by everyone. I mean, have you not heard of EA or something? Madden not ringing any bells? Did you miss the whole Halo 3 bitchfest on digg?

        People complain about every high-profile game series. Some games evolve enough with each new game to fend off most complaints (Burnout, GTA, etc.), but some of them remain virtually unchanged for years on end.
      • Velirno, on 04/26/2008, -1/+1^ Took the words right out of my mouth.
      • korvan504521, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1I'm not trying to say I'm against sequels, I'm just saying, after the first 5 or so, maybe its time to move on? How many mario karts have there been after all? We've been through four consoles with it and two hand helds. I'm sure its a great game, nintendo is well known for their quality.
        But seriously, they're not getting known for their creativity by keeping this up. Its not like GTA where they get new characters or new settings, they take pretty much the exact same game (albeit a GOOD game) and simply up the graphics and tweak it a little. If they only did it to one or two of their games, that'd be something. But what are the popular games on Nintendo if you list them.
        Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, various modifications of said Mario, Zelda, Metroid Pokemon,
        Do you see what I'm getting at now? Why can't they steer some of their fantastic production abilities to something new and exciting?
  • xrEE, on 04/26/2008, -8/+4Although gaming of the golden era reminds us of Mario Kart 64. Mario Kart Wii is better
  • Futurejunior, on 04/26/2008, -9/+2This place is well on its was to graveyard status
  • WhoDoneIt, on 04/26/2008, -8/+28Kart + Wii + Beer + Friends = Awesomeness.
    • springboks, on 04/26/2008, -6/+2even without friends. You can play online
    • blackjack75, on 04/26/2008, -1/+2And at this exact moment I realized the only thing I had a home was beer.
    • Skahara, on 04/26/2008, -0/+5Beer + Friends = Awesomeness.
      You don't need Mario Kart.
    • rjam710, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2Kart + Wii + Beer - Friends = Drinking problem.
    • mattvander, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1Kart + Beer - Wii = No Friends
  • FoxFire13, on 04/26/2008, -7/+2Anyone else who has played it notice they get hit by blue shells, red shells, lightning bolts, and POW blocks like every 5 to 10 seconds when you're in 1st? It's soo frustrating!!! Makes lapping the computer next to impossible (only played on 50cc).

    But overall the game is pretty good, some tweaks to the game play I don't like (haven't played since N64 Mario Kart), but lots of characters, tracks, and the inclusion of online make this a pretty sweet package.

    Oh, and has anyone used the the "Wii Wheel"? It's complete *****.
    • Woknblues, on 04/26/2008, -3/+4"Anyone else who has played it notice they get hit by blue shells, red shells, lightning bolts, and POW blocks like every 5 to 10 seconds when you're in 1st? It's soo frustrating!!! Makes lapping the computer next to impossible (only played on 50cc)."

      it was ALWAYS like that. the guy i the front gets hit with everything, because he is the guy in front. if you play with more people, say 4, the hits came less frequent..... oh, 50cc? weak...
    • aresaypay, on 04/26/2008, -1/+0you know you can time your jump and avoid being affected by the POW block right? That's one thing that annoyed me in the IGN review, they didn't even know this!!!
  • dagamer34, on 04/26/2008, -11/+4What Mario Kart on the Gamecube really should have been.
  • petecampbell, on 04/26/2008, -6/+2Suprised most outlets weren't doing these "First Impressions" articles weeks ago.
  • bobakanush, on 04/26/2008, -8/+1A true master master's his joystick like a fisherman masters' his bait.
  • lotar732, on 04/26/2008, -11/+4I'm fairly sure I will be too busy playing GTA 4 to play anything else.
  • Hax0rJimDuggan, on 04/26/2008, -11/+6Driving over people and picking up hoes > Mario Kart
    • mattvander, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1Dugg for your name.... and blatant GTA awesomeness
  • lovemyRROD, on 04/26/2008, -6/+2online multiplayer is alot better than SSBB... ive been using mario kart challenger to find games with other people online in europe. the site emails your wii whenever someone joins your game room. pretty clever concept..

    http://www.mariokartchallenger.com/index.php?showr ...
  • Alphateam, on 04/26/2008, -7/+2The wiiul is kinda lame. No one who had played it before will use it. My girlfriend never played tried the wheel and thought it was ok. I make her play it with a Gamecube controller her game got MUCH better.

    Also 50% of the levels are re-do's While it is kinda fun playing old track again I think HALF is a little too much.
  • jayhawk, on 04/26/2008, -4/+1hmmm. i pre-ordered this many weeks ago from Buy.com. i didn't know when it came out or not, but i was pleased that it came yesterday. i have been playing it and i think it's great. i'd only played on my kids' DS Lite so having the steering wheel is really nice even though it is kind of small. game looks great on my larger tv as well.

    i guess buy.com messed up now that i see it isn't supposed to be released for a few more days.

    anyone want to play me online the second you get it? that might be my only chance to actually beat someone. ;~)
  • subarusqueege, on 04/26/2008, -2/+5I already played a trial version at best buy.....I think I'll buy 2 copies now
  • Bing11, on 04/26/2008, -5/+18I don't understand how SSBB got SO MUCH HYPE (all of it justified -- I still can't put it down!), while Mario Kart Wii is only finally getting some mention TWO DAYS before it's released. Am I the only one surprised by this?
    • themanmachine, on 04/26/2008, -6/+3I'm not surprised. Mario Kart sucks in comparison.
    • The3rdjj, on 04/26/2008, -1/+3SSBB had a great website with a ton of updates way before launch which I like and that made me and my friends want it more. I didn't see much info on Mario Kart before the release.
    • zongamin, on 04/26/2008, -3/+1You are ignorant
    • wiredDeath, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1They were probably too busy playing it..
  • nephilimx, on 04/26/2008, -3/+22player online makes this a great game, fun with 10 other people
  • tcpip4lyfe, on 04/26/2008, -8/+6I own a wii and I haven't played it in months. Are there any games that are as good as zelda? These kiddie games don't interest me in at all.
    • The3rdjj, on 04/26/2008, -1/+2Resident Evil?
    • porkdanish, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1I thought Zelda was a bit of a "kiddie" game.
      I've been playing Zack & Wiki -- which is marketed as a kiddie game but is really a B+ puzzle game -- as well as Super Mario Galaxy and SSBB with friends (single play is a bit tired). Now that Kart is out, I can't see playing anything but that for the next year.
  • Owwmykneecap, on 04/26/2008, -6/+8What the *****, I give an honest opinion about a game along with the score a very good magazine gave it, in reply to a guy looking for peoples opinions on it.

    And I get dugg down and called a racist because some dumb ***** doesn't know what the word niggling means?

    Sorry I suppose I'm just supposed to go:
    Yay Nintendo, you are always great with out exception!!1!
    • zongamin, on 04/26/2008, -1/+9The fact that you care if your comment gets dugg up or down makes you look like an idiot.
      • Owwmykneecap, on 04/26/2008, -0/+1if a comment is dugg down, it doesn't get seen.

        If it doesn't get seen it's pointless to comment.

        it is not hard to figure that out.
        • djruden, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1But if your comment gets seen, and you look like an idiot, isn't that pointless too? Or did you want to look like an idiot?
  • Velirno, on 04/26/2008, -5/+4I'm just going to skip this and go find double-dash used...
    • PanicAK, on 04/26/2008, -5/+0Double-Dash is absolute *****, the worst in the series by miles, and one of my all time most hated games. It's garbage.
  • Dimbleby, on 04/26/2008, -7/+2Eh....I played this over 2 weeks ago when it came out....played it for an hour with a buddy with beer. Its THE SAME GAME as Mario Kart64...looks a little prettier, no BS doubledash...but other than that.....just another Mario Kart game...../buried
    PROS
    the MultiPlayer IS very cool
    Multiplayer
    CONS:
    hello Mariokart 64?
    There is VERY little new added,
    the tracks are recycled,
    Steering wheel for the Wii? I dont get it.
  • Severys, on 04/26/2008, -3/+2Been playing Mario Kart Wii since it first came out in the UK. One tip, ditch the wheel for the nunchuck, so much more control.
    • dorkdork777, on 04/26/2008, -1/+0Agreed. The wheel is fun for the first few hours, then you just get pissed off with it. WaveBird FTW.
  • bejayel, on 04/26/2008, -4/+2well i gota to say that this is the worst mario kart i have ever played. The battle sucks in comparison. The handling (while only like it is for the purposes of the wii wheel) is stupid. There is no two player GP (WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!). The AI ***** you up while ignoring the rest of the karts. Mario kart 64 was easily MUCH better than this one. 4/10 from me.
  • zetsurin, on 04/27/2008, -6/+1What a joke, this game is like most other Nintendo francises - just rehashed to death and they don't have a reason to change it's flawed mechanics because the fantards keep on buying it. Mario Karts has barely changed since it came out on the NES! Same thing goes for all the DS games (Mario Bros, Mario Karts, etc) that the IDIOTS have been barking about how great they are. You'd get the same thing with an emulator on a GP2X because, again, it hasn't improved since the NES version!
  • heysuburbia, on 04/27/2008, -2/+2Mario Kart Wii Soundtrack (mp3 download)
    http://wiinintendo.net/2008/04/14/mario-kart-wii-s ...

    Watch my 2 hour video of all 32 tracks, direct feed 150cc! + preview/review/impressions:
    http://wiinintendo.net/2008/04/09/2-hours-of-mario ...

    Watch my 20 minute video of WFC and Battle Mode
    http://wiinintendo.net/2008/04/09/2-hours-of-mario ...

    Mario Kart Wii Video Review 1
    http://wiinintendo.net/2008/04/25/game-trailers-ma ...

    Mario Kart Wii Video Review 2
    http://wiinintendo.net/2008/04/21/mario-kart-video ...

    Mario Kart Wii Video Review 3
    http://wiinintendo.net/2008/04/26/review-crew-mari ...

    See 60+ screens on my Flickr Photostream
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/12700890@N06/sets/721 ...

    Metacritic reviews of Mario Kart Wii
    http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/wii/mari ...
  • wiredDeath, on 04/27/2008, -4/+1Rampant fanboyism.
  • terminalpariah, on 04/28/2008, -1/+2Really enjoying it so far. The online is amazing and the wheel isn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. Too bad there weren't more classic tracks - I would have loved Waluigi Pinball and Wario Colosseum in the mix.
  • samuraix98, on 04/28/2008, -3/+1What I don't for the love of me understand is how anyone in their correct gaming mind can find the wii wheel anything at all wonderful, yet alone good, or even Bearable.

    Now i've been karting since the SNES and everyone since then and all I believe is that Nintendo love making terrible plastic crap to force us in to buying the game.
    That doesn’t mean people are buying MKWii for the Wheel. HELL NO. carters love karting for the pure amazment of red shelling some one 5 inches before the end of the race to come in first place and the Wii Wheel will not help games get sold, all of us were going to buy it anyways.

    On the other hand... this game as I recall from the past 14 or so hours of playing it since its release all it has got is a lot more CHEAP.
    Jumping is probably my most favorite part about this new MK, whether it is with a bike or a kart either way it makes the game that much more enjoyable. getting those boosts and drifting seems to be exactly what Nintendo wanted to do and yes you must master both of these to excel anywhere in the MK world.

    I really don't have many gripes about this game, other than the fact that bulling around while driving and halting to a stop isn’t so fun, and that items like the bullet can make or break the race, 9th to 1st and the win its kind of over the top to me. Yes Nintendo has made this for everyone to play and I don’t think people aren’t going to buy it but I do think strongly that the hardcore MK’ers are going to get sick of its sooner than not. But then again there’s multiplayer to hold its own version of the game on which i’ve actually been a little obsessed about.

    Now i'm off to go kick Rainbow Roads ass, and anyone else who races in my way…
    • mrgreen4242, on 04/29/2008, -1/+1I, too, have been playing MK since the SNES. I LOVE the wheel. It's a blast. It's a new skill that makes the game FUN. It's not about drawing the perfect line and getting the fastest time, it's about having a good time. It made a series that was in serious danger of becoming a mediocre rehash of nostalgic gaming FUN again. Anyone who doesn't like it is missing the point.

      I'm loving MKWii, all in all, and the downloadable ghost trial most of all, I think. I love racing someone just a few seconds faster than me trying to hone my skill on a track and one up them. It's a blast, as is the rest of the game, single and multiplayer.
  • xUnknown0, on 04/28/2008, -1/+0I'm not buying the game for the wheel.

    The review was ok...the game is going to rock, I just know it (I don't have the game yet).
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