Mario Kart Wii

Konclusion

I actually wasn't sure I could write this review without using the phrase "cluster f***," but with much care I worked through it. The same old routine of being slapped around by the computer is in full force here, and with the added players it's more trouble staying ahead of the fray than ever before. This is likely to make things more fun for new comers, but there's little reward for small advancements in skill.

While the Wii wheel is cute and might be fun for players new to Mario Kart Wii to try out, it wound up being more effectively implemented as a toy for my 18-month-old daughter, and even she has tired of it after realizing it wouldn't make a proper substitute for a hat. Its major failing is in the fact that it is incredibly difficult to master and is quirky compared to using another control scheme. I'm not sure the creators are good with subtlety, and I'm an avid critic of the "let's do it because we can" attitude of most Nintendo Wii games. The fact that an accelerometer and an infrared camera have been built into the console's controller doesn't mean these elements should be exhausted with every new game. The wheel pushes this line.

Not pretty

The interface design is pretty bland, too. I know I'm a girl, but this isn't related to the cliché preferences of the different sexes; it's basic aesthetics and ergonomics. There used to be a little more finesse in the title and option screens, and when a race finished there was an interesting detail or two about how many places you moved with a nice soundtrack or effect here and there. Once upon a time, there was even a speedometer to show how fast you were hitting the tracks. No more. This is a dry game. The frills are completely gone.

Also… the credits suck. There. It has been said. And they are four minutes long, people. Use the plus button to get rid of them (we suffered through too many before we figured that one out, but be warned you can't do it the first time through).

The great frustration in regards to Mario Kart Wii is how much better it could have been with so little extra effort. It's clear the money was spent making it online-compatible; little else is truly new. And even that element was pulled more or less straight from the DS version. Surely the makers intended this game to be a sequel to Mario Kart DS, and not so much a continuation of all things special and dear about the Mario Kart series. The racing itself is fun, but it can be frustrating (if not downright depressing) to play and see how much better the game could have been. Mario Kart lovers, beware. It isn't better than the last one.