Mario Kart Wii

Feb 19, 2008

Mario Kart Wii is one of Nintendo's crown jewels for 2008. Sure, Super Smash Bros. Brawl will likely trigger even higher demand for a console that's still damn near impossible to find, but it's not hard to imagine that MK Wii shooting it to downright stratospheric levels. Nintendo says that MK is slated for a spring release. Whether that's mid or late spring remains to be seen, but our demo last week at Nintendo already has some of us saying, "Smash what?"

Mario Kart Wii looks poised to capitalize not only on the legacy of its predecessors, but also upon the technology of Nintendo's latest hardware. Of course, this means fluid visuals that improve on the likes of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and implementation of the online multiplayer that Mario Kart DS introduced two years ago. It also means a dramatic change to gameplay, as motorbikes now join go-karts on the racetracks of the Mushroom Kingdom. It seems, based on its responses to quite a few of our hopeful questions, that Nintendo is taking great strides to produce a Mario Kart experience that lives up to the lofty expectations of fans worldwide.

For example, the online multiplayer? It's supports twelve players at once over global servers. You'll even be able to support two players on one system via split-screen as both of you compete with others around the world. Leaderboards? Nintendo is implementing a "Mario Kart Channel" within the game that shows you friends and worldwide rankings, lets you upload and download ghost data, and take part in tournaments which offer challenges such as "run over 'X' number of Goombas in three minutes." Mii integration? You'll be able to race as yourself once you've made your way through most of the circuits. Combating those snakers that broke Mario Kart DS online? The levels are designed to make the powersliding exploit very disadvantageous, due to the number of straightaways and the presence of bikes.

And control schemes? The controls are exceptionally versatile. Whether it's the Wii Wheel or even the good ol' GameCube controller, MK Wii is taking the same route as SSBB in regard to flexibility and gameplay options. The wheel is packaged with the game, but there are four other ways to control the action. If you can't get a second wheel, you can simply use your Remote a la Excite Truck, use the Remote/nunchuk combo, plug in a Classic Controller, or use your GameCube controllers. We tried out each control scheme except the Classic Controller, and every one of them worked well.

With the Wii Wheel (or just the Remote, since it snaps into the wheel), you'll maneuver your kart as though you were truly driving it. It's a little difficult to get the hang of at first; we held the wheel too close and had a tough time steering until we locked our elbows outward. You'll hit the gas with the 2 button, brake with 1, and powerslide with B. Your items will be mapped to the d-pad. The speaker in the Remote also serves to both warn you of threats and signal that you've pulled off a big move.

The Remote and nunchuk combo uses A for gas, B to brake, and Z for items. More than any other control scheme, the Remote and nunchuk feels like a wedding of the wildly innovative Wii gameplay mechanics with traditional stick-based Mario Kart controls. Out of the five ways to play, we loved it the most. The GameCube controller feels a lot like MK:DD, which shouldn't come as much surprise.

There'll also be a lot of customization options to tweak before you jump into a multiplayer game, whether it's with four friends via split-screen or against eleven other people over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Before starting the race you can set vehicle restrictions, whether or not you want CPU characters (and if so, how tough you want them), how much you want to restrict power-ups and other items, and so on.

Bikes are the element that most distinctively help MK stand out from its predecessors. They've got their own course class, the 100cc, and their own gameplay dynamics. Since you'll be able to hit wheelies on the bikes, you'll potentially have a more dynamic driving experience than in a kart. On the other hand, you'll be more fragile than a kart, and can lose battles against them more easily if you race in the 150cc circuits, which allow all vehicle types. MK introduces a trick-based system for both vehicle classes. When you hit ramps within each course, you'll be able to hit a button or gesture in mid-air (depending on your choice of controls) and upon landing get a speed boost.

For the number-crunchers out there, Nintendo has also confirmed that twelve characters will be available at the beginning of the game, with more unlockable. Trackwise, you're looking at thirty-two courses. You'll have sixteen brand-new tracks and sixteen classics that range from the first SNES title to Mario Kart DS. Among the classic levels we played were Ghost Valley 2 from SNES and Wario's Gold Mine from MK:DD. DK Summit, one of the new courses, is a snow-capped mountaintop that feels like a remixed version of MK:DD's DK Mountain. It's got a halfpipe with plenty of ramps for stunts and trickery.

No Mario Kart game is complete without plenty of items to give you an advantage against your opponents. MK Wii is no exception. All of your favorites are back. We noticed that Bullet Bill, one of our fave power-ups, now has some tweaks. You'll cause more havoc and devastation as you rip through waves of competitors, but it's all CPU-controlled, so you'll have to be careful about when you unleash it lest you regain control of your kart just as it ends up careening over a cliff.

There'll be three new power-ups as well. The POW item looks like the old POW box from the original Mario Bros., and as in that arcade classic it causes havoc on the stage. If you're in, say, fifth place, the POW will cause every car that's ahead of you to spin out and lose control. The Lightning Cloud is even more devastating; it's like a mixture of the Golden Mushroom and "hot potato." You'll get huge boosts of speed for a limited time, but as the clock ticks, you run the risk of being hit by lightning, which shrinks your kart. Fortunately (for you, not your fellow racers), you can pass the Lightning Cloud around to other people when you bump into them and leave someone else to deal with the consequences. Finally, there's the Giant Mushroom, which, just like in New Super Mario Bros., allows you to super-size yourself and leave a trail of turmoil in your wake.

From the build we played, it seems that Mario Kart Wii is even farther along than we thought. Nintendo says that it's coming in spring, and we certainly believe it now that we've sampled it. It looks like Nintendo's combining enough new gameplay elements to make it feel fresh while retaining the classic feel of the series. Beyond the new control schemes, the addition of motorbikes will have a profound effect on how people play. Hopefully the online play will function as well as Mario Kart DS' did, minus the cheating and exploits. Needless to say, spring can't come soon enough.