Finally: A multiplayer Nintendo Game!
So last weekend my good buddy Tamer came down to visit and this visit happened to coincide exactly with my copy of Mario Kart Wii arriving through the post. I got a couple of shots in before he got here just to check out what was new with the latest incarnation and I have to say my initial reaction was a little subdued.
On first impression the game didn’t seem to be radically different from the Gamecube’s MK: Double Dash. The multiplayer modes have also been changed from a straight up free for all to a team based affair, robbing me of what has traditionally been my favourite gameplay mode. It isn’t entirely negative however; the game has been considerably polished since the Gamecube version and has been noticeably increased in scale. There are more tracks, including a host of retro tracks from the previous versions, more cups in the single player grand prix mode, a huge choice of karts, bikes and characters to choose from as well as heaps more to unlock and the addition of tricks and a slightly tweaking drift and boost system. The single biggest improvement though, turning what might have been a fairly average sequel into a truly fantastic one, is the addition of online content and multiplayer play. Besides being able to download time trial ghost times from the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and compare your records with others online you can also enter into competitions and best of all; Play Mario Kart ONLINE!
Online play is where Mario Kart Wii really shines - it’s always been a great multiplayer party game and with each incarnation the racing aspect of multiplayer has become better and better. Tamer and I had a few shots of the multiplayer which was fine but it wasn’t until we loaded up the wireless mode that the game really came to life. The way it works is fast and simple - it looks for people around your rating and then organises you into a group of up to 12 and then allows you to vote for which circuit you want. Obviously you can play wireless on your own but you can also play with a guest, which is what we did. While the battle mode is fun - it’s nothing on the racing. We spent the entire afternoon and a large portion of the evening racing online, hi-fiving, whooping and immensely enjoying beating down fiery Spaniards Pedro and Ramon and challenging the technical efficiency of German Karters like Hans and Speigel. When we did finally go out that evening for some drinks we came back early specifically to get in more drunken Mario Kart fun. Although the alcohol did severely impact on our driving skills it should be said.
Anyway overall verdict is a huge win - I’ve been waiting a long time for Nintendo to make a great multiplayer experience and in Mario Kart Wii they seem to have gotten the mixture right - I only hope that unlike other versions of Mario Kart this is the first one which will receive a sequel on the same hardware as the multiplayer experience can only get better as the Wii progresses.
