Buzzin Games

The 11th of April is a very big day for Nintendo. Finally a favourite karting series makes it’s UK release on the Wii. When Nintendo announced that they were going to bring out Mario Kart Wii, some people had their doubts. Would they lose the Nintendo touch? Would they lose the karting touch? But, most importantly, would they lose the Mario touch? Thankfully, the answer is no. Just as the Official Nintendo Magazine said when scoring it an outstanding 94%, ’That familiar, addictive Mario Kart gameplay is still there, only now it’s even better,’ and, the truth is, they’re right. Mario Kart Wii is going to be a huge success.

You will be spoilt for choice on the character selection screen. Baby Mario and Luigi make their second appearance in a Mario Kart series, and it’s third time lucky for Daisy, after already appearing in Mario Kart DS and Double Dash. In Mario Kart Wii, Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, Toad and Yoshi maintain their record of appearing in every single Mario Kart game to date. But, the thing that every is excited about is the new characters, and so you should be. Baby Peach and Boo will be making their first appearances in the Mario Kart series, along with the Miis, who will also be spectators, watching you from the side of the courses. Trust us, this game will be packed with characters, from good old fashioned players to all the fresh, new characters.

Mario Kart Wii will also offer a range of different karts and even motorbikes to chose from. Depending on the weight class, the players will have different karts, for example, there will be pram like cars for all the babies and Toad, and big, muscle like-karts for people like Wario. Despite doubts, the motorbikes have actually turned out to be a huge success, (in fact, most people like them better than karts anyway.) Although the official names of the vehicles has not yet been revealed, various sources have revealed that the Wario Bike from the WarioWare series will be used.

In the game, there are 12 players in a race, instead of the usual 8, its great because it gives you a greater will to win.

The game is guaranteed to have at least 32 tracks, 16 new ones and 16 classic ones. The new ones will include Coconut Mall (where you race around a shopping mall), and Wario gold mine. The classic N64 tracks will however be upgraded, so they will look fresh and new. At the start of the game however, you will only have 8 new tracks and 8 old, as the rest must be unlocked.

There are also some new items introduced in Mario Kart Wii. The mega mushroom will appear in the game, and I’m sure all of you who have played New Super Mario Bros. will know that a mega mushroom allows you to grow to giant size, and that is exactly what it will do in Mario Kart Wii. Also, the Virtual Console hit Super Mario Bros. 3 boasts a ‘POW’ block. This will also appear in the game.

I, like many, have decided to save the best till last, and will now give you the two biggest things towards Mario Kart Wii. Starting with the wheel. The wheel will come bundled with the game and will be easy to use. The Wii remote will slot comfortably into the front of the wheel. You will easily be able to access the wrist strap, and there will be two buttons on the back for gear changes and using items. It will also allow you to pull off tricks when you jump.
The other thing is that Mario Kart Wii will actually have it’s own Wii channel. The channel will allow you to check regional and worldwide records, and download ghost and timetrail data,
so you will be able to challange yourself against some of the best in the world!

I give Mario Kart Wii four out of five stars. It has plenty of choice, it’s fun, and has loads of online options. It is the complete racing game. Essential.