Wii
Mario Kart Wii
| Graphics: Sound: Gameplay: Overall: |
8.22 9.17 9.22 9.22 |
| Votes: | 18 |
| Reviews: | 1 |
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| Reviewer: Lucinnia | Date: Mar 6, 2023 |
| As a Mario Fanatic, my opinion in this game is slightly biased. I will try to keep my bias out of this review to keep things fair.
To start things off, let's talk about the game's origin. Mario Kart Wii was released in the early 2000s and was a launch title for the Nintendo Wii. It boasts an incredible roster of Characters from the Mario franchise, and a great selection of courses to play on. While nowadays this track selection is redundant due to mods, we will only focus on the original character and track selection. I see modding as a tool to customize the game, and as such, will give an unfair advantage when it comes to experiences to the game. Graphics: 9 Mario Kart Wii, for a game released in 2008, still has impeccable graphics. To this day, it looks very modern and holds up very well when compared to other games in the series, particularly 8. It is however very obvious that they did have to make some cut backs when it comes to graphical fidelity, as upon closer inspection, the characters in particular have a bit of a low-poly vibe to them. However, the characters have been designed in such a way that its only really visible on the parts that aren't very visible in normal gameplay. The tracks look great as well, with all of them having a very distinct theme to them making each race feel like they have a different atmosphere. The way the courses are designed is interesting. While 16 of the courses included in the base game are tracks from previous entries in the series, reimagined to work better with the new control scheme and physics, I must argue that the visual upgrade was well worth it. Some might argue that it takes away from the original charm these courses had, and while that might be true, it is a necessary upgrade nonetheless. Sound: 9 Audio in this game is another point where I have to say it has aged very well. The game boasts a variety of different songs and sound-effects, all tying in to the same vibe of a cheerful, but exciting racing game. Unlocking a new character for instance plays a fanfare that makes you feel like you've achieved something, but there's much more to strive for. My only gripe with this is that when the entire character roster is unlocked it doesn't play a different chime, instigating the feel of having achieved all there is. This can also be seen as a good thing though as players will keep trying harder and harder to achieve greater things, all because of a very reassuring jingle. The music in this game is also very well done. I must give a shout out to the composer of the music for this game, as they managed to make a sound track that will stay in the memories of its players for a good while. I mean, who could forget the Coconut Mall theme? Gameplay: 8 Gameplay is in a bit of another boat. I would honestly give gameplay a 10, but I would be lying if I didn't mention the skill cap... or rather the lack thereof in this particular entry. For instance, while in a casual playthrough this isn't particularly noticeable, the more intermediate players might find the physics to be slightly "janky". Some courses would be very bumpy and others a bit too smooth. Some ramps might send you flight way into the sky at one times, and others you might get no airtime at all. And the vehicle balancing is completely thrown in the wind. For a game dedicated to Karting, you see a lot of players using the bikes. Particularly those that use "inside drift". The most used combo for instance, Funky Kong on Bowser bike, is so broken, it holds almost all the world records on Mario Kart Wii Time Trialing. If you pick a kart you are essentially a loser from the get-go, which is a bit of a shame. Truly kudos to those who I see online nowadays who have the balls to play on a kart. Overall: 9 Balancing issues aside, this game is a very strong entry in the series and I absolutely must recommend it for anyone interested in the franchise. I have spent many hours in the game and its modding community adds virtually infinite replayability. It is a diamond in the rough but still is clearly a diamond. My closing thought: I absolutely love this game. It is without a doubt my all-time favorite game and I will try to fight anyone who says otherwise. Mario kart Wii will forever be the best experience I've had with the series cuz once you get used to the inside drifting, anything else would just be hard to control. And thus, everything is in balance. |
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