Friday, May 30, 2008
I know I haven't been on GameSpot much, so I don't know if anyone will read this.
About two weeks ago I purchased Mario Kart Wii. Before I bought it, I had already read various previews and reviews, so I knew there were really no new features (except bikes) and a few things removed for better or worse. In that sense, I can't really call it a disappointment because it was exactly what I was expecting, if not a little better. Even still, it's another case of Smash Brothers in that it really isn't anything new; it's hard not to think about what this series could potentially be.
However, this may be easier to overlook than it was for Smash for one very important reason: the last Mario Kart game I played was MK64 almost 7 years ago, whereas I've religiously played Smash. The reason is because I've never really been big on Mario Kart, but for some reason there's something about Mario Kart Wii that draws me to it (and no, it isn't that stupid wheel).
Something else also became instantly obvious: I suck at Mario Kart! I could barely get through the 50cc races! It's starting to come back to me now, but I've still got some time before I'd consider myself a competent player. Also, my usual character, Toad, doesn't seem as viable as he was in Mario Kart 64, so I will have to find a different character as my best.
There are an awful lot of courses from old games but this doesn't bother me too much; since I never played Double Dash or DS half of the classic tracks are new to me anyway. The SNES and GBA courses are incredibly boring and shouldn't have been included, but the N64 courses have never looked better. The game needed to have a larger number of tracks though; most of them don't even take more than a minute to complete a lap, and the longest course is actually N64 Bowser''s Castle.
Speaking of looks, the graphics in this game needed more polish. For the most part, the courses look good and have some nice little details about them, but the character models are terrible. They have really low polygon counts, and most characters don't even have fingers. They all look like they're made of Plasticine, even Donkey Kong, who should be furry. I haven't seen graphics like this since the N64 days, where they would use shiny effects to try and cover up jagged edges. The special effects are also bland and need more variety. After Mario Galaxy and SSBBrawl, I expected better... heck, even SSBMelee had better character models!
The bikes are an interesting inclusion, but they don't seem balanced with the karts; the two should be kept separate because bikers have an advantage. It almost seems like Nintendo wanted to make another Mario Excitebike game, but then were like "Screw it! Just make it Mario Kart!" I'll stick with the karts, thank you.
The few new items are all powerful ones, so how about adding some more defensive items? I'm tired of hearing the warning siren of POW blocks, Bullet Bills, and blue shells when I have no real way of avoiding them. Speaking of the blue shell, it is incredibly pointless; if you're in 12th, how does hitting the first place guy help you? At least in MK64, the blue shell traveled along the ground and could hit other players on its way to 1st. I must admit though, I have been enjoying the Super Mashroom... nothing beats plowing through the competition with a gigantic Luigi! By the way, I'm going by Mario Kart 64 when I say new items; what were the new items for Double Dash and DS?
The online mode works better than Smash's online which makes it more enjoyable, although little attention was paid to the local multiplayer. The framerate is cut in half and the overall graphical quality is downgraded a little, the free-for-all battle mode was axed, and there just aren't enough options to customize the races. It is also strange that, in a multiplayer-focused game, you can unlock features only by playing through the one-player mode.
All in all, while it's frustrating to see little evolution in this installment, it still feels fresh due to my lack of Mario Kart experience. There's also just something inherently enjoyable about the game, I can't quite figure out what it is...
If anyone who happens to be reading this would like to play online, my code is:
1118-1159-8102
-Mop_it_up
About two weeks ago I purchased Mario Kart Wii. Before I bought it, I had already read various previews and reviews, so I knew there were really no new features (except bikes) and a few things removed for better or worse. In that sense, I can't really call it a disappointment because it was exactly what I was expecting, if not a little better. Even still, it's another case of Smash Brothers in that it really isn't anything new; it's hard not to think about what this series could potentially be.
However, this may be easier to overlook than it was for Smash for one very important reason: the last Mario Kart game I played was MK64 almost 7 years ago, whereas I've religiously played Smash. The reason is because I've never really been big on Mario Kart, but for some reason there's something about Mario Kart Wii that draws me to it (and no, it isn't that stupid wheel).
Something else also became instantly obvious: I suck at Mario Kart! I could barely get through the 50cc races! It's starting to come back to me now, but I've still got some time before I'd consider myself a competent player. Also, my usual character, Toad, doesn't seem as viable as he was in Mario Kart 64, so I will have to find a different character as my best.
There are an awful lot of courses from old games but this doesn't bother me too much; since I never played Double Dash or DS half of the classic tracks are new to me anyway. The SNES and GBA courses are incredibly boring and shouldn't have been included, but the N64 courses have never looked better. The game needed to have a larger number of tracks though; most of them don't even take more than a minute to complete a lap, and the longest course is actually N64 Bowser''s Castle.
Speaking of looks, the graphics in this game needed more polish. For the most part, the courses look good and have some nice little details about them, but the character models are terrible. They have really low polygon counts, and most characters don't even have fingers. They all look like they're made of Plasticine, even Donkey Kong, who should be furry. I haven't seen graphics like this since the N64 days, where they would use shiny effects to try and cover up jagged edges. The special effects are also bland and need more variety. After Mario Galaxy and SSBBrawl, I expected better... heck, even SSBMelee had better character models!
The bikes are an interesting inclusion, but they don't seem balanced with the karts; the two should be kept separate because bikers have an advantage. It almost seems like Nintendo wanted to make another Mario Excitebike game, but then were like "Screw it! Just make it Mario Kart!" I'll stick with the karts, thank you.
The few new items are all powerful ones, so how about adding some more defensive items? I'm tired of hearing the warning siren of POW blocks, Bullet Bills, and blue shells when I have no real way of avoiding them. Speaking of the blue shell, it is incredibly pointless; if you're in 12th, how does hitting the first place guy help you? At least in MK64, the blue shell traveled along the ground and could hit other players on its way to 1st. I must admit though, I have been enjoying the Super Mashroom... nothing beats plowing through the competition with a gigantic Luigi! By the way, I'm going by Mario Kart 64 when I say new items; what were the new items for Double Dash and DS?
The online mode works better than Smash's online which makes it more enjoyable, although little attention was paid to the local multiplayer. The framerate is cut in half and the overall graphical quality is downgraded a little, the free-for-all battle mode was axed, and there just aren't enough options to customize the races. It is also strange that, in a multiplayer-focused game, you can unlock features only by playing through the one-player mode.
All in all, while it's frustrating to see little evolution in this installment, it still feels fresh due to my lack of Mario Kart experience. There's also just something inherently enjoyable about the game, I can't quite figure out what it is...
If anyone who happens to be reading this would like to play online, my code is:
1118-1159-8102
-Mop_it_up
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Posted Jun 2, 2008 12:34 pm PT
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