Mario Kart on Wii: What To Expect

A detailed analysis of what Nintendo needs to do in order for Mario Kart to succeed on Nintendo Wii.

1. Change the way we think about the karts
2. Change the way we think of Mario Kart courses
3. Nintendo only characters
4. Expand online play to eight players
5. Use the Wii controller to the maximum

[wakkiwakko]

1. It’s nice, but then wouldn’t you just become focused on filling that bar up? And what if someone were to attack you? Wouldn’t you get angry that you lost the race because you lost your chance at your unique bonus? The game has item boxes. The game has ghosts. It would just get bothersome getting a box then tossing the special item you got just so you can use your special ability. It’s cool probably for bonus stages, but not racing/battle. The idea of battle is to get item boxes and battle. If you can refuel your special ability then you could just drive around in a circle, not get hit, and then use your whatever. There’s no fun in that. It’s a fun concept. But not for Mario Kart.

2. Clipping. You destroy enough of the level you’ll be falling through the void and land on an inevitable game crash. Destructible environments are lame. They’re good in first person shooters, action adventures, but racing? Come on. Destroy enough of the road and you can’t continue with the race because there’s no way, no how you can jump over the Grand Canyon. Destructible switches that allow you to switch special events in the game is a good idea. Allowing you to get a shortcut by crashing/destroying a lever that opens the castle doors. Something simple like that. Destructible environments will just ruin the feel of the game and you won’t really have fun doing so because half the time, honestly, you’ll be falling into your own sand trap.

3. I like this idea. Sticking only to Nintendo characters. But it can get bored. Downloadable characters? Yes. Create your own course? Yes. Create your own Kart? Yes. Upload your creation to a Nintendo sanctioned server and let the world marvel at your talents? Yes!

4. Awful idea. I do like the lobby feel of online gaming, but sometimes things happen in lobbies that you can’t control. You could end up with people you don’t really want. A Universal FriendCode is good enough. You play with the people you want to play. You can still have random challenges with random strangers and no angry parents sending letters to Nintendo depicting how their child was abducted, later molested, after infuriating a crazy pedophile in a game lobby.

5. Seems fine. It’s just that the control would be ruined on the second circuit. In battle mode, tilting would be ok (would add to the challenge), but in race mode when accurate turns are crucial you just can’t have the remote sideways and expect it to work all the time. A lot is put into the gyro. You’d have to keep leveling the controller. It just wouldn’t be as fun. It would become a stressful, racing sim. And Mario Kart never had the physics to challenge a racing sim so why give it a feel of being one?

Steering wheels bounce back to middle so it resets its level, but your hands don’t bounce back to level the wiimote. There’s a reason why Mario Kart can’t really be enjoyed with a steering wheel and that’s Mario Kart isn’t a race sim. It’s an arcade game. It’s a simple arcade game that takes time to finish due to its deep levels of difficulty. Using the gyro will just make it impossible to go pass 50cc.

I just can't believe that people would write something like this. It’s like they don’t want Mario Kart, they want a different game that just looks/plays like Mario Kart. Go play Diddi Kong Racing.

Mario Kart is meant to be fun, enjoyable and simple. Nothing fancy!

When Mario Kart makes its way to the Wii you’ll have your Nintendo characters. You’ll have your specials in boxes. But don’t expect it to be a totally different game. It will be the same game you fell in love with back in snes. Expect a Mario Kart game the way a Mario Kart game was meant to be played.

Wii is capable of a lot, but Nintendo isn’t capable of just throwing away a winning (perfect) game play mechanic.

Shame there isn’t a reply on that site (well I couldn’t find one). It would just love to yell at that lunatic. I bet he wants Metroid Prime to be more like Half Life. Set in real life environment with monsters roaming around with semi realistic physics and the only thing that will have the metroid prime feel in the game would be that Gordon Freeman can turn to a ball to escape the ravaging aliens.

[Ken Kutaragi]

Ya the game is going to be very good. Im thinking of having another kart racing title coming too.

[wakkiwakko]

Just make sure it ain't just full of graphics! Add some gameplay to it ;)