Mario Kart Wii

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JaySevenZero
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Mario Kart Wii

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Mario Kart Wii for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.
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Jobobonobo
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Re: 465 - Mario Kart Wii

Post by Jobobonobo »

This was big in my social circle when it hit. Double Dash just did not do it for me so this was a nice return to the long nights of four player races which were punctuated with laughing, swearing and shouts of disbelief. Though there are those who disliked the element of Mario Kart where more skilled players end up with weaker items than those who are losing I think it is a factor that makes races more interesting and ensures that Mario Kart does not become a situation where one Michael Schumacher type is dominating in every race. So new power ups like the Bullet Bill which can race those lagging behind to the front while decimating any rivals can be a godsend to those who might be struggling. In fact, in staying with the casual appeal of the Wii, this entry had a lot of new power ups that helped out the less skilled such as Mega Mushrooms and POW blocks which definitely made matches more dynamic against players and for me, more interesting. However, I do have some small quibbles with this one that I felt were absent from titles like 64 and 8 which are still my favourites in the series. Battle mode now requires you to be on teams of red vs blue, why?! In 64, it was the constant all out mayhem that made that mode so special and the fact that you could not have the option to play it that way is completely baffling to me so my friends and I just never bothered with it. And Coin Battle was just meh, no substitute for what was before. But the actual racing was still a lot of fun thankfully, ensuring it stayed in rotation for our big multiplayer nights for a long time to come.

Another major gripe is that this game came with the most useless peripheral I have ever seen in games history, a plastic wheel shell that is simply aesthetic and in my view, is prime landfill material. Just a useless piece of plastic that ends up taking space. Whatever happened to good old imagination while playing the Wii Remote sideways? But I digress; on the whole Mario Kart Wii is definitely a worthwhile addition to the Wii’s library and while not at the tippy top of the pile for me when it comes to ranking which Mario Kart is best, it is a nice solid title that I would definitely recommend for an evening with friends.

Three Word Review: DK sounds weird
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The J-Boog
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Re: 465 - Mario Kart Wii

Post by The J-Boog »

While many thought MKW was a downgrade after Double Dash, it is still one of my favourites in the series, and definitely the one I played the most. And because of its intuitive motion controls it was a great game to play with basically everyone, although these days I definitely prefer the thumbstick. And yes, the Wii Wheel is basically useless, but in those days me and my friends wouldn't want to play without it.

Almost every track is a classic in my eyes and Wii's Rainbow Road is still my favorite of the series. It's a shame that the Mega Mushroom is no longer part of the power up lineup, really liked that one. The addition of bikes really spiced things up, although the Nostalgia 1 remains my go to vehicle to this day.

Three word review: amazingly memorable (sound)tracks
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seansthomas
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Re: 465 - Mario Kart Wii

Post by seansthomas »

As a balanced game or single player experience, I can tell Mario Kart Wii is a bit of a hot mess. Especially after putting dozens of hours into Mario Kart 8. But as the first ever Mario Kart game I owned, it has a huge soft spot in my life.

The Wii was my first proper Nintendo console, and many of my friends first and last. I recall split screen mode being played regularly post pub, including the morning of my best mate's wedding alongside his fiancée's father. It was a game my wife and I enjoyed together, a rare occurrence that happens once a decade.

And I have very happy memories of regular Sunday night online multiplayer sessions with 8 or so friends who have never gamed much since, or indeed before, they bought this.

So it's very much a product of its time. An encapsulation of the moment the Wii became a global phenomenon and made non-gamers take interest in a past time we love. I admit to cursing under my breath when I got blue shelled yet again and losing to someone who'd barely been on the track for half the race, but I was experiencing my hobby with people I hold dear for once, rather than locked away on my own. So I kept quiet, and didn't bemoan the rubber banding or pandering to the 'casual gamer'. I was too busy enjoying seeing the joy it brought us all.

Many of those friends and family have likely never played a game since, but there's a handful from that era I still play with now. And I suspect if you look back to the catalyst for our GTAV sessions and Mario Kart 8 races, this is it.

I haven't touched it since, and that plastic steering wheel shell long got given to a local charity shop, but it will always remind me of a happy moment in gaming where the playing field was levelled and fun was the winner.
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MLPLiam96
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Re: Our next podcast recording (17.4.21): 465 - Mario Kart Wii

Post by MLPLiam96 »

Mario Kart Wii was probably my most played game on the console behind Super Mario Galaxy, I’d mainly play it when I had friends over which was most days after school, 2-3 of us would whip out our Wii Wheels for a few races.

I remember getting a lot of enjoyment as a kid out of this game even if the single player aspect was unfair with the rubber banding and excessive amount of blue shells, and don’t get me started on the motion controls! I don’t think I’d ever revisit Mario kart Wii again having 8 on my switch but I’ll always have fond memories of this game despite its flaws
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Jobobonobo
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Re: Mario Kart Wii

Post by Jobobonobo »

Just listened to this recently and I was surprised no one on the show notices Donkey Kong's weird new Scooby Doo voice. Is it just me who thinks it does not suit the character at all? Seriously, prefer the DK64 voice to what he sounded like in this. Also, Diddy Kong is Poochie?! That is way too harsh on the poor fella. The only really overly 90s thing he ever did was whipping out the ghetto blaster after finishing a level in DKC2. It was a different time, Diddy does not deserve to be stamped with the label of Poochie. Now I really wanted Darren to have been on the show just to hear how he would react to that slander!

So yeah, pretty fun episode overall lads!
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Mario Kart Wii

Post by ratsoalbion »

Poochie Kong mate. Deal with it.
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Jobobonobo
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Re: Mario Kart Wii

Post by Jobobonobo »

OK, can we at least agree Diddy is better than Kiddy Kong? DKC3 is a good game in spite of that ugly little bugger.
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Michiel K
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Re: Mario Kart Wii

Post by Michiel K »

Leave Kiddy Kong alone! Big babies!
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