To call Mario Kart Wii a disappointment would be a massive understatement. The game is a downright disaster in the most meaningful ways. The laziness in its production are extremely apparent. Unfortunately, despite the overall failure of this Mario Kart title, the audience it's aimed at isn't discerning enough to know when they're being had. It is going to sell well and be immensely popular with the Nintendo fanbase. It's a Wii game, and it's Mario Kart. That's enough for most people, but the facts must be spoken.
What does the game do right? Actually, there are some nice improvements that make the downsides so much more unbearable. For example, a newly integrated trick system creates a way to boost your speed even better. It becomes a good part of your races as you pull off all kinds of jumps and speed boosts. Especially when controlled with the remote and nunchuk combo, the game actually controls rather well.
Another thing done right is that the game works well with the Wii's online capabilities and channel system. Setting up an actual online profile and getting to see others' is a great thing, and online stat tracking is fantastic. It's odd that such things did not appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Also, it bears mentioning that there is no lag at all to speak of in the online modes, at least in my experience. It's a step in the right direction for Nintendo's online setup, though at this point it would be nice to see a universal profile system like Xbox Live and PSN offer.
However, it is the underlying package and gameplay that suffers. The local multiplayer has been stripped down to bare bones now. Battle mode can only be played on teams in short intervals, and the VS racing matches are always in 100cc, and end after a preset number of matches. There is no opportunity for different modes, LAN play (like in Double Dash) is completely missing, the framerate is cut in half during splitscreen, Gran Prix can only be played single player...the whole game is a massive step backwards from both the DS and GCN games before it. And the worst part is it all seems deliberate.
It also bears mentioning that the items are worse this time around, and there are no tweaking options at all. The infernal blue shell is joined by several other incredibly cheap, undodgeable items - the POW block, the lightning cloud, and many others. There seem to be even more occasions when cheap losses happen from random idiotic items hitting you. Just try completing Rainbow Road without being hit off the edge at least once when playing against computer players. It's nearly impossible, at least every time I've played it. (And hey, I'm pretty darn good at the DS, GameCube, and SNES games, so don't even start with me.) Lastly, the packed in wheel peripheral is extremely pointless. The steering with that control scheme is far too floaty and hard to manage to be reliable or even fun, unless you're two.
Combine that with the lame, cheap AI, overly wide level designs (why do we need 12 racers now? Is that evolution? No...), slower speeds, and many other flaws, and you have yourself the worst Mario Kart since the N64 days. It's pathetic. Super Mario Galaxy was a sign that Nintendo can do right by it's ambiguous system. This game is proof that they're totally willing to just shell out garbage if they know it'll sell. Don't buy it, please. I know you will, but...please don't.
