Post by Fryguy64 on Apr 12, 2008 7:48:53 GMT -5
Put your hands up if you can't wait to find out how Mario Kart feels using the Wii Remote and the steering wheel accessory? Looks like it should feel even more authentic than ever before! I was looking forward to that.
But if you want to actually PLAY this game, you're going to want to crack the old Gamecube controllers out. The wheel might be good if you convince your mum to play, but this game is basically Mario Kart: Double Dash 2, and you just can't beat a control pad for getting those boosts.
On top of the new stages and new characters, there are a few other new features in here as well. Driving in another player's slipstream to gain a boost has become a key part of your racing strategy. You can now perform tricks while in the air to gain a boost when you hit the ground, and there are new half-pipe style boosts on some stages where you can get some air on sharp corners. And there's three new items as well. The Thundercloud is basically a game of tag, zapping whoever is holding the cloud after a set period of time. The POW block knocks over anybody in front of you who isn't in the air at the time. And the Mega Mushroom basically allows you to smush anybody in your path.
With all of these new features, who wouldn't be excited right? Well, prepare yourselves for a hair-tearingly frustrating experience. The game has gone so far down the party route, eschewing any concept of skill, that you just want to throw the controller at something. Remember those moments in Double Dash where you'd be hit with a Blue Shell right before the finish line? Well, now (as had happened to me on more than one occasion), you might get hit by a Blue Shell, followed by Lightning, and then why not a Blooper as well. On one stage I was obviously too awesome, as I was hit by no less than 5 items in as many seconds. Oh, and this was on 50cc.
And if you were hoping that your skills with Mario Kart's previous iterations was going to help you, you'll be glad to know that drifting to gain a boost has been totally screwed. You can choose automatic or manual - I choose manual because I'm not a pussy. Wiggling the stick doesn't help much, and the speed a boost charges is dependent on the car you're driving. Oh, and forget trying to powerslide with the steering wheel. What a joke.
Of the new stages, one or two are quite impressive, while a lot of them are almost remakes of familiar stages. Coconut Mall (one of the more impressive stages) is basically Daisy Cruise, DK's Snowboard Cross is DK Mountain from MKDD, there's even a Moo Moo Meadows stage, which is just Moo Moo Farm from MK64, but with cows on the track now.
The "Nitro Cup" returns with a set of classic stages. They have all received a graphical makeover (although the Gamecube ones almost look worse than the originals - which makes me wonder if this was a deliberate ploy to make the Wii stages look more impressive). The SNES stages are great fun, reminiscent of the days when it was more about skill than endless boosts and item-raping the person in first place. The N64 stages are also excellent, and much prettier in most cases. If Mario Kart Wii has taught me anything, it's that I want to see these old games remade properly. None of this stupid extra crap.
Character models are not improved over Double Dash, and a lot of the stages are graphically bland. The music isn't particularly memorable, and the classic stages have their original music (no remixes here!) This isn't pushing the Wii graphically.
I can see it now. Everyone is going to play it and say "Yeah, but it's fun!" - Yes, it is still fun most of the time. It's Mario Kart. But it's sad to watch a cherished series slowly devolve into anarchy, and to not only fail to make any improvements, but to throw in a load of changes that are unnecessarily distracting, frustrating and take away from the challenge and skill. Mario Party is a game where random chance plays a big role - this is Mario Kart though... and winning or losing should not be down to random chance.
But if you want to actually PLAY this game, you're going to want to crack the old Gamecube controllers out. The wheel might be good if you convince your mum to play, but this game is basically Mario Kart: Double Dash 2, and you just can't beat a control pad for getting those boosts.
On top of the new stages and new characters, there are a few other new features in here as well. Driving in another player's slipstream to gain a boost has become a key part of your racing strategy. You can now perform tricks while in the air to gain a boost when you hit the ground, and there are new half-pipe style boosts on some stages where you can get some air on sharp corners. And there's three new items as well. The Thundercloud is basically a game of tag, zapping whoever is holding the cloud after a set period of time. The POW block knocks over anybody in front of you who isn't in the air at the time. And the Mega Mushroom basically allows you to smush anybody in your path.
With all of these new features, who wouldn't be excited right? Well, prepare yourselves for a hair-tearingly frustrating experience. The game has gone so far down the party route, eschewing any concept of skill, that you just want to throw the controller at something. Remember those moments in Double Dash where you'd be hit with a Blue Shell right before the finish line? Well, now (as had happened to me on more than one occasion), you might get hit by a Blue Shell, followed by Lightning, and then why not a Blooper as well. On one stage I was obviously too awesome, as I was hit by no less than 5 items in as many seconds. Oh, and this was on 50cc.
And if you were hoping that your skills with Mario Kart's previous iterations was going to help you, you'll be glad to know that drifting to gain a boost has been totally screwed. You can choose automatic or manual - I choose manual because I'm not a pussy. Wiggling the stick doesn't help much, and the speed a boost charges is dependent on the car you're driving. Oh, and forget trying to powerslide with the steering wheel. What a joke.
Of the new stages, one or two are quite impressive, while a lot of them are almost remakes of familiar stages. Coconut Mall (one of the more impressive stages) is basically Daisy Cruise, DK's Snowboard Cross is DK Mountain from MKDD, there's even a Moo Moo Meadows stage, which is just Moo Moo Farm from MK64, but with cows on the track now.
The "Nitro Cup" returns with a set of classic stages. They have all received a graphical makeover (although the Gamecube ones almost look worse than the originals - which makes me wonder if this was a deliberate ploy to make the Wii stages look more impressive). The SNES stages are great fun, reminiscent of the days when it was more about skill than endless boosts and item-raping the person in first place. The N64 stages are also excellent, and much prettier in most cases. If Mario Kart Wii has taught me anything, it's that I want to see these old games remade properly. None of this stupid extra crap.
Character models are not improved over Double Dash, and a lot of the stages are graphically bland. The music isn't particularly memorable, and the classic stages have their original music (no remixes here!) This isn't pushing the Wii graphically.
I can see it now. Everyone is going to play it and say "Yeah, but it's fun!" - Yes, it is still fun most of the time. It's Mario Kart. But it's sad to watch a cherished series slowly devolve into anarchy, and to not only fail to make any improvements, but to throw in a load of changes that are unnecessarily distracting, frustrating and take away from the challenge and skill. Mario Party is a game where random chance plays a big role - this is Mario Kart though... and winning or losing should not be down to random chance.
