| Mario Kart (Wii) | 
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| From: Nintendo
Category: Video Games
List Price: £39.99
Buy New: £31.90
You Save: £8.09 (20%)
New (31) Used (2) from £31.90
Avg. Customer Rating:  121 reviews
Sales Rank: 8
Platform: Nintendo Wii
ESRB: Everyone
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
MPN: WI-RVLRRMCE
Model: rvlrrmce
UPC: 045496901004
EAN: 0045496901004
ASIN: B000XJNTNS
Release Date: April 11, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 brilliant!!! April 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
ok im so happy this game is awesome!!! forget the previous 2 efforts this game is the best maybe even topping the classic snes version!Ive had this 2 days now and ive hardly played the main game.Hang on i hear you say if its that good why havent you played it?my answer ive been online! the online facility of this game makes it awesome,Ive played for hours on end against the worlds racers and it works a treat,a stroke of genius for nintendo making this playable online it increases the game 10 fold ,even without that this game is sublime the wheel is so intuitive ,youll be racing like a pro in no time.The game itself is a treat for retro heads with the best courses from all the previous mariokart games on gamecube,Ds,GBA and snes and adding bikes is a stroke of genius ,more players online choose the bikes than the karts as they are much more manoeuvrable.Forget any other game sell your granny and buy this it really is the best 10/10.
2nd Best Entry in the Series - and that's saying a lot April 12, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I've owned - and played to death - every Mario Kart game on the home consoles (SNES, N64 & GameCube) and after 48 hours of playing the Wii version I'm ready to commit and declare it the best since Super Mario Kart (which is probably one of my favourite games of all time).
While the SNES version will be hard to knock off its perch - given how fresh, innovative, fun and almost perfect (machine limitations considered) it was - the Wii incarnation is an absolute triumph. Forget the novelty - the Wii wheel (which works like a dream), the inclusion of bikes etc - this FEELS like Mario Kart should feel (unlike the GameCube version which, very good though it was, just lacked that "X" factor).
For people who haven't grown up with the series it's hard to define exactly what that elusive Mario Kart magic actually is. All I'll say is that you know it when you see (and play) it - and it's here in spades.
The inclusion of (upgraded) tracks from previous versions of the game is a touch of genius - and really takes you back to all the happy, idle hours "wasted" on those ol' gems. It's a lovely touch, a nice link with the past, and just helps contribute to the fabulously fun vibe of the game.
Though you'll play and play and play this (some more) a smile will rarely be off your face. That says it all. It's a game that makers you laugh, makes you nostalgic, makes you cheer etc, etc. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Go out, buy it, and bloody enjoy it.
 Who doesn't love Mario Kart, seriously? April 12, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Overall, a cracking game. It is Mario Kart back on top form. Although I didn't really like Double Dash, this game feels like Double Dash but with all the things that Mario Kart DS a success. It's a great game and if you own a Wii and love Nintendo then get this game. The graphics are also great, supporting 16:9, 480p where possible.
The online modes are quick and easy to set up and are a great addition.
Adding the Mario Kart Channel to your main Wii page is a great touch.
The Wii Wheel is okay. Just okay. Being a veteran of Mario Kart I am more inclined to play with the GameCube controller, although I do like the nunchck/wii-mote set up as well. The wheel does work and is a great peripheral that is well made with the obvious Nintendo quality we all expect. It's a great addition to appeal to the casual gamer and because it comes with the game at no real additional cost it is worth trying out, even if its on your first few goes just to sample it. It often puzzles me after how much time Nintendo spent to try and capture the audience with its motion sensing controls it gives us what we've had for years and years (the GameCube controller) but it only does it in a way to keep all players happy. Smart move by Nintendo.
I highly recommend you buy this game. As a game designer and publisher, Nintendo are always spot on.
 Totally Overhyped April 12, 2008
14 out of 37 found this review helpful
I rarely write reviews for games, but I thought that it would be unjust for so many potential buyers to read such glowing reviews and come to a conclusion based on hype and pre-launch mentality alone.
I'll start by saying that what so often seems to be the case nowadays is that Nintendo's marketing as a "child/party console" has insidiously lowered the threshold with regard to the quality of games, and I really think that is the case here. Nintendo have somehow tricked gamers into giving them license to launch games, which frankly, if released on PS3/ XBOX 360 would be laughed at and criticised, not eulogised for being a "great party game. Please remember, you are paying virtually the same amount as a game on the other consoles, so there really is no excuse for a game which is so technically inferior.
Indeed, this brings me to the graphics. Whilst some may comment that they are among the best on the Wii, that really is not saying a great deal. Whilst playing this game on a 42" Sony Bravia HDTV, the graphics are honestly about the same quality as the Gamecube; to reiterate what I have already said, whilst some may say that graphics are second to gameplay, it seems that Nintendo have relied on this mentality in order to excuse themselves from having to bother develop games to a higher spec, which is a real shame.
The available courses aptly demonstrate this point. Literally 16 out of the 32 courses are cloned from previous incarnations of Mario Kart, and they are appropriately indicative of this fact, with the name of each track relating to the game in which it first appeared. Whilst nostalgia can always make a game more fun, this is taking it to the next level. It seems Nintendo have been far too lazy in bothering to create new, unique tracks, but instead rehash old tracks which many gamers will already have played to death, under the guise of being retro. To be honest, I find this quite appalling; a new game should bring with it new ideas and inspiration, not simply cash in on EXACTLY the same material which has preceded it.
The gameplay itself is also extremely irritating, with the novelty wearing off soon after playing. The developers have modified the availability of items, apparently to try and encourage a more frenetic style of gameplay, but the result is frustration. Unlike Mario Kart 64 for example, in which certain items were significantly rarer than others, now the item one receives almost always dictated by one's current position. As a result, if you are in last place, it is extremely common to receive an item such as "Bullet Bill", which automatically guides you through the course at high speed, or a "Blue shell", which, when launched, is GUARANTEED to hit the person who is currently in pole position (it is literally impossible to dodge, unlike in Mario Kart 64). I cannot overstate this point; I know that Blue Shells in the previous games could always add some element of luck into the race, but they are FAR too common here - getting a good lead in 1st position is never enough to guarantee you will win the match. As a result, gameplay is extremely frustrating if you want to try and win the race, as far too much emphasis is put on randomness/unpredictability. A lot of the time you feel short-changed, for example when you have managed to get past everyone else, right up to the finish line and then..... Blue Shell. It works in reverse too - it makes my blood boil to see a pretty bad player/CPU being catapulted from 12 to 3rd/4th place because of the stupidity of item allocation.
Everyone has also hyped the inclusion of motorbikes and "tricks". Yeah, sure, because they are as revolutionary as real physics in HL2. NO. It adds basically nothing to the gameplay (bikes and karts have exactly the same stats, and there is nothing to differentiate them...), and you can only perform scripted tricks, which are activated by simply pulling back on the Wii controller... nice.
Unsurprisingly, Nintendo has not bothered to include any new modes of gameplay apart from "collect the coins" in Battle mode, which is rudimentary to say the least. Everything else is almost exactly the same.
I find it so disappointing that Nintendo could not be bothered to adapt such a classic game for a new generation. You may argue that they didn't want to tamper with a classic formula - but they did with the allocation of items, and the result is disastrous - so that argument doesn't work. For any prospective buyers of this game, I am not berating it because I dislike the series/Wii etc, but I do think it is important to analyse it more critically than everyone else who seems to think that the expected fun of a game correlates to the actual fun - that is certainly not the case here, and whilst many lovers of the consoles try and make themselves believe that this is the game they wanted it to be, sadly, I think it falls far short of what it could have been if Nintendo bothered putting any effort into it.
essential April 12, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
if u have a wii, then u must get this game. this is the best game i have played on wii, and one of the most addictive games of any of the consoles. i bought this game knowing it would be good, but not this good. it is almsot flawless. the only problem is the size o the wheel. it is a little bit too small. but otherwise this game is absolutley an essential purchase. two player and the wifi connection is so unbelievabley fun.
get it!! infact it is one of the best reason to purchase a wii at all. better than any game i have played this year!!
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