Boredom-Fueled Blog » Wi-Fi

Mario Kart Wii First Impressions

jacob — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:28:50 +0000

So, I just got Mario Kart Wii in the mail a couple hours ago. I played it for one hour and eleven minutes. Here are my first impressions.
Nintendo seems so darn proud of their precious Wii Wheel so I thought I’d give it a try even after reading review after review that bashes it. Those reviews were right. I was hoping it’d be more like that Rad Racer wheel from way back when, but it’s too light. It needs to be weighed down some how. I moved on to the Wii-Mote/Nunchuk which I knew was a sure thing.
I played a grand prix with a kart as Mario. I played another in a kart as Toad. I played another on a bike as Peach. I definitely prefer the bikes.
There are definitely some stages that I love and some that I hate. DK Summit is bad; half of the time I’m lost sloshing through a snowy area. I really like the recreations of past games especially the ones from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64.
I was beginning to tire of the grand prix mode and I feared I had wasted 50 bucks. Then I started up Nintendo WFC and remembered why I spent the 50 bucks in the first place. I don’t get out much and the most social contact I get is through Nintendo Wi-Fi, whether that’s in Guitar Hero, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, or Mario Kart Wii. I’ll admit, for my first two races I pretty much humiliated myself, but after much work, I won the last race.

Brawl Schedule

jacob — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 21:39:32 +0000

This is my extensive schedule for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I will miss one meal and lose at least five hours of sleep.
- Play one Vs. match with each character just to get acquainted with the new gameplay.
- Play one more match by clicking the Character Randomizer. After this, my 22nd match, I will have earned Luigi, Marth, and Ness. (Man, hidden characters are easy to get this time.)
- Play three more matches with Luigi, Marth, and Ness.
- Play classic mode as Link, thus earning Toon Link.
- Play classic mode as Meta Knight, thus earning Jigglypuff.
- Play four vs. matches as Peach and earn Super Mario Bros. 2, Virtual Console demo.
- Complete five target tests with any character to earn Lucario.
- Play 15 Matches on Shadow Moses Island alternating between the three new characters I’m most curious about: Diddy Kong, Pokemon Trainer, and Pit. Now I shall have Snake. (I’m now at 44 vs. matches total.)
- Now the Stage Builder fun begins! Build 15 Stages thus earning “Edit Parts B and C”.
- Play 10 vs. Matches on those Custom Stages thus earning “Edit Part A.”
- Play 10 matches on the different returning Melee stages.
- I’m now ready for online play! My first online match will be with the Classic Controller. My first character will be Mario.
- Play several dozen more online matches.
- Start the Subspace Emissary. Once I beat it, I’ll have earned Sonic.
- Pass out from sheer excitement and lack of sleep.

Mario Kart Wii News

jacob — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:27:50 +0000

I’ve been focusing a lot on Brawl on this site, but I think I should maybe talk about the other game I’m really looking forward to: Mario Kart Wii. I’ve done my homework and I have some news.
- Miis are playable drivers that you can upload from the Mii Channel. This is good news. (I wanted them to be in Brawl, but this isn’t about Brawl. It’s about the poor, over-looked Mario Kart Wii.) Miis need to be in more compilation games, like a certain upcoming brawling game that shall go nameless. They’ve been in plenty of games, more than Pikmin & Olimar, but that’s a bit off topic, right?
- The Gamecube controller may or may not be an optional controller. Seems like a rip-off to me. When they first announced this game they said that it would a revolutionary game in that it would level the playing field between pros and amateurs with the Wii Wheel, but that won’t work if the pros are going back to the familiar Gamecube controller.
- Now for the online play news: Their will be twelve players online… interesting. They will introduce a new channel solely for Mario Kart Wii Online data. I don’t want this sucking the memory, but oh well.