If you have not had the chance to play this game yet then you are missing out on some great fun. This is a racing game that the whole family can enjoy and it will certainly ensure rivalries within the whole household.
As far as the actual racing experience goes, a combination of streamlining and additions has created one of the tightest, tensest Mario Kart’s yet. There’s certainly an increase in tactical possibilities: while the much-debated drift simplification reduces its place as a pro-tool, the addition of tricks – offering a slight speed boost when used off jumps – means you’ll always be on the hunt for ramps and slopes, assessing any advantages out-of-the-way objects might offer. Likewise, bikes prove far more than the arbitrary addition they might first seem. Offering slightly nippier speeds, tighter cornering and wheelie-boosting, they really can shave precious seconds off in a race. The downside is that heavier vehicles can easily push bikes round the track, plus they only have one drift boost level, unlike the two on a kart.
What’s more, this isn’t Mario Kart for the Casuals, whatever the inclusion of the Wii Wheel might suggest. Sure, it’s simplified in certain areas, but most of these tweaks are logical and help reinstate some of the racer’s straightforward arcade roots. Actually, while we’re on the subject of the wheel, it works just fine. It takes a bit of getting used to and lacks responsiveness compared to MKW’s other control options, but it’s a sturdy, satisfying bit of kit and does its job as far as presenting newcomers with a less intimidating control scheme goes. Chances are though, Mario Kart pros will ditch the peripheral once their curiosity has been sated, plumping for either a Wiimote/nunchuck combo, Classic or GameCube controller – all of which work perfectly.
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