In a way, sequels to both video games and films aren’t at all dissimilar.  You usually know going in exactly what you are going to get, and you come away pretty pleased with the final product anyways.  There may be improvement here and there, but you may miss certain factors that helped make the original so fantastic in the first place.  While Mario Kart Wii has made nearly every technical upgrade you could have expected, it’s similarly missing just that little something that made some of the older installments in the series cornerstones of its own genre.

How much you will like this game really depends on what sect of the audience that you belong to.  This new Mario Kart is pretty clearly designed to be an “in-between” title that both longtime gamers and newbies playing only Wii Sports so far can both enjoy.  As a game for those who have stuck with the series since the Super Nintendo games, it continues to build well upon what works and adds some great new functionality.  As a game for the casual crowd, it keeps everything relatively simple and keeps the playing field level.  This makes it work well for everyone. But just as many things with hopeful mass appeal, that keeps it from excelling as far as it could were it designed for one singular audience.

First, let’s go over what works well.  The online mode works really well.  And by “well”, I really mean awesome.  While it doesn’t reach what XBox Live is able to do, the online mode for Mario Kart Wii takes what Nintendo is able to do to another level.  The previous benchmark for a Nintendo game came just a month or so ago with Smash Bros. Brawl.  Which was a shame that it was considered as such, because playing with non-friends was extremely laggy, and playing with anyone at all was a chore to set up.  Otherwise it was fine, but you couldn’t help getting the sense that more could have been done.  Mario Kart makes the online functionality in Brawl seen absolutely archaic in comparison.  

Getting into a race with random players is not only easy and quick, but you can actually see their Mii’s, names, and location.  An utter shock for a Nintendo produced game.  Also, if you want to jump in a game with a friend, there’s no need to take half an hour to schedule it out.  If they’re on, you’ll see not only them, but the race that they are in as you wait your turn.  Conceivably, you could build up a lengthly list of friends and always have a buddy to race.  But as was mentioned, there’s just that one thing holding it back.  Voice chat.  It would have made it perfect, but Nintendo is too nervous to make it happen.  And it’s too bad, because the online mode would have been perfect with it.

Mario Kart Wii also has made a number of improvements since the last console appearance on the Cube.  New this time around are motorbikes which give the game just a little more depth, as well as some sections of some tracks which allow for some stunts which give you speed boosts.  Some of them should be avoided as they can actually have you facing the wrong way as you come down, but it’s still a nice addition once you get the hang of which ones not to use.  The tracks themselves are a bit varied however, some of them ingenuously designed, some a little bare.  

Also working relatively well is the included Wii Wheel.  I must admit, it seemed like a pointless gimmick to me at first, but the use of it really makes the experience much more fun.  Not more precise mind you, but more fun.  Using it certainly takes a few rounds to get the feel of it, as there is a considerable learning curve to it.  If you want to have pinpoint control, one of the other traditional options is the way to go.  But it will take part of the point of the game away, as once again playing with some seemingly silly Wii controller is hours of guilty pleasure fun.

However, not working well is the degree of polish that Nintendo usually coats their games in.  The problem is that it isn’t there in most cases.  The menu is overly simple, controls have been purposefully limited, and specific options are few.  I get it that these are factors in keeping the casual crowd around, but it damages the game for those of us who are in it for a fully immersive experience.  Not to any destructive level, but it is noticeable from the insultingly bare box art down to the limited drift functionality.  This undoubtively makes the game less threatening for the Wii bowling newbies, but it would have been really nice to see something more deep for us vets.

If you twisted my arm enough for anything resembling a score, I would go with an 8.5 out of 10.  The online mode as well as the core gameplay itself is so improved, and the Wii Wheel so fun, that it makes being able to overlook the simple presentation much easier.  If you are one of the few who won’t be picking GTA IV up this week and want something fun to play for a while, I can’t recommend it enough.  But if you have a few other items on your want list, it probably wouldn’t hurt to wait it out until the lonely summer months.  But whenever you do, drop by our Mario Kart Wii thread in our Video Game forum and share your friend code with us, as the online mode for this puppy is far and away the selling point.

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