So . . . Mario Kart

[Zeta]

Mario Kart Wii is scheduled for an April release, which is a lot earlier than I was expecting. It looks like it's basically going to build on Mario Kart DS, which is brilliant because it was without a doubt the best title thus far in the series. Also, it will be the first console game in the series to feature more than 16 tracks, and it's about damn time. Any thoughts?

[Green Gibbon!]

What's the purpose of that absurd wheel attachment?

[Zeta]

Cuteness, from what I can tell. Steering wheel Wii controls work if done right such as in Sonic. Sonic Riders, not so much. I haven't tried any other racing or driving games on the system yet.

[DackAttac]

It looks like it's basically going to build on Mario Kart DS, which is brilliant because it was without a doubt the best title thus far in the series.

You must have gotten the version without blue shells.

PS - Actually, I thought about it. Cheap automatic winner rape aside, it still is the best in the series.

[Green Gibbon!]

Steering wheel Wii controls work if done right such as in Sonic.

You need to tell me where you bought that one, because the one I bought is grotesquely unresponsive. I'm pretty sure the game would suck even if it worked, though.

[DackAttac]

See, my only hangup with Secret Rings is the controls. (Music's not great, but it'd at least be a notch or two up from Heroes and Shadow if only they'd just muted the vocals.) If they nailed the controls, I'd have no problem ranking the game above SA2 on my list (instead of slightly below SA2, where it sits now).

As it is, it's frustrating, but I've learned to adapt to the controller's idiosyncrasies, and I have a relatively good handle on it now. I know what you're thinking: "dumbass, you don't learn your way around bad controls, you just turn up your nose and look for something better." And I guess I could have, but there was more than enough quality game underneath to make it worth my while. (Plus, a good platformer is hard to find.) Besides, it's not as fatally damning as the broken S06 controls; I'd say about 98% of my deaths were at the hands of challenge rather than glitch.

I wanna say that for the purposes of this Mario Kart discussion, SR's steering was decent, it was the control on when you wanted to do anything but go fast that got problematic, but it was on rails. If there was a hairpin turn, Sonic would make it for you. I don't want that cheap shit in a racing game. So, yeah, if Sega was making a racing game after coming off of Secret Rings, I'd be worried. (Oh. Wait.) But as it is, this is a whole new fresh set of brains, and I really do believe a solid steering wheel control scheme can be crafted, and who else but Nintendo, with a Mario game on the line?

However, I also thought Wiimote could make the first fresh Mario Party in years, and... well, I don't even need to finish that thought.

[Esrever]

Secret Rings controls sucked on purpose. I mean seriously! You basically had to earn the "good contorls" powerups before the steering started to be responsive. What the crap is that?!?

The wheel attachment is kind of silly, but I can kind of see the point. If Wario Ware has taught me anything, it's that turning the remote in a steering wheel motion is much less comfortable than tilting it like you do in Secret Rings. There's a reason why no one holds a steering wheel at 3 and 9 when they drive.

So unlike the utterly pointless zapper frame, I think the wheel WILL make playing its respective games more comfortable. But considering Mario Kart is going to support standard controls as well (remote/nunchuk, gamecube controller OR classic controller), I can't imagine any of us even bothering with the wheel business in the first place.

Anyhow, other than the controls... uh... it sure does look like Mario Kart. The new tracks look more interesting than the ones in Double Dash, I suppose! But I've never been much of a fan of the series outside of the battle mode.

[K2J]

There's a reason why no one holds a steering wheel at 3 and 9 when they drive.

Actually, to prevent air bags from breaking your elbows, driving schools now teach 3 and 9 instead of 2 and 10.

As for Mario Kart... meh, the whole wheel thing feels extraneous. Maybe it'll work, but I'm not liking how Nintendo is placing all of their focus on the controls. It's the games that should be engaging, not the input, necessarily.

And yeah, Secret Rings would've been a lot better without the controls being an obstacle.

[P.P.A.]

I heard they cut out snaking. Unforgivable that is.

As for the steering wheel, I could imagine it to feel weird without a proper base set on a table/your knees. Not to mention imprecise. here's hope for d-pad/analogue stick controls (though the former would be very preferred, seeing how much better MKDS controlled than MKDD and MK64).

[Green Gibbon!]

The problem is that there's just no way to get the same kind of precision control with motion detection that you can with a plain, solid (reliable) analog stick. It has nothing to do with the technology, either, it's just a fact that people have more control over their thumbs than their wrists. You can't fight 300,000 years of evolution.

But if the game allows you to use the nunchuck or GameCube controller, I guess there's not really much of an issue. Except that I also have never been much of a Mario Kart fan, at least not since the first one. I actually think this new one doesn't even look as good (graphically) as Double Dash.

[Radrappy]

oh god I loved Secret Rings.

[James McGeachie]

For those not in the know they are playing around with the basic formula a bit for this Mario Kart, in some very promising ways and in others that are questionably dodgy.

First off, there's motorcycles, which are more of an addition than simply a different look for your kart. In this game the 100cc mode will be entirely dedicated to bikes, with 50cc entirely karts and 150cc a mixture of both. As far as I can tell they're faster in general (naturally) and less responsive to steer but also have a new method of boosting, which is to perform a wheelie for a period of time. This could give them an edge over karts on straight sections, though it's not really known if they'll be more effective than "snaking"...but then again that's another area that's been tweaked a little.

It's hard to tell to what extent this matters yet without more detailed hands on impressions but it seems "powersliding" has received quite a noticible change. Apparently now how effective your boost is all depends entirely on how long your drift actually lasts, with more boost accumulating the longer you hold it sort of thing, instead of getting a set boost every time no matter the distance. This could mean that the boost offered for tiny drifts, such as those used in snaking, might be consideribly smaller this time and hence might render snaking virtually useless. Undoubtedly this'll both please and piss off equal amounts of people, though even as an avid "snaker" myself I think it sounds like a good refinement to the gameplay. Unfortunately I'm not so confident about one of their new additions: tricks.

I think some people out there are probably debating whether it's "right" to have a large focus on bikes in a Mario Kart racing game. On the other hand I'm sure there's a ton whining about the new extreme sports style "trick" system in the game. Littered around the new tracks in this game are a variety of ramps which you can use to get "big air" and then perform some whacky antics mid-flight as though you were playing the latest Tony Hawk or SSX. The purpose of this appears to be to obtain extra boost, or something to that effect. Out of the bigger changes this whole idea perhaps doesn't sit as well with me as the others, though if it's fairly subtle I suppose it wont be too big a deal.

There are of course plenty of other more obvious new additions that you'd expect from Mario Kart. New racers, 16 new tracks, 16 old school (like in the DS entry, though an almost entirely different selection I think) and naturally several new items, including the giant mushroom from New Super Mario Brothers on the DS, the effects of which are pretty self explanitory if you've played the game. Other features include a far more fleshed out 12-player online mode, the first console version of the "mission" mode seen on DS and the new ability to tell when a shell is about to ram you up the arse through an alarm sound coming from the wii remote speaker (groan).

All in all I think the title is shaping up to be extremely fun to play (although rather graphically disgusting!) and as of now I'm looking forward to it as an online multiplayer experience more so than even Smash Brothers, mainly as MK's online mode seems to be far more robust, as they've already been able to test the waters on DS.

[FlashTHD]

I heard they cut out snaking. Unforgivable that is.

Unforgivable that it basically splits the skill level down the middle. If you can't (or won't) do it and you wind up racing someone who can, you're owned. Whether or not they inserted it on purpose changes nothing. It's stupid unbalanced and I can't wait to see them neuter it.

I have a NO SNAKING message plastered into my MKDS emblem BTW; not that it will do anything about it, but it sure makes me feel better. (That and I once saw a funny emblem that read "SNAKERZ SUCK ARSE")

The problem is that there's just no way to get the same kind of precision control with motion detection that you can with a plain, solid (reliable) analog stick. It has nothing to do with the technology, either, it's just a fact that people have more control over their thumbs than their wrists. You can't fight 300,000 years of evolution.

If they're wise enough to insert a steering sensitivity option, then maybe. Otherwise i'm not a fan of the wheel either. I mean, no additional shoulder buttons on the back? Seriously? I could slap on one of those third party cheapo wheels and get that effect. Same shit, but chunkier.

I'm still a little bitter about what this game may do to the amount of activity on MKDS wifi, and they only begun to have my attention when the bikes debuted. But they have a ways to go. Pretty funny that somebody important seems to have taken influence from Sonic Riders though.

[Isuka]

Last time I checked Sonic Riders wasn't the first time "extreme tricks" were implemented in a racing game, nor bikes.

Also... the shit is hilarious.
I mean, it's tiny. Like, stupidly tiny. That combined with the absence of some type of firm stand turns the damn thing totally unnatural, imprecise and ultimately useless.

[FlashTHD]

I watched a quick clip of Waluigi tricking through a halfpipe on a dirtbike, looked very Riders-ey in execution to me. But whatever.

[DackAttac]

The problem is that there's just no way to get the same kind of precision control with motion detection that you can with a plain, solid (reliable) analog stick. It has nothing to do with the technology, either, it's just a fact that people have more control over their thumbs than their wrists. You can't fight 300,000 years of evolution.

See, this is a good point, and I'm starting to wonder if Secret Rings, Riders, and everything else that favors tilting to joystick is over the fact that you need to plug in the nunchuck to use the joystick. I honestly feel like some developers are afraid of the damn nunchuck.

Driving games, I suppose, are fair game for using the Wiimote like a wheel, but it's Mario Kart. You drive through every facet of an LSD trip at high speeds with colorful characters. I mean, I can drive through a Mario Kart course at 150cc at top speed drunk off my ass a lot better than I can drive a Hyundai to work sober. That's the beauty of Mario Kart. Why would you wanna go and add realism to that?

[FlashTHD]

Driving games, I suppose, are fair game for using the Wiimote like a wheel, but it's Mario Kart. You drive through every facet of an LSD trip at high speeds with colorful characters. I mean, I can drive through a Mario Kart course at 150cc at top speed drunk off my ass a lot better than I can drive a Hyundai to work sober. That's the beauty of Mario Kart. Why would you wanna go and add realism to that?

Well, it ain't a first :p

[Hybrid]

Unforgivable that it basically splits the skill level down the middle. If you can't (or won't) do it and you wind up racing someone who can, you're owned. Whether or not they inserted it on purpose changes nothing. It's stupid unbalanced and I can't wait to see them neuter it.

Just nitpicking, but you're essentially complaining that the better players win. Whatever your view of snaking (intentional/unintentional), its a lot harder to do effectively than simply holding the A button and if someone gets good enough to use it all over the place, they deserve the win.

That said, I'm glad they're cutting down on it to, because I'm rubbish at it.

[FlashTHD]

It ain't just a matter of being better, it's being able to do something that puts you on a way higher tier of competition. I mean, the gap between those who are awesome at the game with it or without it seems to be xbox hueg. About the only ways I can beat a snaker are to get an insanely lucky streak of items, and/or vote a track that makes snaking tough and hope they aren't good at it there.

I have a saying - race me like a man, not like a time attack ghost.

Then again, that's the perils of racing random people, and there's pretty much squat you can do about it, besides racing friends only or disconnecting after getting your doors blown off the first time...

[The Iron Giant]

To try and avoid a snaking bitchfest, here are some rumors/potential spoilers.

Two new characters are said to be making their debut in this game. Supposedly they are Wario and Waluigi's girlfriends. Yes, more "Wa's"!
Other rumored characters are Metal Mario, Dixie Kong, and the long-awaited return of Wart (from SMB2/Doki Doki Panic).

[Zeta]

Two new characters are said to be making their debut in this game. Supposedly they are Wario and Waluigi's girlfriends. Yes, more "Wa's"!
Other rumored characters are Metal Mario, Dixie Kong, and the long-awaited return of Wart (from SMB2/Doki Doki Panic).

Wario's girlfriend is Mona, isn't she? I'll be annoyed if they introduce an ugly old hag as a new girlfriend and call her Warioette.

[The Iron Giant]

Probably not, considering Wario is at least in his 40's, while Mona is still in high school.

[Team Mecha]

Probably not, considering Wario is at least in his 40's, while Mona is still in high school.

Age relatively less in Japan & even more in the Mario universe (where everyone's effectively timeless). Regardless, I never particularly cared for the Wario/Mona pairing because the shipping hints felt rather forced IMO. Which I guess means I'll probably dislike the new girls even more.

No single technique should completely dominant a competitive game. MKDS became all about snaking & nothing else, that's just not healthy for multiplayer games regardless of skill required.

I find it interesting that MKW seems to excelling in some of SSBB's shortcomings. Online is elaborate with leaderboards & regional rankings. People can race against opponents of similar rank (the critical flaw with Brawl's online IMO, what's to keep newbies & pros from running into each other?). Miis are playable, I still can't believe that after custom stages, controls, music & special modes that the Miis were overlooked as a customizable character in Brawl. & MKW will apparently have a minimum of 48 characters according to a report I read about 75% of the roster being unlockable.

[MiraiTails]

...I mean, it's tiny. Like, stupidly tiny...

I think it's designed for baby hands or something.

Every time I almost buy a DS Lite, I remind myself that the d-pad is practically the size of my thumbnail, and therefore, kind of useless for me.

I hope the next DS has bigger buttons and better multimedia functionality, but then I guess it would just be a PSP with a touch screen. (Don't misunderstand me, I know the PSP has its problems.)

Darn you Sonic Chronicles! Why can't you be on a system I already own?

[Hybrid]

It ain't just a matter of being better, it's being able to do something that puts you on a way higher tier of competition.

I don't get the overwhelming opposal of anything slightly competitive in this forum. Snaking is a more effective way of moving forward than simply holding A, but it comes with a drawback: If you mess up, it hurts a lot more. Its a high-risk, high-reward strategy that requires more skill than the low-risk strategy, which is significantly slower. How is that a broken mechanic?

No shit people are going to be on a "way higher tier of competition" if they put the time and effort in to learning the hardest skill in the game and put it to use in matches. People complaining that snaking is bad because they believe it was unintentional is one thing, but complaining that its bad because it rewards better players for their time and effort is just retarded.