Mario Kart Wii - Gen. Discussion & Info

Good times.

Played about 6 hours today online and off. Finished up all the 50cc Grand Prix, though I need to go back and get stars on two of them (got an A). Really like the new tracks, online works fine.

Definitely tops Double Dash and MK DS (yeah, I know, I wasn't huge fan).

I'll get my friend code posted once I get back online with it tonight. Probably send out some more invites too.
 
2191/8049/9059

fucking peer pressure. I was all set to not buy this. Why is it so awesome?

I LOVE specials from MKDD. Added an element of "what special do I want" on top of "lulz mario rox"
How do you do tricks with mote and chuk? Can you do them off of every ramp? Seems about 25% success to me.
 
The time trialing in this game is surprisingly challenging. I thought the lack of the 64/DD/DS mini-turbo mechanic would take some of the depth out of time trials, but all this change to EZ-mode turbos has done is put the emphasis elsewhere.

Assuming you're advanced enough to take clean lines for granted, it all comes down to timing. The old skill in time trialing that was having a high enough accuracy with your MTs while keeping to the fast lines has been replaced by precision with those MTs and now wheelies. You cannot misplace an MT or a wheelie. Makes for some nerve wracking 3rd laps.

It's funny, but as time trials go, IMO this new game control is actually going to widen the gap between novice and advanced karters even more. It will take a LOT of practice to get your skills precise enough to be able to consistently rip off super low lap times. The only thing I don't like about trialing in MKW is that I don't see how karts can compete with bikes right now in time trials. So far, as best as I can tell, you need that wheelie.

Haven't done much grand prix racing yet. I've read a lot of bitching online about blue shells, but IIRC they were awfully frequent in MKDS. So I would think that if these people managed to accept the frequency of BS in DS, MKW shouldn't be hard to tolerate. In both MKDS and MKDD (to a lesser extent), if you get far enough ahead in GP you should have a cushion to soak up 3 blue shells on a final lap. If you aren't that far ahead, keep practicing.

That being said, IMO they need to change the blue shell entirely: the point should be to push the owner of the BS up into the pack, not pull the 1st place kart back. A weapon should, above anything else, benefit its owner. I'd guess that 70% of the time the blue shell does absolutely nothing to help its owner make up the 15 seconds that 11th place has on him/her. All it does is allow the owner to yell, "#1 I got u! Hai u guys finnished alredy?"

A better idea would be to have the BS zap every person in front of its owner on the way to #1 (much like a similar weapon in Crash Team Racing). That way, this new blue shell helps its owner by pulling the whole field back, letting the owner (say, in 11th place) of the BS make up 4-5 seconds on the whole field instead of just making that time up on #1 while the guy in 10th ahead of the owner maintains and/or increases the gap. It'd be kind of like lightning in that sense, and maybe a touch redundant, but it'd be different from lightning in that it's punishing only the karters in front of the owner and not every kart on the track.

However, the minds behind MK have obviously fallen in love with the idea of giving the last place racer the opportunity to pick off #1, even if it's nothing more than a gesture that doesn't benefit the guy in last launching the blue shell.
 
[quote name='dothog']The time trialing in this game is surprisingly challenging. I thought the lack of the 64/DD/DS mini-turbo mechanic would take some of the depth out of time trials, but all this change to EZ-mode turbos has done is put the emphasis elsewhere.

Assuming you're advanced enough to take clean lines for granted, it all comes down to timing. The old skill in time trialing that was having a high enough accuracy with your MTs while keeping to the fast lines has been replaced by precision with those MTs and now wheelies. You cannot misplace an MT or a wheelie. Makes for some nerve wracking 3rd laps.

It's funny, but as time trials go, IMO this new game control is actually going to widen the gap between novice and advanced karters even more. It will take a LOT of practice to get your skills precise enough to be able to consistently rip off super low lap times. The only thing I don't like about trialing in MKW is that I don't see how karts can compete with bikes right now in time trials. So far, as best as I can tell, you need that wheelie.

Haven't done much grand prix racing yet. I've read a lot of bitching online about blue shells, but IIRC they were awfully frequent in MKDS. So I would think that if these people managed to accept the frequency of BS in DS, MKW shouldn't be hard to tolerate. In both MKDS and MKDD (to a lesser extent), if you get far enough ahead in GP you should have a cushion to soak up 3 blue shells on a final lap. If you aren't that far ahead, keep practicing.

That being said, IMO they need to change the blue shell entirely: the point should be to push the owner of the BS up into the pack, not pull the 1st place kart back. A weapon should, above anything else, benefit its owner. I'd guess that 70% of the time the blue shell does absolutely nothing to help its owner make up the 15 seconds that 11th place has on him/her. All it does is allow the owner to yell, "#1 I got u! Hai u guys finnished alredy?"

A better idea would be to have the BS zap every person in front of its owner on the way to #1 (much like a similar weapon in Crash Team Racing). That way, this new blue shell helps its owner by pulling the whole field back, letting the owner (say, in 11th place) of the BS make up 4-5 seconds on the whole field instead of just making that time up on #1 while the guy in 10th ahead of the owner maintains and/or increases the gap. It'd be kind of like lightning in that sense, and maybe a touch redundant, but it'd be different from lightning in that it's punishing only the karters in front of the owner and not every kart on the track.

However, the minds behind MK have obviously fallen in love with the idea of giving the last place racer the opportunity to pick off #1, even if it's nothing more than a gesture that doesn't benefit the guy in last launching the blue shell.[/QUOTE]

I've pulled off 13 of the Time Trial unlocks so far only using a kart... I know people that have posted amazing times on all 32 with just the kart. I'm a big fan of the kart's over the bikes, I can't get the handling down on them... it seems like the karts do mini-turbos better than the bikes, so I guess that's where it balances out.

The Blue Shell is the biggest dick move in all of gaming... you're right, it does NOTHING to help the last place person, it's only purpose seems to be to fuck over the 1st place person for no reason at all. It makes Mario Kart a game of complete luck, because the top 3 people could be in a close race, here comes the blue shell, the #1 person is fucked completely if it was the last lap, since you start from a dead stop.

I don't understand it's purpose in Mario Kart at all, and I wish there was a way to turn it off. Items like the lightning bolt + POW block work MUCH better at helping the last person get placement, the blue shell just fucks over one person, and that's the leader.

Mario Kart makes it bad to be the leader, it's like you'll just want to stay in 2nd the whole race until the leader gets fucked over with the blue shell.

It is one of the worst items in all of gaming, I think, as it's only purpose is to give the middle finger to better racers. It's like if Gran Turismo had a button for the last place person that just blew up the leader's car for no reason.

A lot of cursing because there is a lot of anger over this needless item... if anything, there needs to be a way to avoid the blue shell - make it hard as hell, but make it avoidable.
 
Overall, I am pleasantly surprised with the Wii Wheel, but will give it a go with the Wavebird sometime before I get GTAIV. I am not so pleased with the "new" Battle Mode or the overall "slow" feeling of the game compared to the old ones. Playing on Skyscraper was ridiculously slow/boring.
 
[quote name='lordwow']Overall, I am pleasantly surprised with the Wii Wheel, but will give it a go with the Wavebird sometime before I get GTAIV. I am not so pleased with the "new" Battle Mode or the overall "slow" feeling of the game compared to the old ones. Playing on Skyscraper was ridiculously slow/boring.[/QUOTE]

How many people did you have in your Skyscraper match? With a full twelve, it was a blast.

As far as the wheel...I only gave it a shot for my first GP, and haven't touched it since. I'm going to try it again later, I'm sure, but the Wiimote-Nunchuck pairing is working really, REALLY well for me.
 
I am having a blast with the battle mode online. I really like some of the changes. With so many people in the maps I don't think the old style would work as well. The matches would be over too fast.
 
[quote name='lilboo']Yes! I do as many tricks as I can get. I checked my record and I'm already close to 400 tricks, :lol:
I manually drift and I do that on usually every turn.[/QUOTE]

Well, I put about 1/2 hour into the single-player and unlocked Boo, so that isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'll have to spend some more time on it tonight. But I'm having the same problem as you - I'm doing lots of drifting and tricks, winning every race by several seconds, and getting B's :cry:.

[quote name='Rocko']
Just the MK FC is fine, I believe. If you happen to have their console FC registered you can send them a nice little invite that is pretty much useless.[/QUOTE]

Why is it useless? It auto registers without having to type the MK friend code in - which is a HUGE improvement so far over every other online Wii game! I auto-reg'd 6 or 7 people who had sent me messages before I even got the game without having to type a single number in. That was very nice indeed. But yeah, if you aren't on their Wii FC list then obviously no need to do both - just go with the MK code.
 
Just added anyone who pm'd me. My FC is in my sig in case anyone wants to friend me, just send a pm so I know.

Also, if anyone wants to be Wii friends, that'd be fun too.
 
[quote name='io']
Why is it useless? It auto registers without having to type the MK friend code in - which is a HUGE improvement so far over every other online Wii game! I auto-reg'd 6 or 7 people who had sent me messages before I even got the game without having to type a single number in. That was very nice indeed. But yeah, if you aren't on their Wii FC list then obviously no need to do both - just go with the MK code.[/quote]


How do you do that?
 
I know I am inferior to the rest of you that already have the game, but has anyone heard if Costco has $43.99 pricing on this like they did with Smash Bros?
 
[quote name='spydey']How do you do that?[/quote]
Go to the Mario Kart channel. The bottom option changes every few seconds, when it says something like "Register Wii Friends" click on it and it will let you send Mario Kart WFC registration messages to people on your console friends list.
 
[quote name='io']Well, I put about 1/2 hour into the single-player and unlocked Boo, so that isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'll have to spend some more time on it tonight. But I'm having the same problem as you - I'm doing lots of drifting and tricks, winning every race by several seconds, and getting B's :cry:.
.[/QUOTE]

Are you falling off the tracks a lot? Driving out of the course?

I've heard that matters just as much as if you win... if you win, but still fall a lot or drive off the course, you get docked. I think the ratings go by how well you race *overall*, not just if you win or not. I barely ever fall off the course or even drive outside of the course, and I've gotten 1 and 2 star ratings every time.

Winning by a big margin helps too, like 8 - 10 seconds.
 
does anyone know that if you play with someone on your friends list, will the game also add people outside of both your lists?
 
[quote name='jman619']I was playing with 3 other people then the next one was 10. Does the races just go on, and on forever? Doesn't no one really win? lol[/quote]

I'm pretty sure they just keep on going.
 
Ending the night at four points shy of 6600.

Looking forward to playing some CAGs in the future. Two are showing as registered so far, and I've put in everyone's code who PMed me, as well as Roufuss, lilboo and Walrus.
 
Woot, just got
Toadette
for simply attempting every time trial.

I'm at 14 Fast Staff unlocks though... need 24 for the next unlockable :(
 
[quote name='spydey']thanks[/quote]
Oh and when I did it I had 4 people I wanted to send the registration out to, but it only let me send out 3 before the option stopped appearing for awhile. I played a few races, and the next time I checked the option started appearing again. I don't know if it was a glitch or if Nintendo's way of preventing you from spamming your friends list.
 
I like the wii wheel, and thank nintendo for single characters doubles felt gay for me, good fun game overall !
 
Apparently, the game doesn't mind screwing you over when you play online - I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I ended up in a 2 vs. 1 battle as the one...and I think you're all smart enough to guess the outcome. :bomb:

So far, no other bad online experiences, but that was a frustrating match - being double teamed on the Cookie map (probably one of the smallest) by one giant character and one invincible one blows.
 
[quote name='mephitical']I know I am inferior to the rest of you that already have the game, but has anyone heard if Costco has $43.99 pricing on this like they did with Smash Bros?[/quote]

yes....in fact I picked up my copy today while I was there buying milk :)
 
Been having a blast with this game all evening. And the best part? The girlfriend loves it. SO glad she is over me getting rid of Mario Party and this will be her new "let's play this" game when we come home from closing bars. :D
 
[quote name='Gothic Walrus']Apparently, the game doesn't mind screwing you over when you play online - I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I ended up in a 2 vs. 1 battle as the one...and I think you're all smart enough to guess the outcome. :bomb:

So far, no other bad online experiences, but that was a frustrating match - being double teamed on the Cookie map (probably one of the smallest) by one giant character and one invincible one blows.[/QUOTE]

I was wondering about that, because I was in a 5 vs 1 match earlier.
 
Well I added some of you guys, but can't play because I've been dropped from every online game so far. I can watch games in progress, but the minute I see go I get cut off. Hopefully this doesn't persist.
 
[quote name='BlueLobstah']I was wondering about that, because I was in a 5 vs 1 match earlier.[/QUOTE]

Wow. You win. :shock:

I'm not sure, but I'm starting to wonder if the pairings are determined before people have the chance to drop out of the next battle. That's the only way I can think of to explain it, unless they're basing it off of the point scores...and since mine isn't that great, I don't think that's how they're doing it.

[quote name='Nelo Ice']so how is this?

are the flaws ive heard from reviews that bad or is the game still really fun?[/QUOTE]

So far, it's been exactly what I expected: it's Mario Kart. The online play has been working without a hitch so far for me (save for the occasional one-sided matchup), and that's more than enough for me to feel like my purchase was justified.
 
I can't wait for finals to be over so I can really sink my teeth in. I haven't played much MK since the 64 version and I am loving the Wii version so far. I really didn't expect to like it this much.
 
Yay, I just got 24 Fast Staff unlocks in Time Trial! It took long enough :(

My reward was this -

A medium kart, the Sprinter, looks like an F1 car

I doubt I'll go for all 32, because Rainbow Road is a bitch, and because the unlockable is stupid.

it's another outfit for your Mii... it's not worth all the trouble
 
[quote name='mephitical']I know I am inferior to the rest of you that already have the game, but has anyone heard if Costco has $43.99 pricing on this like they did with Smash Bros?[/QUOTE]

I can confirm that it is $43.99 at Costco because I bought it there today.
 
[quote name='Rocko']Ending the night at four points shy of 6600.

Looking forward to playing some CAGs in the future. Two are showing as registered so far, and I've put in everyone's code who PMed me, as well as Roufuss, lilboo and Walrus.[/QUOTE]

I added you!

[quote name='io']Well, I put about 1/2 hour into the single-player and unlocked Boo, so that isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'll have to spend some more time on it tonight. But I'm having the same problem as you - I'm doing lots of drifting and tricks, winning every race by several seconds, and getting B's :cry:.
.[/QUOTE]

I re-played some 50cc cups and I actually have earned 2 stars. (That is 1 star for 2 different cups). I noticed that I really took my time and was careful. I only fell into the water/off the level like once or twice in total for the entire cup. I used items as much as I had them..and I was hit by several items (because you really can't avoid all of them!)

I also came in first in all 4 races. So I think it's best to avoid ditches and all of the course obstacles as much as you can AND still come in first.

Now I have NO idea on how the hell you get 2 and 3 star ratings :shock:
 
The one thing I really did enjoy was the "2D feel" of the old SNES tracks. They felt just like playing the original, where there's no height and you could never really figure out what was next unless you memorized the track.

That and the yellow jump bars, I miss those.
 
anyone besides me not really a big fan of the bikes in the game so far. I think its partially that I'm unfamilar with them but their a little twitchy using the wheel it feels like to me.
 
[quote name='PhoenixT']anyone besides me not really a big fan of the bikes in the game so far. I think its partially that I'm unfamilar with them but their a little twitchy using the wheel it feels like to me.[/quote]

I agree with you 100% percent. I may have to switch to my wavebird, but I really like the wheel.
 
I'm loving the game, but I generally suck at the online matches. Hopefully a little practice will help me out :)
 
Well, I put off time trialing to do some GP cup racing. My general impression is that while kart control has returned to SMK-style mechanics, the weapons and weapon frequency are as far from SMK and other MK predecessors as you can get. The problem isn't too many blue shells, it's too much of every "big" weapon.

Remember back in MK64 when you'd be near the lead, get a set of 3 (bananas or green shells), race yourself into first with those shells spinning around you like a fortress, and feel completely invulnerable? Knowing you could take on a full red shell assault, you'd say to yourself, "All I gotta do is race fast." Well, you'll pretty much never have that feeling in MKW, because within 1/3 to 1/2 of a lap of landing a set of 3, a POW block or lightning bolt is bound to go off and knock your set onto the track. Hence, the frequency of big weapons effectively negates the power of other weapons: the rule in MKW is spend your weapons ASAP before some big weapon spins you and you lose everything.

Because you can't confidently hold weapons the way you used to, a lot of classic MK scenarios are ruined. In addition to the first example above, how about when you used to sit back in second for a lap with a red shell, drafting and taunting the guy in first who knew that as soon as he got near that finish line he was getting popped? There's no way that scenario will generally happen in MKW. If you plan on holding 1 item for an entire lap, you're out of your mind.

A lot of people are complaining about blue shells and AI rubber banding and I don't see that being the problem. Nintendo just went too far in simplifying the game: they did a great job returning the game mechanics to an SMK-style configuration, and they should have stopped there. But some halfwit brainstormed "Hey, wouldn't it be great if everybody got awesome weapons ALL THE TIME?" and the development team implemented it without thinking it through.

I'm not saying don't keep the field of 12 as tight as possible. The big weapons that instantaneously spin everybody are good for getting your stragglers back up into the pack. But once you've got your 12 racers relatively tight together, there's no need for bolts, POWs, Bullet Bills, or blue shells. Let the pack duke it out SMK-style, with shells, shrooms, and bananas. It's more fun that way--it makes every weapon count and it makes racing count for something. Unfortunately, MKW doesn't follow this rule, and the multi-player suffers as a result.

A simple solution to the problem would be to allow racers to hold on to weapons through spins and other mishaps. If Nintendo thinks there's some added challenge in littering the track with items from spin-outs, they're wrong: with tracks this wide, it's easy to avoid items. I don't see much of a problem with letting racers keep their weapons after spills.
 
Yeah I noticed a large number of POW blocks, lightning. blue shells and red shells are really through the roof in this version and its stuff I get really super rarely as well it makes being in the lead at all frustrating as all get out sometimes.
 
The speed reduction of POW can be avoided, and if people keep their weapons too, then there is no point to the POW block. But I agree, the mass damage items like POW and Lightning need to be toned down a bit in frequency. I would be fine with keeping items after a Lightning. Blue shell has to go, as its too lopsided in who it hurts and who it should help.
 
[quote name='evergoo']I can confirm that it is $43.99 at Costco because I bought it there today.[/quote]
Excellent - thank you! I may not be able to wait for Goozex, so I might head there on my lunch today.
 
bread's done
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