Review on Wii Wheel Mario Kart Wii by Rafael Lee

Who doesn't love to race! Well, when done wrong the game can really stink, but Mario Kart is great. I haven't played a game since the Atari 2600 and I really like Mario Kart. I haven't tried it without the Wii steering wheel and I can't imagine it. The wheel makes the game very realistic and the cards are very sensitive to your movements. The first few times I played it, I had trouble "drifting" the kart through the corners, but once you get the hang of it, it's a very cool feature. Just to give a general idea of what you're getting here, this is more than just a racing game. There is a huge selection of racing games here. Short list: - There are 3 classes of karts - 50cc karts, 100cc motorcycles and 150cc karts. I recommend starting with the 50cc class. As you get stronger, they become increasingly difficult to control. You get patches (at least that's what I call them) when you finish in the top three in various circuit races. There are 8 tracks, each consisting of 4 races. So far I've received a patch for all 8 50s races and 2 100s tracks. Each time you play, you choose your racer from around 18 Mario characters, and each character has several different maps to choose from. You will quickly learn that some karts are better suited to different tracks. So if you mess up the track with a character or kart, choose something different next time! Some trails are very fun and easy to negotiate, others are disappointing. Last night I played 2 hours trying to complete a round. Finished 4th 3 times and missed the patch by half a second! Errr! But still fun. In addition to circuit racing, you can also compete against other players online. It's also fun, but there are also good racers. I have yet to finish in the top three in online racing. The Wii also awards or deducts points based on how well you finish in online races. A good way to gauge how good a driver you are. I didn't pay much attention when I first started racing online, but I think you start with 5000 points. I scored about 4000 points so I'm still working on myself. There are also two battle-style games that I haven't quite mastered yet. In one you try to collect more coins than the other racers and in the other you collect different weapons and use them to hit other players. Each kart gets 3 balloons and if you hit, a balloon will pop. After all 3 show up, you're out of the race. In summary, this is a must-have Wii game. I hope the above description helps people understand that this goes much deeper than just a racing game. Depending on the route you drive, a lot of strategy is required.