Games I've Been Playing Lately

This is the kind of article I do when my brain's completely dead... Enjoy! Happy 4th to all you Americans out there. And to everyone else, have a good weekend!

As of late, four different games have sucked me in. All of them are entertaining and enjoyable. Two of them I recently purchased, while the other two I've been playing for quite a while.

Mario Kart Wii

System: Wii
Just the other day I finally beat that very annoying Mirror Mode. It really stumps me why they put it in. I mean come on, it's the same courses just left and right are reversed. How original is that? Nonetheless, you may be thinking, well now that he's finished with the Grand Prix, he's done with the game. No way. The online is so addicting. I think my win count is in the 1000's and losses around 800 or so. Right now my rating is 6400 or so. I simply love the online in this game. Like Mario Kart (even just a little)? Want a great online experience? This is a no-brainer. I'll probably keep playing this for months to come.

Full review here.

Boom Blox

System: Wii
I recently bought Boom Blox, and let me tell you: it's fun! And not just the easy, kiddy fun that the visuals suggest, it is extremely difficult too. There's so much to this game. Over 300 challenges (including the story mode), over 100 multiplayer stages, and the level creator. Plus you can go back and edit any stage you've unlocked, how sweet is that? So far I've beaten almost all of Explore Mode (except for those pesky, Jenga style puzzles) and a few of the Adventure Mode challenges. And it says I'm only 20% done! This is one huge and entertaining game.

I'll have a review up sometime next week.

Gyrostarr

System: Wii (via WiiWare)
Besides Boom Blox, I have purchased one other game of late: Gyrostarr. Available through WiiWare, and priced at $7 this is the kind of game you expect to find on WiiWare. It's a simple shooter that has a cool, sci-fi/techno feel to it. It's fun and has some unique concepts as far as shooters go. But overall it's an average game that I'm enjoying. There's supposedly 50 or so levels in it. I've only played a couple of hours of it and I'm only at level 13 or 14.

Full review here.

New Super Mario Bros.

System: Nintendo DS
Don't get me wrong, I beat this game a long time ago. But I decided to pick it back up and play through the game. Not try to beat every level or get every star coin, just play through Worlds 1 to 8, all the way up to that (somewhat) climatic battle with Bowser at the end. I'm on the last couple levels of World 8 as we speak; it's not that long of a game after all. But let me tell you: it's still super fun the second time through. I really hope they announce a sequel at E3 or something of the sort. Because this is one of my favorite DS games and a darn good game overall.

That rounds up the four games I've been playing lately. What do you think of them? Gyrostarr rules? Boom Blox sucks? What games have you guys been playing lately? Tell me in the comments.

The Best and Worst Levels of: Mario Kart Wii

Some games have memorable levels or stages that defines the game. They're the ones you really remember when you look back on the game or series of games. Then there's the levels that make you want to slap the developer in the face. Utterly repulsive, these stages need to be approached with extreme caution, for they wield an unusual amount of displeasure.

Today I'll be discussing the good and bad Mario Kart Wii racetracks. The game boast's an unusual amount of fun tracks (the most in any Mario Kart for me). For a full review of the game, the link is here. There are more good than bad, so I've posted 7 of my favorite tracks and 4 of my least favorites. Enjoy!

The Good - These raceways are what made the game enjoyable and memorable...

Coconut Mall
This track was one of the few of them that Wii owners first heard of. It was praised for it's originality and it's charm. And boy does it live up to it. Everything about it is cool, from the escalators that give you an advantage/disadvantage, Mii's on various posters and vehicles throughout the course, and the different shortcuts through stores and balconies.


DK Summit
A cool and unique track that focuses on the newest aspect to the game: tricks. It had various points in the level where you had to go up a ramp and pull a trick to get around some sort of obstacles. Just like the Shy Guys on snowboards that populate the track, this slope screams the word "Awesome".

DS Delfino Square
Probably my favorite track on the DS, and it returns on the Wii. Really not to much to say about this one other than it's a pretty sweet track. The weaving in and out of buildings and various shortcuts added onto the fact that it's short but not too short, you then have a stellar level named Delfino Square.

Koopa Cape
This track was one of my favorites from the start and stands true now. I just like the style of the track and the calming waters and sand. And at the end there's a cool pipe that you enter classic Super Mario style and winds you up in a tunnel made of glass. Nice level? Definitely. Short and boring? Definitely not.

Maple Treeway
I'm pretty sure this is based on a galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy, but I could be wrong. Nonetheless, it is a very fun ride. As the name suggests, you are pretty much traveling along the branches and tops of maple trees, driving through piles of leaves and avoiding giant caterpillar enemies.


Moonview Highway
Every Mario Kart to date (excluding the SNES and GBA versions) has had a track that takes place on a busy highway/public road. The one I remember most is the N64 one, but alas that is not in MKWii, and so my second favorite is Moonview Highway. Taking place during the night, this one seemed to have upped the difficulty from previous versions. It had suicidal Bom-ombs on wheels that made it even more dangerous to travel the streets.

N64 Bowser's Castle
As with Moonview Highway and it's predessors, a Bowser Castle has appeared in every Mario Kart. They are notorious for sharp, 90° turns, Thwomps, and the danger of falling in lava. Probably the best of these tracks is the one from the N64, and it has been brought back in Mario Kart Wii.

The Bad - ...While these left a sour taste in my mouth.

Mushroom Gorge
This too was praised by gaming journalists from the start as being unique and fun. I may be with the minority in this, but this track sucked! While the whole bouncing mushrooms seems cool at first, the course was short and it's easy to miscalculate you're angle and fall into the darkness at the bottom.

GBA Shy Guy Beach
I don't even know why Nintendo included this one, it's not fun. A bland style, annoying mortar shells, and water that slows you are all features of this horrible racecourse. And what particularly bugs me is when people choose this in online matches. You can tell they only choose it to piss other people off (I think...).


GCN Waluigi Stadium
Probably the best of these four worst, Waluigi Stadium still bores me. While it has jumps around every corner, the basic feel of it really doesn't keep me playing.

SNES Mario Circuit 3
Another one that has a bleak style. You could argue that it's because it was from the Super Nintendo but it's still that way. Plus, the overall shortness of the track diminishes the fun too.

Worthy of Mention - Just that: worth being mentioned.

The Luigi/Mario/Daisy Circuits
Wario's Gold Mine
Dry Dry Ruins
Bowser's Castle
Rainbow Road

So what did you think? Did I miss any good tracks? Remind me in the comments.

Mario Kart Wii review

Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Date Released: April 27, 2008 (USA)
MSRP: $49.99
Players: 1-4 (up to 12 players online)
Genre: Kart Racing
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Seeing that both the super popular franchises of Super Smash Bros. and Super Mario have had their turn on the Wii, you may wonder where that other Mario series is... Mario Kart. Well, Mario Kart Wii is here. Is it worthy of the name Mario, or is it more shovelware doomed to the bargain bin?

Mario Kart Wii gets away with basically the some gameplay as all the past karts with a few minor additions. Haven't played since the N64? Not too much should be new. Basically, you choose a Mario character (or Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Funky Kong, or your Mii), choose a kart, and race around different Mario themed tracks in several different modes, including single- and multi-player, online and off.

It features 32 tracks in all. I have really come to love the tracks in Mario Kart Wii, especially the original ones. While it still features the super difficult Rainbow Road and Bowser Castles, new tracks such as Koopa Cape, Coconut Mall, and Wario's Gold Mine keep it fresh. Plus, along with the 16 new tracks, there's another 16 retro tracks, including favorites such as Sherbet Land (Nintendo 64), Waluigi Stadium (GameCube), and Delfino Square (Nintendo DS) to race on. Plus, now there's twelve racers on the track, rather than eight as in previous games, which ends up being even more hectic and random than before. And even more luck and randomness is not needed in Mario Kart.

And now not only do you have eight or so karts to choose from, you can also decide to race on motorcycles. Adding bikes to the series was a smart move on Nintendo's part. There's just the right balance between karts and bikes to insure that neither will have an advantage. The difference between the two are pretty noticeable; bikes are just a little bit faster, and can do wheelies, which will increase your speed but you won't really be able to turn. And bikes don't get as much of a boost off a powerslide as karts do. I enjoyed the bikes, but I still prefer karts any day.

There's also a few added items that will make this Mario Kart even more random than previous. The new items include: the POW Block, the Lightning Cloud, and the Mega Mushroom (from New Super Mario Bros.) I really like the Lightning Cloud, because it requires a lot of skill to get the most boost from it. When you get it, it'll speed you up, but if you keep it too long you'll spin out and shrink. The real skill in it is to use it for a boost, then bump into an opponent and give it to them (so they'll get shrunk). The Mega Mushrooms pretty cool too, turning you giant and letting you squish other player. Being my least favorite, I saved the POW Block for last; this item acts like a red shell to everyone in front of the user, spinning them out of control.

As in Smash Bros. there's four different ways to race. The Wii Wheel, Wii Remote and Nunchuk, Classic Controller, and Gamecube. All of the work, but my favorite is definitely the Wii Wheel. When I first heard of Mario Kart using motion controls, my reaction was skeptical. I decided I'd use the Classic Controller because I had recently bought one. But when Smash Bros. came out I got an old WaveBird out, so I decided I'd use that. But when the game came in the mail, I decided to try the motion controls to see if they worked, and I was hooked. Both the GameCube and Classic Controllers work fine, and I'd use one of those if you're into a more old-school style. The Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination also works especially since you get both the analog stick and motion controls for tricks.

Mario, sporting a snazzy new kart.

Wait, tricks? In a Mario Kart? Yes, folks, Nintendo has added tricks, too. Tricks are easy to pull off and rewarding. When you go off a jump just shake the Wii Wheel, shake the Wii Remote, or press a direction on the D-Pad (depending on which controller you're using) and your character will do a random trick and when you land, you'll get a short speed boost. Tricks are so addicting, I found myself shaking the Wheel wildly every time I got airborne. Like some of the new additions (bikes, etc.) to Mario Kart, tricks are a cool new mechanic but they don't change the game radically.

Another thing I should add is that snaking has been removed. No longer does the boost you gain after a powerslide have to do with you rapidly moving the analog stick back and forth. Now it matters how long you're in the powerslide. It's a dumbing down mechanic, but I feel it's a change for the better.

Just as in Smash Bros., you probably are going to play quite a bit of multiplayer in Mario Kart Wii. Sure, there's the (unfortunately) one-player only Grand Prix which will last you maybe a few days or even a week at most, but then you'll probably turn to multiplayer. Local multiplayer works great and up to four player can play on a single TV. But the real gem here in online multiplayer. Mario Kart Wii has one of the best multiplayer experience for the console. The Wi-Fi connection is pretty fast, Nintendo is actually has a lot of rules that will kick you out of a game (such as driving the course backwards and hit people with shells and stars), and it's actually pretty easy to navigate the slick menus. Another great thing is that two people can play on the same Wii online, further increasing the entertainment value of online play. The system that Nintendo devised for ranking is pretty genius in my opinion. Instead of Wins/Losses, you start out with 5000 points and how many points and whether you lose or gain them is determined by your placing.

Now while the multiplayer works, I have some gripes about it too. My main disappointment with the game is Battle Mode. This was one of the best modes in previous Karts, especially N64 and DS. This time around they limited it a lot. No longer is there every man for himself, and the last man standing wins. Mario Kart Wii, forces you into teams. Plus as in previous Karts you have three balloons which represent your lives. But that's where the similarities end. In previous games once you lost all three you were out of the game and could just watch it. Now when you lose, you're reborn a moment later with three more balloons! The only thing that matters for the team is your score. This definitely will turn a lot of people away from Battle Mode, as it did for me. About the only other bad thing about multiplayer has to do with 2-player online. The second player practically isn't there except in races. He/She will always be dubbed Guest and can't earn any points even if you have another save file on the game. Also if you're playing by yourself and a friend or family comes up and want to play they can't just drop in. You have to quit out of Nintendo Wi-Fi and select it again just with the 2-player option. But other than that, the multiplayer is the best way to go in Mario Kart Wii.

The graphics aren't nearly as good as some of the Wii's other great titles (Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, etc.), but it has that polished, cartoonish feel of other games such as Wii Sports. And it's pleasing to look at, even if there's not a lot of texture details and it's not too realistic.

Another thing that isn't extraordinary but works is the audio. The music is fun and fast, and it sort of adds to the experience. But the character noise sure get on my nerves. Every time they did a trick, got ahead, or anything else good they make annoying sounds like "Wahoo!", "Alright", and "Yes." Especially certain characters like the Miis, which are by the way are playable and awesome.

Overall, Mario Kart Wii is a great game. And it'll last you a while, especially in the online areas. But it's not for everyone. If you didn't like the other Mario Karts or like more realistic, less random racing like F-Zero, then this isn't for you. But I liked it and what it brought to the Mario Kart table, such as bikes, tricks, Miis, and a great online.

Gameplay: 8.5/10 Very fun, and Miis, tricks, and bikes are great. But the battle mode definitely bumped this score down.

Multiplayer: 9.5/10 Some of the best online on Wii. Local multiplayer is great too.

Graphics: 7.5/10 Good but not great.

Sound: 7.5/10 God those Miis are annoying. Nice music though.

Lasting Value: 9/10 Online will keep you coming back for more.

8/10

Fun game, while it lacks in some areas, online is great.