mario kart on the wii

[ahofle]

...then again, I'm not in first place very often online.   

You're not kidding.  Man how do some of these people get so far ahead?  I mean before the first lap, they are already WAY out of range. 

[DaveMMR]

...then again, I'm not in first place very often online.   

You're not kidding.  Man how do some of these people get so far ahead?  I mean before the first lap, they are already WAY out of range. 

I've encountered those people a couple of times (check for a star on their name where the wheel should be).  Unless there's some ultra-fast cart I haven't unlocked or an undocumented cheat, I theorize that they have the courses memorized and choreographed down to every little controller motion that needs to be performed at any given millisecond.   

In all fairness, most of the times I've been online, it's been a completely balanced race with others and first place is not completely unobtainable.   I have come in first many times.   I just don't enjoy that "constant first place" I do when playing 50cc (or 100cc) in the Grand Prix mode.

[tk_42_1]

I would just like to know what this obsession with Rainbow Road is when I play online.  That seems to be a course that alot of people pick and happens to be the one course I detest.

I don't think I am the only one who hates this course also.  I've seen people drop out of the race once that track is chosen.

[Daniel270]

Normally I don't have any problems with motion during games... even racing games.   However, RAINBOW ROAD makes me sick to my stomach.  It's tolerable if I'm driving because I'm partially distracted from the scenery, but if the wife's playing, I have to leave the room.

[DaveMMR]

I would just like to know what this obsession with Rainbow Road is when I play online.  That seems to be a course that alot of people pick and happens to be the one course I detest.

I don't think I am the only one who hates this course also.  I've seen people drop out of the race once that track is chosen.

I hate it too but will play it under protest.

[patrickl]

...then again, I'm not in first place very often online.   

You're not kidding.  Man how do some of these people get so far ahead?  I mean before the first lap, they are already WAY out of range. 

Maybe you need to learn the turbo start? Press the throttle button when the hand is up after the 2 count (look at the thing on the cloud).

Also do trick jumps (wave the Wiimote when airborne) to gain a turbo boost when landing. if you wiggle a lot then on some parts you almost get a continous boost.

I think it depends on the class too. In 50cc karts it's doable to almost lap the (computer controlled) field. With 150cc it's a lot harder.

Personally I find that to go fast you need to use the nunchuck for steering or a (gamecube/classic controller). Might be just me though. I go up to a few seconds a lap faster with nunchuck steering rather than the wheel.

[ahofle]

I know about the turbo start, but not about all the stupid wiimote wiggling to constantly boost apparently.  Personally I'd rather come in last than have to constantly wiggle the wiimote. Also how do GC controller users get such good times if they can't wiggle?

[patrickl]

I know about the turbo start, but not about all the stupid wiimote wiggling to constantly boost apparently.  Personally I'd rather come in last than have to constantly wiggle the wiimote.

Well it's not constantly. Only on parts of some circuits. For instance, driving through the forest, make sure you hit all the roots to get a little jump and then boost.

Also how do GC controller users get such good times if they can't wiggle?

Press a button. Forgot which one, but there is a button for it.

[hypernova]

I theorize that they have the courses memorized and choreographed down to every little controller motion that needs to be performed at any given millisecond.

I'd wager that some of you have found at least a couple of these people.  Ever visited mariokart64.com?  Records for all the Mario Kart games.  Insane records.  People-spend-hours-upon-hours-perfecting-a-track-records.

We'll never stand a chance against any of those guys, unless the field gets alot of good items in their favor.

Man, I'll miss snaking.

[Hoopz]

I theorize that they have the courses memorized and choreographed down to every little controller motion that needs to be performed at any given millisecond.

I'd wager that some of you have found at least a couple of these people.  Ever visited mariokart64.com?  Records for all the Mario Kart games.  Insane records.  People-spend-hours-upon-hours-perfecting-a-track-records.

We'll never stand a chance against any of those guys, unless the field gets alot of good items in their favor.

Man, I'll miss snaking.

I know a 19 or 20 year old who is ranked in the Top 10 in the state and Top 100 or something in the US.  Too much time into one game for me to comprehend something like that.

[fjl]

This works for the bananna, Green Shell, Red Shell and the Fake Item.

P.S. The Fake Item doesn't work as a barrier for shells.   If you're in first place and you get it, ditch it for something else when you have a chance.

Really? Since when did they do this? I think you might be right cause I can't recall blocking a red shell while holding the fake item.

I'm almost thinking Mario Kart needs to drop the ability to hold items behind you and tone down some of the power ups.   

I believe they did this with the GC Mariokart. MarioKart double dash. I felt ripped off after buying that crap.

By the way, I previously mentioned that I thought the DS version was the best version of MarioKart. Even with its hang-ups I now think the new Wii version has taken its place. But I think this because of the multiplayer part. I didn't mention this before but I think the GBA version of Mariokart, MarioKart Super Circuit was the best mariokart when it came down to pure driving. They need to re-add the coin power up from that version.

[Blanka]

Well, it all seemed like a good game, until..... there was baby Mario, baby Luigi, baby Daisy and worst of all BABY PEACH 
She completely makes the whole game suck! Only partial sollution left: unplug the stereo. On Mariokart 64 all characters were cool. OK, Peach sucked back then already, as she always came back to second place no matter how hard you hit her with shells. Know what? Peach sucked forever. I have never seen a dumb-ass like Mario hunting a  like Peach for so many sequels. She is the Paris Hilton of computer games. She was put in there to attract Barbie playing girls to Nintendo games, but they really should have made boys and girls versions of all Mario Titles. Plain "Mario Kart" for boys, and "Peach's Baby Buggy Racing" for girls.

[fjl]

I never found any of the characters that annoying. Unless you play with Baby Peach, you should rarely ever hear her sound effects/dialogue. The only time you hear other drivers is when they pass you or vice versa.

[hypernova]

Well, it all seemed like a good game, until..... there was baby Mario, baby Luigi, baby Daisy and worst of all BABY PEACH 
She completely makes the whole game suck! Only partial sollution left: unplug the stereo. On Mariokart 64 all characters were cool. OK, Peach sucked back then already, as she always came back to second place no matter how hard you hit her with shells. Know what? Peach sucked forever. I have never seen a dumb-ass like Mario hunting a  like Peach for so many sequels. She is the Paris Hilton of computer games. She was put in there to attract Barbie playing girls to Nintendo games, but they really should have made boys and girls versions of all Mario Titles. Plain "Mario Kart" for boys, and "Peach's Baby Buggy Racing" for girls.

Done?

Really? Since when did they do this? I think you might be right cause I can't recall blocking a red shell while holding the fake item.

Since always.  Double Dash was like this.  I think the 64 was the same way...or was it?  I cannot honestly remember.

[DaveMMR]

...then again, I'm not in first place very often online.   

You're not kidding.  Man how do some of these people get so far ahead?  I mean before the first lap, they are already WAY out of range. 

Maybe you need to learn the turbo start? Press the throttle button when the hand is up after the 2 count (look at the thing on the cloud).

Also do trick jumps (wave the Wiimote when airborne) to gain a turbo boost when landing. if you wiggle a lot then on some parts you almost get a continous boost.

I think it depends on the class too. In 50cc karts it's doable to almost lap the (computer controlled) field. With 150cc it's a lot harder.

Personally I find that to go fast you need to use the nunchuck for steering or a (gamecube/classic controller). Might be just me though. I go up to a few seconds a lap faster with nunchuck steering rather than the wheel.

Even with using the boost start, waggling the stick over every little bump and even abusing the golden mushroom as soon as I get it, there's still that occasionally blip in the windshield that's some expert who doesn't want to play with any of us.   And of course, I use manual and drift boost whenever I can which does not help in the least.

And I find the nunchuk is better at controlling the game as well.  I have tried the wheel and it does work surprisingly well, but I need more precise control.

Well, it all seemed like a good game, until..... there was baby Mario, baby Luigi, baby Daisy and worst of all BABY PEACH 
She completely makes the whole game suck! Only partial sollution left: unplug the stereo. On Mariokart 64 all characters were cool. OK, Peach sucked back then already, as she always came back to second place no matter how hard you hit her with shells. Know what? Peach sucked forever. I have never seen a dumb-ass like Mario hunting a  like Peach for so many sequels. She is the Paris Hilton of computer games. She was put in there to attract Barbie playing girls to Nintendo games, but they really should have made boys and girls versions of all Mario Titles. Plain "Mario Kart" for boys, and "Peach's Baby Buggy Racing" for girls.

Yes everyone's cool and everyone sucks.  They're all really pretty much the same character anyhow.  Once you just accept that Nintendo games have a "family friendly" (read: kiddie) style to them, you'll enjoy the games a lot more. 

[fjl]

 And of course, I use manual and drift boost whenever I can which does not help in the least.

Not true. If you ever do the time trials you'll know that the drift boosts are essential. The only times they are useless is when used wrong like taking a huge curve/drift to build up the drift boost. If you over exceed the curve the boost gained will not  make up for the extra drifting/curve taken even though you think it does just because you gained a boost.

And I find the nunchuk is better at controlling the game as well.  I have tried the wheel and it does work surprisingly well, but I need more precise control.

This is why I use the GameCube controller

[DaveMMR]

And of course, I use manual and drift boost whenever I can which does not help in the least.

Not true. If you ever do the time trials you'll know that the drift boosts are essential. The only times they are useless is when used wrong like taking a huge curve/drift to build up the drift boost. If you over exceed the curve the boost gained will not  make up for the extra drifting/curve taken even though you think it does just because you gained a boost.

Sorry, I wasn't clear.  I meant that those things don't seem to help me against the hardcore experts online who maintain first place from beginning to end.   I implied that even with those important techniques nailed down, I still see nothing but a faint dot in the horizon that is my opponent with over 8,000VR points and a star.   

[fjl]

The best times are when you use an item and beat that pro right at end of the last track coming in first and causing them to fall way behind. When that happens I literally 

[hypernova]

I was just checking out the official site, since I don't have this game yet...

They have all the characters stats listed as backwards of what it used to be.  Do all the light characters have slow acceleration and high top speed, while the heavy characters have high acceleration with a low top speed?  If so, that doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

[Jdurg]

I LOVED the Super Nintendo version of Mario Kart.  Once I bought and played the N64 version, I forever vowed to NEVER play the series again.  If there is one thing I HATE in a videogame it's "cheating" in order to keep games close.  You can be miles ahead of the computer, but out of nowhere they will catch up with you and nail you with a shell and take the lead.  That's just not fun.  I think if you are good and have the skills to take a huge lead it should remain that way.  In the SNES version, that was the case and that made the game fun because once you took the lead, unless YOU screwed up you were going to keep it.  Once the N64 version came out, if you took the lead you just had to hope that the computer was going to let you keep it.

Is the Wii version just as horrible with the cheating?

[hypernova]

I LOVED the Super Nintendo version of Mario Kart.  Once I bought and played the N64 version, I forever vowed to NEVER play the series again.  If there is one thing I HATE in a videogame it's "cheating" in order to keep games close.  You can be miles ahead of the computer, but out of nowhere they will catch up with you and nail you with a shell and take the lead.  That's just not fun.  I think if you are good and have the skills to take a huge lead it should remain that way.  In the SNES version, that was the case and that made the game fun because once you took the lead, unless YOU screwed up you were going to keep it.  Once the N64 version came out, if you took the lead you just had to hope that the computer was going to let you keep it.

Is the Wii version just as horrible with the cheating?

You must be on crack.  The SNES version was even worse at the cheating.  The lagging CPU would catch back up even faster than newer versions.  The only way to totally screw them was sticking a banana peel on a ramp.  They'd hit it once, not make the jump, and have to do it over again, but for some reason, they'd be unable to make the jump over and over again.  One of the Mario named tracks...the final race of either the mushroom or flower cup.  Also, there was absolutely NO random element to the CPUs, unless you screwed one up at the very end of the race.  They always stayed in the same order each race.

In Double Dash on GC, you could get far enough ahead that a few blue shells and even a lightning bolt or two won't make a difference, because you're still leaving things for them to hit, and they're hitting each other occasionally as well.  One thing that was annoying.  You're in 3rd.  CPU 2nd place will always aim for you, not 1st place CPU, and that goes for everything.  But it needs that.  Otherwise it's waaaaay too easy.  As is every version.  I still don't have the Wii version, so I can't speak for it, but from others, it sounds like it still exists.

Someone's gotta be in first place.  And someone's going to get blue shells.  There are instances where I'm not in first, and the CPU is getting nailed by it.  I'm just usually the one in first.

Also, just because you have the lead doesn't necessarily mean you achieved it through your 1337 skill-age.

[Jdurg]

I LOVED the Super Nintendo version of Mario Kart.  Once I bought and played the N64 version, I forever vowed to NEVER play the series again.  If there is one thing I HATE in a videogame it's "cheating" in order to keep games close.  You can be miles ahead of the computer, but out of nowhere they will catch up with you and nail you with a shell and take the lead.  That's just not fun.  I think if you are good and have the skills to take a huge lead it should remain that way.  In the SNES version, that was the case and that made the game fun because once you took the lead, unless YOU screwed up you were going to keep it.  Once the N64 version came out, if you took the lead you just had to hope that the computer was going to let you keep it.

Is the Wii version just as horrible with the cheating?

You must be on crack.  The SNES version was even worse at the cheating.  The lagging CPU would catch back up even faster than newer versions.  The only way to totally screw them was sticking a banana peel on a ramp.  They'd hit it once, not make the jump, and have to do it over again, but for some reason, they'd be unable to make the jump over and over again.  One of the Mario named tracks...the final race of either the mushroom or flower cup.  Also, there was absolutely NO random element to the CPUs, unless you screwed one up at the very end of the race.  They always stayed in the same order each race.

In Double Dash on GC, you could get far enough ahead that a few blue shells and even a lightning bolt or two won't make a difference, because you're still leaving things for them to hit, and they're hitting each other occasionally as well.  One thing that was annoying.  You're in 3rd.  CPU 2nd place will always aim for you, not 1st place CPU, and that goes for everything.  But it needs that.  Otherwise it's waaaaay too easy.  As is every version.  I still don't have the Wii version, so I can't speak for it, but from others, it sounds like it still exists.

Someone's gotta be in first place.  And someone's going to get blue shells.  There are instances where I'm not in first, and the CPU is getting nailed by it.  I'm just usually the one in first.

Also, just because you have the lead doesn't necessarily mean you achieved it through your 1337 skill-age.

You must have never played the SNES version then.  I would typically lap the second place computer player.  There was no catch up logic in that version of the game.  That's probably why they went overboard with it on the N64 version.  (Just to verify this, I played the SNES version again and won by a massive distance.  Played the N64 version and it was always a photo finish).

[fjl]

I must admit that I too hated the N64 version when I first tried it. First off, I don't believe the CPU ever used any kind of shells in MarioKart64. I could be wrong, but I do recall that one of the early MarioKarts, the CPU never used them. It could have been the SNES. Regardless, I thought that totally sucked.

The SNES version was fun but it wasn't really for me. Or at least back then it wasn't. I hated how linear the CPU was. They weren't randomly controlled. They all had a set pattern and never changed it regardless of the characters being used. It was obvious that each driver in the SNES version had its own characteristics but this was completely ignored in the SNES version when being controlled by the CPU. They all drove the same, turned the same and had the same speed. Like a game of follow the leader. It was ridiculous. If you played the game enough, you would know the exact line of path the CPU would take so you can put a banana in that path and the first one to reach it would get hit. If you missed their line of path then they would never touch that banana or turtle shell. Making it an obstacle for yourself because it will forever be there unless you hit it yourself. This lessened some on the 64 version but was still a bit apparent.

As I mentioned before, MarioKart 64 seemed to me like a blasphemy when I first tried it. Single player wasn't the same like in the SNES version. It seemed more deathmatch than racing with its 3 pair shells and golden mushroom. It was too easy on single player. The snes version had more difficulty. But this isn't to say that I hated Mariokart 64. Cause for multiplay it rocked! Although it was less about driving and more about beating on each other. The Snes version was more about driving.

It wasn't until the GBA version that MarioKart went back to its roots and focused on driving skills instead of deathmatch skills. But I'll gladly mention that the Wii version almost has it right by combining a bit of both.

[danny_galaga]

played this the other day in a supermarket. i quite liked the controls. seemed acurate enough to me. but then my driving isnt about precision (",)

[hypernova]

(Just to verify this, I played the SNES version again and won by a massive distance.  Played the N64 version and it was always a photo finish).

What CC on SNES?

[Jdurg]

(Just to verify this, I played the SNES version again and won by a massive distance.  Played the N64 version and it was always a photo finish).

What CC on SNES?

I typically play on the 150 cc circuit.

[hypernova]

Now you make me want to check it out, because I remember the computer doing better.

[massive88]

Now you make me want to check it out, because I remember the computer doing better.

I remember lapping computer opponents regularly in the SNES version, at the hardest CC however, they provided a challenge, but a skilled player could reliably win.

On another note, I just played the Wii Mario Kart this weekend, and was agast at the battle mode.  I cant believe they butchered it so much to make it not fun. 

[DaveMMR]

Most fun I had was when I power slid into a column on the N64 version and got stuck.  Took me 10 minutes to get out. 

I think after about 30 seconds you should have accepted that you'll lose the race no matter what and hit reset.  That would be an extra 9 minutes 30 second you could have spent having fun.   

[Turnarcades]

Battle mode was was made the SNES version a multi-player classic, but it was crap in every other version due to the different gameplay dynamics, so racing became better. Personally I've not been a big fan of it since the SNES version, but I got online with the Wii version and it rocked.

Now however, everyone is online and I, as well as others, have noticed strange glitches and unfair races meaning even the best players get bitched rom every angle and your ratings go through the floor. Many people have mentioned there may be a 'regional bias', or a small group of people who've developed and are exploiting a way of cheating (not just the time trial thing).

I've witnessed people picking up bullets in first place, people emerging from walls or straight back on track when they fall off, as well as the 'slow down' handicap not dragging people back. I hate the handicap thing myself, but it just doesn't seem to affect some people.

[bishmasterb]

The Bobomb Blast battle mode in Double Dash was incredibly fun I thought.

I agree with others that the battle mode in Wii Kart is pretty uninteresting.

[fjl]

Battle mode was was made the SNES version a multi-player classic, but it was crap in every other version due to the different gameplay dynamics, so racing became better. Personally I've not been a big fan of it since the SNES version, but I got online with the Wii version and it rocked.

Now however, everyone is online and I, as well as others, have noticed strange glitches and unfair races meaning even the best players get bitched rom every angle and your ratings go through the floor. Many people have mentioned there may be a 'regional bias', or a small group of people who've developed and are exploiting a way of cheating (not just the time trial thing).

I've witnessed people picking up bullets in first place, people emerging from walls or straight back on track when they fall off, as well as the 'slow down' handicap not dragging people back. I hate the handicap thing myself, but it just doesn't seem to affect some people.

I can't speak for the other glitches but the people emerging from walls or straight back on track after falling off the track is usually a result of lag. I've seen lag cause an item to be used twice like using one  red shell, it will hit one opponent, continue and hit the next opponent. I've even seen this happen to me.


I've stopped playing the game myself cause there is too many unfair players who are always in the lead somehow and are clearly unstoppable. I now only play with a certain group of friends.

[Daniel270]

I haven't been playing as much lately as I probably should have... 

The wife's started playing backgammon and Uno on the 360 and I've been stuck on Spore. 

But, the handful of times I've logged in online to check if anyone's playing usually ends up being futile... I never see anyone on.

[Dervacumen]

And now for a totally different perspective...

This is the first driving game I've found that my 4 1/2 can and wants to play.  Sure, we're not throwing anything at one another yet... but for those of you with a little one, it's a great fun-time investment.

...and now back to our regular programming.

[Blanka]

This is the first driving game I've found that my 4 1/2 can and wants to play.

So what are we grown ups actually talking about?
This is not a game.
It is a nice visual mix with recognition and baby sounds. Anybody connect this concept to the Teletubbies? 

[ChadTower]

Just got it.  We're enjoying it a good amount.  Best part for us is that it supports Gamecube controllers.  We can all play at once even though we only have two wiimotes.

[patrickl]

This is the first driving game I've found that my 4 1/2 can and wants to play.  Sure, we're not throwing anything at one another yet... but for those of you with a little one, it's a great fun-time investment.

My 5 year old liked Mario Wii kart for a while too, but he quickly got bored of it. He doesn't like the randomness of it and there is not enough challenge in it. The game is simply too easy to control which makes it boring.

He likes Excite Truck better. He's been playing that game since I got it more than a year ago.

[bishmasterb]

Just got it.  We're enjoying it a good amount.  Best part for us is that it supports Gamecube controllers.  We can all play at once even though we only have two wiimotes.

You reminded me of something. We've been using a mix of GC/wheel/nunchuk controllers for playing Wii Kart.

What I've noticed is that even though I love the GC controller, having my hands free to rest comfortably apart using the nunchuk controller is extremely comfortable, versus having a single controller that forces them together.

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this?

[ahofle]

What I've noticed is that even though I love the GC controller, having my hands free to rest comfortably apart using the nunchuk controller is extremely comfortable, versus having a single controller that forces them together.

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this?

I've absolutely noticed this too.

[ChadTower]

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this?

I do that too.  Same reason.