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Keep on Kartin': A Mario Kart Retrospective
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Keep_on_Kartin_A_Mario_Kart_Retrospective'; Nintendo has said it considers Mario Kart Wii a "bridge game" -- a title that converts casual, Wii Sports-playing Wii owners into a more hardcore, game-buying type. For those bridge gamers, this quick retrospective will help fill you in on the history that has made the Mario Kart series one of the most beloved in gaming. For everyone else, it's a stroll down memory lane and a starting point for discussion about your hopes and fears for the impending Mario Kart Wii. Let's roll! -->
Mario Kart Wii: The Unboxing
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Unboxing_Mario_Kart_Wii'; We got home this afternoon to find a rather large shoebox at our doorstep. Contained within: our very own Mario Kart Wii. We can't simply enjoy our excitement alone, of course, so check out our unboxing gallery. We'll have full impressions of the anticipated racer soon.
Celebrate Mario Kart Wii with alternate karts, Wii wheel substitutions
Using a baby as a Wii Wheel substitution is not the best idea for either your gameplay or the infant in question. Our sister site Nintendo Wii Fanboy has this and more suggestions for when the Wii Wheel isn't enough. In case you're looking for more Mario Kart Wii-related shenanigans, they've also devised a listing of potential "alternate karts," including what we envision would be the most "kart" race ever: Wario in a rickshaw vs. Yoshi on a pogo stick. Alternate Kart Universe Reinvinting the Wii Wheel
Reinventing The Wii Wheel
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Reinventing_the_Wii_Wheel'; Mario Kart games are all about having a great time racing against your friends -- and yet the Mario Kart Wii package shamefully includes but one Wii Wheel attachment. You could purchase a separate Wii Wheel, but that's a bit costly, and requires the foreknowledge that you'll have a second player soon. And then what if you have three friends coming over? Without four Wheels, you could face a controller shell emergency. In such desperate situations, you may go scrambling about your house for something that can be fashioned into a DIY Wii Wheel. In order to save you a bit of panic, we've come up with a bunch of makeshift Wii Wheels that will work in a pinch -- and some that wouldn't, but are almost as funny as adults holding fake steering wheels in the air and pretending to drive with them. Head for the starting line!
Brando's Wii Multi-Axis Racing System: a few notches above awful
We know, there's only so much you can do to a foam donut to make it, well, more than a foam donut, but Brando's trying its best to one-up the competition by adding in a stand. With Mario Kart Wii launching in under a fortnight (in the US, at least), the Wii Multi-Axis Racing System is vying for those hard-earned dollars by giving racers the ability to grip something stuck to an immobile surface rather than just flailing around with some sort of lightweight Wiimote-engulfing circle. And at just $18, it even gives the first-party Wii Wheel some serious competition. Okay, so maybe "serious" is an overstatement.[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]
The first (somewhat) decent Wii Wheel clone
Third-party accessory manufacturers have been putting out steering wheel attachments for the Wii remote long before Nintendo pulled the curtain on its Wii Wheel, but, like the Wii Wheel, they're simple models, plastic molded into circular shapes with an open slot for the controller.Brando's Wii Multi-Axis Racing System has a more traditional design with an attachable steering column and suction cups at the bottom to keep it in place. It really looks more expensive than the $18 Brando is asking for it, but you'll have to remember that there are no actual electronic or complex parts.Mounting the wheel to the column should keep the Wii remote angled correctly while you race around Mario Kart's tracks, but, then again, that might also make it tough to pull off waggle stunts. Drift past the post break for more photos of the Wii Multi-Axis Racing System.
Fanswag: Mario Kart Extravaganza
Mario Kart Wii is set to be one of the biggest releases this year, and we want to make sure you can get in the game -- which is why we're giving away five spanking new copies (valued at $49.99 each) to five lucky readers. Between now and April 25, you can throw your name in the hat once per day, and all you have to do is answer one simple question in the comments below: What's your all-time favorite Mario Kart track? The contest, which is open to all current legal residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older, will run through April 25 and shut down that night promptly at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. We will select the five winners in a random drawing, and if you want to be among them, you'd better start commenting!Got questions? Don't forget to check out the official rules.%Gallery-4772%
Joystiq hands-on: Wii Wheel
I had low expectations for the Wii Wheel before playing a few rounds of Mario Kart at the Nintendo Media Summit. The circular chunk of plastic exceeded my expectations. And that's my advice in life: Expect little and be constantly pleased.I twisted the small wheel to turn my racer. Gentle movements steered me around the tracks, and the setup was most sensitive if I held it at a 90-degree angle, with the face pointing directly away from the TV. A button pad pushed the B trigger, giving me a bigger target to hop and turn. I reached the other buttons easily.But the control felt imprecise because it wasn't mounted to anything. I unintentionally dropped the wheel angle sometimes, making the system less sensitive. I don't know why someone would want to buy one of these, and I expect most gamers will stick with other control methods.
Wii Warm Up: Spoiling the race
With Mario Kart Wii releasing in the U.S. very soon, we wonder how many of you took a hard stance on spoilers in the game? Did you save yourself the excitement and try to remain pure before the game's release, or did you give in to your darker desires and already learn of every unlockable racer and other goodie in the game? Have you remained spoiler free?%Gallery-4772%
You already have a Wii Wheel in your own home
Being nothing more than a chunky, round slab of plastic with a convenient slot for your Wiimote to slide into, the Wii Wheel is fairly easily imitated. As if to illustrate this fact, one Japanese blogger fashioned the DIY Wii Wheel you see above, using only a saucepan lid and a strip of parcel tape. We suppose it's a cheaper alternative to shelling out cash to equip another three players, but doesn't this make the B button inaccessible? Steer past the break for another (considerably more wheel-like) homemade example.%Gallery-19823%
Rumor: Nintendo Wii Wheel MSRP may be $10
GoNintendo reports that the latest issue of Nintendo Power states the manufacturer's suggested retail price for the Nintendo Wii Wheel is $10. It appears that some retailers aren't taking the suggestion to heart, as Gamestop, Amazon and some other stores are selling the glorified plastic shell for $15 separetly from the game.Best Buy seems to currently be one of the only retailers we could find that had the product listed and selling for $10 (but we're sure that the Joystiq army of internet detectives can find more). We've contacted Nintendo for confirmation on what the actual MSRP of the Nintendo Wii Wheel is and will update as soon as we receive an answer.
Wii Wheel MSRP not $15, after all
If you were worried that you'd have to give up your first-born child (which we at Nintendo Wii Fanboy calculate is worth about $15) for the Wii Wheel, we have some reassuring news. Although GameStop recently posted an ad which gave us the impression that the Wii Wheel would retail for $14.99, Nintendo Power has us thinking differently. According to the scan seen above, the wheel's MSRP will actually be five dollars less, costing a more reasonable $9.99.So, if you're planning on getting a few extra of these, we recommend doing so at stores that don't charge above the suggested retail price.%Gallery-4772% [Thanks, Sn1per!]
Iwata asks about the many Wii Wheels of Nintendo
In a new edition of the contrived Iwata Asks, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and product development guy, Kenichiro Ashida, sit down with president Satoru Iwata to talk about the Wii Wheel shipping with Mario Kart Wii. Ashida regales that in early 2007 the product development team got the first build of Mario Kart Wii and started messing around with developing a steering wheel. Some 30 prototypes laters the team had a design that was about the size of a real go-kart steering wheel and added a B button to the underside of the wheel for a child's fingers to reach. Mario Kart Wii drives into stores April 27... coincidentally, two days before that other driving game.
Iwata Asks: Mario Kart Wii
After Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii has become the latest title to appear in the excellent "Iwata Asks:" series of interviews. Featuring producer Hideki Konno, Wii Wheel project leader Kenichiro Ashida, and Shigeru Miyamoto (in fully relaxed, shirt-open mode) getting grilled by Satoru Iwata, it's a treasure trove of information for Mario Kart enthusiasts.Alongside an enjoyably lengthy dissection of the series' history, there's also discussion about Mario Kart Wii's online play. The online matchmaking in particular sounds a treat, in that it allows players to join a race once it's finished, thus avoiding races becoming one-on-one affairs (as so frequently happened in Mario Kart DS). Players can use the Mario Kart Channel to check which of their friends are currently playing online, and even join them instantly.Producer Konno and Miyamoto also explained the decision to include bikes in this game, with Konno admitting that his own hobbies influenced the choice, and Miyamoto stating that the bikes are there to "make the world of Mario a little more for boys [by] adding an extreme-like element to the game." (Apparently, the title was originally known as "Mario Kart X," with the "X" taken from "extreme") Finally, we hear more on the Wii Wheel, and the reasoning behind it. As expected, the peripheral is designed to make Mario Kart more approachable than ever before, and project leader Kenichiro Ashida reportedly created "about thirty" prototypes (many of which you can see in our gallery). Oh, and he even made gold and black versions -- just for the hell of it. Do want!%Gallery-4772%%Gallery-19823%
Metareview: Mario Kart Wii
Okay, if everybody could just stop what they're doing, and focus here, please. You, with the Mountain Dew. You, with the shoes. Let's concentrate. Mario Kart Wii is flipping and somersaulting its way to all major regions later this month, so roughly now would be a good time to start getting excited. If you really need any further encouragement, let's see what the reviews say*:NGamer UK -- 88%: NGamer UK claimed that not enough effort had been expended on the local multiplayer mode, that balloon battle "still stinks," but that the online modes were well-executed, and that overall Mario Kart Wii is "a really solid Mario Kart with a terrific online setup. There's plenty here to make up for the disappointment of local multiplayer, but it does stop short of magnificence."Eurogamer -- 80%: Meanwhile, it looks like yours truly may have spoken too soon when it comes to the Wii Wheel -- according to Eurogamer, the peripheral is "ergonomically brilliant, satisfyingly solid and adorably chunky." Which is good news, considering the gimped Classic Controller and GameCube pad controls. They seemed to like the rest of the game as well: "Ultimately, the sheer sensory pleasure of playing Mario Kart Wii - from the charming animations, to the bopping tunes, to the sugar-rush boosting, to the exquisite steering - far overcomes the few concerns we have about it. It still has to be docked a mark for the awkward structure and compromised battle modes - but it's still unreservedly recommended to anyone for whom Mario Kart is a gaming cornerstone. And really, that should be everyone."Nintendo Power -- 90%: Nintendo Power was more effusive in its praise, claiming that: "With more features, modes and multiplayer options than ever before, fans should be revved up to get behind the wheel." [May 2008, p.86 -- excerpt found at Metacritic]* Also worth noting is Famitsu's 37/40 score, a combination of one ten, and three nines.%Gallery-4772%
A note about control options in Mario Kart Wii
Click image for hi-res version For those of you looking for a control scheme in Mario Kart Wii that does not involve a wheel or a Wiimote in any way, know that you won't be given the same love you were in, say, Smash Bros. Brawl. Instead, you're ... wait, what's this? Actually, for Mario Kart Wii, the exact same control schemes available in Super Smash Bros. Brawl are open to gamers for use. Head past the break for the full breakdown on how you'll be busting tricks and trashing the competition in Mario Kart Wii.%Gallery-4772%
Non-Wiimote controls limited for Mario Kart Wii
click to enlarge Fans of alternate Wii control schemes were obviously psyched when it was revealed that Mario Kart Wii would support a variety of control methods, including the Wii Classic Controller and Gamecube pad. But those fans might want to scale back their expectations, as an updated game fact sheet (posted on Nintendo's press site) claims that players who don't use the Wii Remote schemes will not be able to perform "certain moves" and "some maneuvers."What maneuvers exactly? We're not quite sure, but the new mid-air tricks probably aren't among them -- A Link to the Future notes that an IGN preview specifically mentions Classic and Gamecube controller users can hit the d-pad to perform those. We find it hard to imagine that the plethora of joysticks and buttons on the alternate control schemes can't replicate the controls of the somewhat button-free design of the Wii Remote. Could this be an effort to encourage more use of the practically useless 'extremely useful' Wii Wheel? You'll know as soon as we do.%Gallery-16165%
Wii Wheel pricing leaked by GameStop
According to a recent weekly ad from GameStop (pictured above), the Wii Wheel will end up costing $14.99 in the U.S. (Note: Although this price for a standalone Wii Wheel has yet to be confirmed by Nintendo, GameStop tends to be accurate about these things.) That seems like a lot of money for a plastic shell, don't you think? It's true that the Wii Zapper costs more, but at least that comes with a Link's Crossbow Training pack-in. Plus, we don't think we're being too hypocritical, considering we haven't bough ourselves a Zapper, either.Mario Kart Wii will come with a Wii Wheel, so if you find the experience of playing with it to be incredibly awesome, you might decide to fork over the extra cash to buy some more. Being the cheapskates we are, though, we'd much rather get used to playing with the Wiimote alone, or just hook-up our GameCube or Classic controllers. Gallery: Mario Kart Wii [Via Gizmodo]
Wii Wheel (aka: plastic shell) sold separately for $14.99
If you're just sure Nintendo's Wii Wheel peripheral is going to make your Mario Kart Wii game that much better, you may want to nab a second (remember, one comes in the box). Lucky for you, Gamestop is more than happy to take your money well before the game's April 27th release, with their latest circular promoting preorders for the game and – what's this? – a single Wii Wheel sold separately for $14.99.If you ask us, that's pretty steep when you consider the Wii Wheel is just a plastic shell; you're better off putting that $15 towards a used Gamecube controller which, praise be to Bowser, will work just fine with Mario's latest racing simulator. [Via Engadget]
Nintendo's Wii Wheel priced at $14.99
We've known that Nintendo would be bundling a single Wii Wheel in with the forthcoming Mario Kart Wii title, but now it seems that folks riding shotgun (or riding your tail) can grab one of their own. According to a recently released flyer from GameStop, extra Wheels -- should the plethora of steering apparatuses already out there not suffice -- will be sold for a cool $14.99 each. April 27th just seems so, so far away, doesn't it? Check the flyer in full after the jump.[Thanks, Pat]
