Well, it’s out over here, so i might as well give you the lowdown on what the game is and what it involves.
when you first start the game, it goes straight to a title screen, rather than having a long and overdrawn pre-title CGI movie. you enter, you make a profile and your away. nice, simple, and has no hassle.
You’re greeted with four options. single play, multiplay, 1-2 player wi-fi play and Mario Kart Channel.
single play allows you to compete with the computer in a grandprix, time trial, vs race or battle. the AI is suprisingly human like, and under certain conditions, easy to beat.
the car and bike system works well, despite initial thoughts. cars are easier to handle, while bikes can get speed boosts whenever they like.
cars now have more options to look at when choosing a track. some are made for the road, while others are made for drifting, or made to better handle off road positions. drifting long enough can get you one of two levels of boost when you get out of it.
bike are nimble, yet harder to control. when drifting, they only get a single level of boots, but they can pull off a wheelie anytime to get some extra speed.
races now include twelve racers as apposed to eight.
new weapons are involved. all are quite clever, but sometimes, you’ll find yourself getting the weapon you didn’t want when in a certain position (e.g., getting a super mushroom while in last place, when you really could have done with a bullet bill)
there are a lengthy amount of stages. some new, some pulled from older games, virtually doubling the track number tht the previous game had.
picking up and playing the game is easy, and despite what most people say, the Wii Wheel works incredebly well with the game (although, it does have this thing where if you steer too far (and I mean a full rotation) it will catapult you in the other direction)
online is amazing. I’ve played with people from japan, to australia, and not a single time has it lagged. the leader board system works well although there is a single guy whose unlocked everything and completely blitzed every time imaginable (ahwell, it’s a goal, I guess). also, there are no mode restrictions when playing with anyone. you can select who you play with Worldwide, continental or friend play, if you want to narrow down your choices
unlocking is simple and easy. there are 8-10 grand prix course groupings, twelve characters (which doubles by the end of it) each character has three cars and bikes to start with, but this grows as you play the game.
tracks are challenging, but not frustrating, and there is always a short cut or two, so it’s fun to go look for it if you have the time.
all in all, a fun, highly addictive game with a multiplayer mode that will keep you hooked for weeks. this is a shining example of what nintendo can do with online multiplayer.
PM me if you want to exchange codes 