Mario Kart Wii - updated impressions

Features
By published

Take every previous version, add 12-player online races, multiply by new tracks and give us... motorcycles

The half-pipes are for getting SSX-style air and popping a few stunts while soaring up to the item boxes that float a few metres above the rim. Once you're airborne, you can do freestyle tricks by flipping and twisting the vehicle. It seems a strange thing to have in Mario Kart, but it looks like a purely optional piece of bonus fun - there doesn't appear to be any speed boost or freebie item awarded for doing a flashy stunt.

Perhaps it's a way to evade homing shells, in which case it's most welcome - we could use some means of escaping those unavoidable blue devils. Whether the drivers wipe out if they don't land correctly remains to be seen.

Unlike the earlier games, which had a maximum of eight drivers, Mario Kart Wii has a 12-car field - and that goes for the online mode as well. It's going to be the best kind of chaos. The online lobby will be set up to ensure the competitors are as evenly matched as possible, and promises to offer fast connections - and it'll have to, since it's coping with 12 players.