I have been playing with my wii...

[Munkay]

Marth, my man, Marth.

Agreed.

Although after playing Marth too much on SSBM, I started playing Jigglypuff. Yes, jigglypuff. And the one with the bow on its head. It just felt oh so good to stick it to the perpetual Samus/Link players complaining about Marth's strengths. So uh, never thought I'd say this but... Jigglypuff for teh wins?

:P

Cheers,

Munk

[RTM]

I picked up Endless Ocean last weekend and I'll be darned if it isn't the most relaxing, laid-back game ever. There is something very soothing about swimming around in a beautiful ocean, petting fish and identifying various species. My little kids like watching it and seeing some of the bigger fish. There are "quests" you can take on to photograph a particular species of fish or take a client on a dive with you, but they are entirely optional. WELL worth the $30, in my opinion.

The next game I'm looking forward to is Mario Kart. I've played them all dating back to the SNES version (which is probably my favorite, actually) so I definitely won't be passing this up. I'm a sucker for arcade racers.

[Zarathustra]

Been playing Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles a bit lately and it's a lot of fun. It's basically House of the Dead set in the RE storyline, but who doesn't like shooting a ton of zombies? Plus it gives me more time to enjoy the Wii Zapper, having scored a Platinum in every stage of Link's Crossbow Training.

I need to check out Smash Bros., but I haven't played any of its predecessors.

And Mario Kart? Sign me up!

[Munkay]

I need to check out Smash Bros., but I haven't played any of its predecessors.

The fast (dare I say frantic!) pacing of the game takes a bit of time to adjust to. But once you get a hold of the ropes, its an absolute blast to play.

And Mario Kart? Sign me up!

Amen.:)

Cheers,

Munk

[DeeBye]

I picked up Mario Kart Wii today, and was pleasantly surprised that extra Wii Wheels were sold separately for $15, so I picked up another one.

I played for a couple of hours with my 6 year old son and we had a blast. Using the wheel makes it a lot more fun than using just a controller. There are a lot of different control schemes involving the Gamecube controller, classic controller, remote, and nunchuk. Graphics are bright and cheery and it looks great on my 42" plasma.

I haven't checked out online play, but I'm waiting on a bunch of my friends to send me their Wii codes so I can add them. I dunno if I want to try random matchups, but we'll see.

My only complaint about it is the ridiculous rubber-banding. I was once on the final lap, leading by half a track and was bombarded with all kinds of crazy stuff and ended up in 4th place. That's harsh.

Overall I really think it's the best Mario Kart yet :)

[RTM]

I too picked up Mario Kart on Sunday and have been playing it on and off. I settled on the remote + nunchuck control scheme; I just couldn't get the feel for the wheel, and this may be a small nit, but the gas button in the wheel config hurt my thumb after extended play sessions. I could probably make a go of it if I spent more time with the wheel, but I immediately felt more comfortable when switching to the remote + nunchuck, and my gameplay improved as well.

I haven't gotten very far into the single player game yet, (just finished 50cc mode last night) but I'm already sucked in by the unlockables. I would probably be mostly done with the SP Grand Prix but my compulsive need to unlock stuff dictated that I stay in 50cc mode until I got a star ranking on all races. Which I did. Which unlocked a new racer which I will probably never use.:) Now it's on to 100cc bikes-only!

Speaking of bikes, I tried them for a few races on 50cc and it's going to take some getting used to. They handle differently than carts; power-sliding, specifically. I kind of like that they initially force you to do bikes in the 100cc bracket; if not for that I can see myself never using them.

When not trying for a star rating on the races, the most fun I've had is being stuck in the middle of the pack and getting the crazy powerups. I love how some of the races come down to the last 100 yards of the last lap. My opinion on this will change as I get to the harder difficulties, I'm sure.

So basically, this is the same old Mario Kart with the added crack-like addiction of unlockables and online play. I love it.:)

[DeeBye]

I settled on the remote + nunchuck control scheme; I just couldn't get the feel for the wheel

Anyone who doesn't use the wheel is a goddamn communist that doesn't like fun :angry:

I'm gonna go ahead and say that Rainbow Road is eventually gonna lead me to destroying my wheels in a fit of rage.

[SpazBear]

Pinball....

Admittedly, I'm not much of a 'gamer' compared to most of the posters here -- I'm more of a PC-based, strategy game guy (although my kids got me to play Super Smash Bros Brawl -- great fun).

I've been kicking around getting a pinball game (a real, coin slot, metal ball unit) for awhile, since buddy of mine picked one up at Xmas (Surfin' Safari -- a *great* pinball game), but the cashflow just isn't there to justify it....

But for $29.95, I got a whole slew of pinball games by getting The Williams Collection. I was a little leery of buying a video pinball game (because PC versions of pinball have been lame), but when I saw the units in the compilation I had to try -- it has many of my all-time favorite games.

Gameplay is AWESOME. It's not the same as holding onto a cabinet unit, but really close. I've got the forearm stingers from my index fingers pressing the triggers too much.

For some of the elder members of this forum who may have a greater appreciation for the game of pinball, I'd recommend this game, if you're also a Wii owner.

[Griselda]

Anyone who doesn't use the wheel is a goddamn communist that doesn't like fun :angry:

I'm gonna go ahead and say that Rainbow Road is eventually gonna lead me to destroying my wheels in a fit of rage.

We should have LL Mario Kart races.

[LochnarITB]

but when I saw the units in the compilation I had to try

If they added High Speed and Comet, along with the included Pinbot, I would just maybe have to consider buying a Wii.B)

[Bolty]

We should have LL Mario Kart races.

I expect hardcore analysis of acceleration ratios, speed and traction controls, and the benefits of driving with Yoshi over Mario. Charts and graphs must be included to be taken seriously. Then we will open up a Mario Kart strategy site, and Jarulf can write a guide...

-Bolty

[Mordekhuul]

I expect hardcore analysis of acceleration ratios, speed and traction controls, and the benefits of driving with Yoshi over Mario. Charts and graphs must be included to be taken seriously. Then we will open up a Mario Kart strategy site, and Jarulf can write a guide...

-Bolty

I highly encourage creation of a "[Mario Kart Driver] Informational Thread" on the EJ Class Mechanics forum as well, with bonus points to be awarded based on how long the thread is left open and how scathing Kaubel's infraction against you is.

[Griselda]

I expect hardcore analysis of acceleration ratios, speed and traction controls, and the benefits of driving with Yoshi over Mario. Charts and graphs must be included to be taken seriously. Then we will open up a Mario Kart strategy site, and Jarulf can write a guide...

-Bolty

I was just mentioning to my husband how much I wanted a chart listing the features of the different vehicles.

[DeeBye]

I was just mentioning to my husband how much I wanted a chart listing the features of the different vehicles.

I found this on a strategy website. It's not about vehicles, but I think it's accurate.

Lightweights

Baby Mario
Weight+3
Handling+2

Baby Luigi
Weight+3
Speed+2

Baby Peach
Speed+1
Weight+2
Acceleration+1
Handling+1

Baby Daisy
Speed+2
Weight+2
Mini-turbo+1

Toad
Acceleration+2
Drift+2

Toadette
Speed+1
Off-road+2

Koopa
Handling+1
Mini-turbo+2

Dry Bones
Acceleration+1
Drift+1
Mini-turbo+2

Mii
Speed+1
Weight+1
Drift+1
Mini-turbo+1

Middleweights

Mario
Weight+2
Acceleration+1
Handling+1
Drift+1

Luigi
Speed+1
Weight+2

Peach
Speed+1
Acceleration+2
Drift+2

Daisy
Speed+2
Handling+1
Mini-Turbo+1

Yoshi
Weight+1
Drift+1
Off-road+2

Birdo
Weight+1
Off-road+1
Mini-Turbo+2

Diddy Kong
Acceleration+1
Drift+1
Mini-Turbo+2

Bowser Jr.
Off-road+1
Mini-Turbo+1

Mii
Speed+1
Weight+1
Off-road+1
Mini-Turbo+1

Heavyweights

Wario
Weight+1
Off-road+1
Mini-Turbo+2

Waluigi
Acceleration+2
Drift+2
Off-road+1

Donkey Kong
Weight+1
Acceleration+1
Handling+1
Mini-Turbo+1

Bowser
Speed+1
Weight+2
Drift+1

King Boo
Handling+2
Off-road+1

Rosalina
Speed+1
Handling+1
Mini-Turbo+1

Funky Kong
Speed+2
Off-road+1

Dry Bowser
Off-road+2
Mini-Turbo+2

Mii
Speed+1
Acceleration+1
Handling+1
Drift+1

As for strategy, it depends on what races you are doing.

For Grand Prix mode, the object is to be in the lead which means you are going to be hit with a ton of junk that stops you cold over and over again. That means you want a character/vehicle combo that gives you acceleration bonuses.

In Time Trial mode, you want huge top end speed. For this, Heavy Characters on the fast bikes are ideal. Handling and acceleration will be crap, but with liberal use of wheelies you can really scream through the tracks (assuming you can keep them on the tracks that is). If you look at the people dominating in WFC games, it's people using Funky Kong on the fast bike. I haven't unlocked Funky Kong yet, so I clearly suck and you should ignore everything I say.

0473-8182-8151 is my friend code

[Taem]

Anyone who doesn't use the wheel is a goddamn communist that doesn't like fun :angry:

I'm gonna go ahead and say that Rainbow Road is eventually gonna lead me to destroying my wheels in a fit of rage.

I would like to mention how extremely disappointed I am in the combat system on wii Mario Kart. Personally, I loved the N64 version where you had three balloons, and if you were killed, you became a bomb. Now, you cannot die, so WTF is the point of having the balloons in the first place? When you loose all three balloons, you are just placed in your respawn point on the battle field. And forcing you to play in teams?!? Is it just me or is the wii killing their beloved franchises? Super Smash Bros. Brawl has that ridiculous "special" ability that is so unbalanced with some characters I'd go so far as to say it was broken; Mario Strikers... was just utter nonsense and not a soccer game at all. And now they have to go and kill my favorite part of Mario Kart by eliminating your ability to actually die, the ability to become a bomb, the ability to play against four other opponents in the same room as you... what a big let down. To be honest, the racing aspect was always so-so for me (if I wanted a real racing game, I'd of stuck with my xbox and played GT), but it was the combat that made the game exciting, fast, and furious with four other friends all at each others throats. Why did they have to break this?

EDIT: This about sums up my sentiments.

[gekko]

I would like to mention how extremely disappointed I am in the combat system on wii Mario Kart. Personally, I loved the N64 version where you had three balloons, and if you were killed, you became a bomb. Now, you cannot die, so WTF is the point of having the balloons in the first place? When you loose all three balloons, you are just placed in your respawn point on the battle field. And forcing you to play in teams?!? Is it just me or is the wii killing their beloved franchises? Super Smash Bros. Brawl has that ridiculous "special" ability that is so unbalanced with some characters I'd go so far as to say it was broken; Mario Strikers... was just utter nonsense and not a soccer game at all. And now they have to go and kill my favorite part of Mario Kart by eliminating your ability to actually die, the ability to become a bomb, the ability to play against four other opponents in the same room as you... what a big let down. To be honest, the racing aspect was always so-so for me (if I wanted a real racing game, I'd of stuck with my xbox and played GT), but it was the combat that made the game exciting, fast, and furious with four other friends all at each others throats. Why did they have to break this?

EDIT: This about sums up my sentiments.

Yup, that review nailed it just about perfectly. As much fun as I'm having playing through the Grand Prix modes, especially with my little cousin, I'm still in a state of denial over the awful, awful battle mode. Four player free for all in the N64 Mario Kart still remains one my favourite gaming memories ever, and I'm just so disappointed in losing that option.

Why on earth do game developers remove or limit options rather than allowing us to choose? It could not have been difficult to add a screen to the battle mode option where you select between 'teams' and 'no teams,' let alone a certain number of teams. Same goes for timed matches versus a certain number of lives per player.

gekko

[Zarathustra]

I went straight to the Wii Wheel with Mario Kart and I really can't see playing any other way now. It's responside, fits well in my hands, and even on the old systems I used to lean left and right to try and get those turns just a little tighter, so that's completely natural. B)

I haven't unlocked everything yet. I've got a handful of characters and vehicles; pretty much have everything opened up to the Special cup of 150cc, but there are a few I skipped where you need to get a star in each cup, etc.

For now, my combo of choice is Dry Bones with the Bullet Bike. Good stuff!

My friend code is 3780-9548-5566 (Mii named Chris). Let's get some Lurker games going.

[DeeBye]

My friend code is 3780-9548-5566 (Mii named Chris). Let's get some Lurker games going.

I registered your code. Mine is 0473-8182-8151 (Derek).

I have no Wii friends:(

[Griselda]

I registered your code. Mine is 0473-8182-8151 (Derek).

I have no Wii friends:(

I'm Belhelmel, playing as Wario, 4768-8031-9031.

[Zarathustra]

I've got Griselda and Deebye added. Now we'll see if we bump into each other somtime. I'm generally using Dry Bones with the Bullet Bike.

I went ahead and looked up the unlockables online then opened up Funky Kong. He's handy for time trials, but otherwise I just can't deal with the lack of acceleration on the big guys. In Grand Prix I tend to be at the front of the pack, and recovery is crucial.

One thing that's interesting is that anything you unlock via the time trials might now show up immediately. I was doing them last night, went through a slew of races and beat a bunch of staff ghosts... and nothing. Today when I fired up the Wii and started the game, it went through a list of "you have unlocked..." notifications.