History of Videogames

What we have here is a quick reference list of all the videogame consoles that have been released over time and a list of all the portable systems that use cartridge swappable games.

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The 70s

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Magnavox Odyssey

• Released:1972


• Units sold:330,000

Atari PONG

• Released:1975


• Units sold:?

Magnavox Odyssey 100

• Released:1975


• Units sold:?

Magnavox Odyssey 200

• Released:1975


• Units sold:?

Atari Super PONG

• Released:1976


• Units sold:?

Coleco Telstar

• Released:1976


• Units sold:?

Coleco Telstar Classic

• Released:1976


• Units sold:?

Fairchild Channel F

• Released:1976


• Units sold:?

Magnavox Odyssey 300

• Released:1976


• Units sold:?

Magnavox Odyssey 400

• Released:1976


• Units sold:?

Magnavox Odyssey 500

• Released:1976


• Units sold:?

RCA Studio II

• Released:1976


• Units sold:?

Wonder Wizard 7702

• Released:1976


• Units sold:?

Nintendo Colour TV Game

• Released:1977


• Units sold:?

Atari Stunt Cycle

• Released:1977


• Units sold:?

Atari VCS 2600

• Released:1977


• Units sold:30 million (Includes all variants)

Atari Video Pinball

• Released:1977


• Units sold:?

Coleco Telstar Alpha

• Released:1977


• Units sold:?

Coleco Telstar Combat

• Released:1977


• Units sold:?

Magnavox Odyssey 2000

• Released:1977


• Units sold:?

Magnavox Odyssey 3000

• Released:1977


• Units sold:?

Magnavox Odyssey 4000

• Released:1977


• Units sold:?

Bally Professional Arcade

• Released:1978


• Units sold:?

Coleco Telstar Arcade

• Released:1978


• Units sold:?

Coleco Telstar Colortron

• Released:1978


• Units sold:?

Coleco Telstar Gemini

• Released:1978


• Units sold:?

Magnavox Odyssey²

• Released:1978


• Units sold:?

Atari 400

• Released:1979


• Units sold:?

Zircon Channel F System II

• Released:1979


• Units sold:?

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The 80s

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Mattel Intellivision

• Released:1980


• Units sold:3 million (Includes both version)

Epoch Cassette Vision

• Released:1981


• Units sold:?

Atari 5200

• Released:1982


• Units sold:?

Coleco Gemini

• Released:1982


• Units sold:?

Colecovision

• Released:1982


• Units sold:6 million

Emerson Arcadia 2001

• Released:1982


• Units sold:?

Mattel Intellivision II

• Released:1982


• Units sold:3 million (Includes both version)

Vectrex

• Released:1982


• Units sold:?

Sega SG-1000

• Released:1983


• Units sold:?

Atari 2600 Junior

• Released:1986


• Units sold:30 million (Includes all variants)

Atari 7800

• Released:1986


• Units sold:?

NEC Turbo Grafx 16

• Released:1989


• Units sold:10 million

Nintendo Entertainment System

• Released:1985


• Units sold:61.9 million (includes both variants)

Sega Master System

• Released:1986


• Units sold:13 million (Includes both variants)

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive

• Released:1989


• Units sold:29 million (Includes all variants)

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The 90s

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Sega Master System II

• Released:1990


• Units sold:13 million (Includes both variants)

SNK NEO-GEO (AES)

• Released:1990


• Units sold:?

CD-i

• Released:1991


• Units sold:570,000

Commodore CDTV

• Released:1991


• Units sold:?

Super Nintendo

• Released:1991


• Units sold:49.1 million (Include all variants)

NEC TurboDuo

• Released:1992


• Units sold:?

Sega Mega CD Mega Drive/Genesis

• Released:1992


• Units sold:6 million (Includes both variants)

Amiga CD32

• Released:1993


• Units sold:?

Atari Jaguar

• Released:1993


• Units sold:500,000

Nintendo Entertainment System 2

• Released:1993


• Units sold:61.9 million (includes both variants)

Panasonic 3DO Interactive

• Released:1993


• Units sold:2 million (including all variants and Sanyo and Goldstar versions)

NEC PC-FX

• Released:1994


• Units sold:?

Atari Jaguar CD

• Released:1994


• Units sold:20,000

Sega Mega CD for Mega Drive/Genesis 2

• Released:1994


• Units sold:6 million (Includes both variants)

Sega Mega Drive/Genesis 2

• Released:1994


• Units sold:29 million (Includes all variants)

Sega Mega Drive/Genesis 32x

• Released:1994


• Units sold:200,000

Sega CDX/Sega Multi-Mega

• Released:1994


• Units sold:?

SNK NEO-GEO CD

• Released:1994


• Units sold:?

Apple Pippin

• Released:1995


• Units sold:42,000

Panasonic 3DO FZ-10

• Released:1995


• Units sold:2 million (including all variants and Sanyo and Goldstar versions)

Sega Saturn

• Released:1995


• Units sold:17 million

Sony PlayStation

• Released:1995


• Units sold:102.49 million (includes all PS variants)

Discussions about the PSone & PS2 can be found here.

Nintendo 64

• Released:1996


• Units sold:32.9 million

Super Nintendo 2

• Released:1997


• Units sold:49.1 million (Include all variants)

Sega Genesis 3

• Released:1998


• Units sold:29 million (Includes all variants)

Nintendo 64DD

• Released:1999


• Units sold:15 000

Sega Dreamcast

• Released:1999


• Units sold:10.6 million

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Year 2000

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Sony PlayStation 2

• Released:2000


• Units sold:Over 127 million and counting(includes all PS2 variants)

Discussions about the PSone & PS2 can be found here.

Sony PlayStation PSone

• Released:2000


• Units sold:102.49 million (includes all PS variants)

Discussions about the PSone & PS2 can be found here.

Microsoft X-Box

• Released:2001


• Units sold:24 million

Discussions about the Microsoft X-Box can be found here.

Nintendo Game Cube

• Released:2001


• Units sold:21.74 million

Discussions about the Nintendo Game Cube can be found here here.

Atari Flashback

• Released:2004


• Units sold:?

Sony PlayStation 2 Slim

• Released:2004


• Units sold:Over 127 million and counting(includes all PS2 variants)

Discussions about the PSone & PS2 can be found here.

XaviXPORT

• Released:2004


• Units sold:?

Microsoft X-Box 360

• Released:2005


• Units sold:Over 19 million and still counting

For all the Microsoft X-Box 360 information that you could possibly need check out My360.com.au

Atari Flashback 2

• Released:2005


• Units sold:?

Game Wave Family Entertainment System

• Released:2006


• Units sold:?

Mattel HyperScan

• Released:2006


• Units sold:?

Nintendo Wii

• Released:2006


• Units sold:Over 21.56 million and counting

For all the Nintendo Wii information that you could possibly need check out MyWii.com.au

Sony PlayStation 3

• Released:2006


• Units sold:Over 12 million and counting

For all the Sony Playstation 3 information that you could possibly need check out MyPS3.com.au and if Blu-ray movies interest you then take a look at MyBluRay.com.au

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Portable Videogame Systems

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The 70s

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Microvision

• Manufacturer:Milton Bradley


• Released:1979


• Units sold:?

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The 80s

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Game Pocket Computer

• Manufacturer:Epoch


• Released:1984


• Units sold:?

Game Boy

• Manufacturer:Nintendo


• Released:1989


• Units sold:118.7 million (Includes all variants)

Lynx

• Manufacturer:Atari


• Released:1989


• Units sold:Under 500,000 (Includes both versions)

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The 90s

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Game Gear

• Manufacturer:Sega


• Released:1990


• Units sold:11 million

TurboExpress

• Manufacturer:NEC


• Released:1990


• Units sold:1.5 million

Lynx 2

• Manufacturer:Atari


• Released:1991


• Units sold:Under 500,000 (Includes both versions)

Watara Supervision

• Manufacturer:Watara


• Released:1992


• Units sold:?

Mega Duck/Cougar Boy

• Manufacturer:Creatonic, Videojet, and Timlex


• Released:1993


• Units sold:?

Nomad

• Manufacturer:Sega


• Released:1995


• Units sold:1 million

Game Boy Pocket

• Manufacturer:Nintendo


• Released:1996


• Units sold:118.7 million (Includes all variants)

Virtual Boy

• Manufacturer:Nintendo


• Released:1996


• Units sold:770,000

Game.com

• Manufacturer:Tiger Electronics


• Released:1997


• Units sold:Less than 300,000

Game Boy Light

• Manufacturer:Nintendo


• Released:1997


• Units sold:118.7 million (Includes all variants)

Game Boy Color

• Manufacturer:Nintendo


• Released:1998


• Units sold:118.7 million (Includes all variants)

Neo Geo Pocket

• Manufacturer:SNK


• Released:1998


• Units sold:2 million

Neo-Geo Pocket Color

• Manufacturer:SNK


• Released:1998


• Units sold:?

WonderSwan

• Manufacturer:Bandai


• Released:1999


• Units sold:?

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Year 2000

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WonderSwan Color

• Manufacturer:Bandai


• Released:2000


• Units sold:?

GP32 (GamePark 32)

• Manufacturer:GamePark


• Released:2001


• Units sold:Around 30,000

Game Boy Advance

• Manufacturer:Nintendo


• Released:2001


• Units sold:81.06 million (Includes all variants)

For discussions on the GBA Click Here!

Check out some of the popular GBA titles here!

SwanCrystal

• Manufacturer:Bandai


• Released:2002


• Units sold:?

GameKing

• Manufacturer:TimeTop


• Released:2003


• Units sold:?

Game Boy Advance SP

• Manufacturer:Nintendo


• Released:2003


• Units sold:81.06 million (Includes all variants)

For discussions on the GBA Click Here!

Check out some of the popular GBA titles here!

N-Gage

• Manufacturer:Nokia


• Released:2003


• Units sold:3 million (Includes both variants)

Zodiac

• Manufacturer:Tapwave


• Released:2003


• Units sold:Less that 200,000

N-Gage QD

• Manufacturer:Nokia


• Released:2004


• Units sold:3 million (Includes both variants)

Nintendo DS

• Manufacturer:Nintendo


• Released:2004


• Units sold:Over 70.6 million and counting (Includes all variants)

For more DS information Click Here!

For a comprehensive games list Click Here!

The DS was released in multiple colours and you can check them out Here!

PlayStation Portable

• Manufacturer:Sony


• Released:2004


• Units sold:Over 34 million and still counting (Includes all variants)

For more PSP information Click Here!

For a comprehensive PSP games list Click Here!

Pocket Fami

• Manufacturer:GameTech


• Released:2004


• Units sold:?

Game Boy Micro

• Manufacturer:Nintendo


• Released:2005


• Units sold:2.42 million

For discussions on the GBA Click Here!

Check out some of the popular GBA titles here!

Gizmondo

• Manufacturer:Tiger Telematics


• Released:2005


• Units sold:Less than 25,000

GP2X

• Manufacturer:GamePark Holdings/li>
  
• Released:2005


• Units sold:Over 30000

VG Pocket

• Manufacturer:Pelican Accessories


• Released:2006


• Units sold:?

Nintendo DS Lite

• Manufacturer:Nintendo


• Released:2006


• Units sold:Over 70.6 million and counting (Includes all variants)

For more DS information Click Here!

For a comprehensive games list Click Here!

The DS was released in multiple colours and you can check them out Here!

PlayStation Portable Slim & Lite

• Manufacturer:Sony


• Released:2007


• Units sold:Over 34 million and still counting (Includes all variants)

For more PSP information Click Here!

For a comprehensive PSP games list Click Here!

 

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Point Blank DS - Review

Light gun games in the arcades are timeless classic. Grasping a plastic rendition of a fire arm and shooting away at on screen targets can help sharpen those hand eye coordination skills and reaction time but really we play them because they’re good entertainment. Unfortunately videogame arcades are dying breed these days but one game I vividly remember pumping heaps of dollar coins into a few years ago was Point Blank. Most likely a game that you won’t see at the few remaining arcades nowadays but back in its prime it was a popular title both as a single player and as a co-op. I discovered this game sitting in the bargain bin at my local EB and I thought I would snap it up and enjoy some nostalgia. So how well did this arcade classic do when it made its transition over to the Nintendo Dual Screen? Read on to find out.

Upon loading up the game you are presented with an option/game selection screen that is represented as island with buildings sprouting from it. Each one of these buildings represents a game option and is selected via touching the lower DS screen.
Free Play mode allows you to select any stage at will and have a play so this is basically a practice mode to allow players to familiarize them selves with the various stages.
Arcade mode allows you take part in the game’s adaption of the arcade original. There are four difficulty levels to choose, practice, beginner, advanced and insane all of which have you aiming for top score across groups of four randomly generated stages which you get to select the in order you wish to play them in. Each group of four stages are separated with a bonus stage where you have a chance to earn extra lives, bonus points or absolutely nothing.
In both free play and arcade mode you are given a rating on how you perform after each stage. Hits, accuracy and quick shot is what you’ll be rated on along with a total score for that stage which will be saved in the games internal memory if you rank high enough.
Game Museum is basically an added bonus where a handful of old arcade classic light gun games can be played in the same manner as the traditional Point Blank stages. Shooting clay targets and crabs are among the few available.
Brain Massage has a bit of brain training feel to it because of how it scores you after completing a set number of stages. A number of stages are grouped together in a categories, eagle eye, mental focus, shoot to survive etc, with even more categories available if you can unlock them. Once you complete a category the game tallies up your score in accuracy, judgement, reaction, precision, attention and overall, then tags you with a name depending on how well you did.
VS mode lets you play against a friend with another DS unit. Unfortunately I never got around to exploring this option so I can’t give you much information on this.
Options doesn’t give you many options as you think it would with the only thing you can do here is to erase save game data.
So that’s basically what the game is constructed of. Your main goal though out the game is to achieve high scores and try to beat them again the next time you play with a few unlockable categories to work for.

When a light game makes the transition from the arcade to another platform usually a gun is supplied or the gamin system’s official gun is compatible but in the DS versions case it’s certainly not practical to be pointing a plastic gun at the screen and shooting targets. So the obvious decision to utilize the DS touch screen interface was used. Tapping the lower screen with the DS stylus is how you shoot at targets. This control system works fine but it takes so much of the game’s original feel away it actually makes the game quite repetitive. Just simply tapping the screen doesn’t have the original excitement factor it had in the arcades and takes away a lot of the hand eye coordination skill that was previously needed to achieve high scores. Add to this the close proximity of the screen and you have your self a pretty easy game. To be fair though I do understand that the only other control system they could have used was to manually move a set of cross hairs around the screen then press a button to eliminate targets and that would have made the game completely frustrating.

Graphically the game wasn’t very impressive when it was in arcades with most targets being represented by a cardboard cut out that moved on rails, or toon like animation that compromised of only the bare minimum of animated frames placed over simplistic backdrops. No textured mapped polygons or special lighting effects here just enough detail for the player to establish what they are shooting at. The DS port is virtually spot on to the original though so full credit given there for that. Same goes for the games audio, all the quirky stage and menu music is all the same affair. The gun sound, exploding targets and the squealing noise of creatures being shot are all the same as the original but they do sound a little weaker mainly due to the low powered speakers built into the DS unit.

I now know why this game was tossed into the bargain bin as there’s not much in the game to keep you playing for extended periods of time or to keep you coming back for more. Point Black was a great game when it was in the arcades and basically it should have stayed there as it looses too much of its original feel when the gun has been taken away. Namco Bandai games did make a good effort in the conversion but wasn’t given the correct tools. Overall the game is a fairly decent time killer and can be easily picked up on the fly for a quick game but it will no doubt be gathering dust not long after purchase.

Overall Rating 6/10

ctrl+alt+del

I have seen a few ctrl+alt+del comics now and 9 times out of 10 they have given me a decent chuckle but since I was shown the ctrl+alt+del videos by a member on myds.com.au

I've just become an on going fan. Enjoy the embedded videos above and if you want to see more of the commics click here

Mario Kart Wii - Review

No doubt that there’s going to be an influx of Mario Kart Wii reviews and that’s not going to be much of shock as the game has been eagerly anticipated by many Wii owners around the world, the more opinions on this game the better. So if you have the time for another opinion on this top selling game please read on.

So what’s a Nintendo console with out Mario Kart? A Gameboy or NES I guess, at that point in time I’m gathering that Nintendo didn’t conjure up the concept of lumping all their iconic characters together, throwing them into carts and having them duke it out on various tracks. Either that or the older systems didn’t have the processing power to provide the adequate experience, hell! Even the Super Nintendo needed the aid of the DSP chip in order to get the right mix of pseudo 3D graphics, and that’s one aspect of the Mario Kart franchise that makes the games so special, Nintendo pushing their hardware to the limit to give gamers the best experience possible. The Mario Kart series has its own element of flavour that shouldn’t be adjusted too much only tweaked. Having just the right mix of ingredients that makes the games just epic, good graphics that enhance the game play, a nicely matched sound track for each stage accompanied by screaming engines and squealing tyres, crisp handling vehicles that improve as your skill level progresses and action packed multiplayer mayhem. Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo blew everyone away with Mode seven graphics, Mario Kart 64 gave us a true 3D environment, Mario Kart on the Gameboy Advance took the experience portable for the first time, Mario Kart Double Dash on the Game Cube smoothed out the rough edges of the N64 version and Mario Kart DS took all the best bits of the series and added wireless Online gaming. So what has this latest version of Mario Kart brought us? Let’s take a look.



Gameplay

I have to admit that I got pretty nervous when I first saw the above E3 video. When Reggie Fils-Aime announced that a Mario Kart beginner could stay bumper to bumper with a veteran, then continues on, makes a goofy face and introduced the Wii wheel. I thought the classic Mario Kart series was going to get violated in order to accommodate the latest batch of casual gamers the Wii has attracted but there was no need to fret as the latest edition of Mario Kart on the Wii will keep both beginners and veterans happy.

All the things we love about the Mario Kart series are present in the Wii version along with a few added extras. The usual game modes are all here which include Grand Prix, Time Trials, VS race and Battle. Grand Prix mode comprises of 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and the unlockable 150cc Mirror Mode. If 50cc or 100cc mode is selected you now have option to choose what other vehicles you race against, this latest option has been added because of the introduction of motor bikes. From then on you have the choice of 24 tracks, 12 newly designed tracks and 12 remastered classics from the predecessor versions of the series. Playing some of the old Super Nintendo tracks did bring back a little nostalgia it’s a shame they didn’t add more of them.
Character and vehicle selection is good and plentiful, the moment you fire up the game for the first time you already have a good selection to pick from with even more available by completing various aspects of the game. Characters range from the light weights like Baby Peach to the heave hitters like Bowser with each character having good and bad points; the larger characters have the advantage of pushing the smaller characters around, while the lighter characters have the cornering advantage. Each kart and bike has a rating in the following departments; speed, weight, acceleration, handling, drift, off-road and mini turbo, all you need to do is find the one that suits your driving style. We all pretty much know how a Mario Kart game pans out regardless of its platform so I won’t bore you any further with anymore obvious details.
[pic]http://image.mycolours.com.au/medium/943592.jpg[/pic]
What would Mario Kart be with out the items; they have been the ‘in game’ equalizers since the beginning but for the Wii version I do believe that they are handed out a little too loosely this is very apparent during online multiplayer matches. All the classics items are here along with a few new additions like the POW block which originates for the original Mario Brothers game back in 1983. When activated the POW block will knock all other players out causing then to spin out and drop what ever item they may be holding at the time. The Mega Mushroom gives you a short stint of speed and expands your vehicle to gigantic proportions allowing you to smash everyone out of your path. Last but not least the very annoying Thundercloud, this item will appear over your vehicle for a short period of time and if you don’t bounce it off onto another player quick enough you will get hit by a lighting bolt.
The items do crank up the excitement and entertainment but it does get to the point where you’re screaming “ENOUGH ALREADY” when you’re at the front of the pack being bombarded with weapon after weapon after weapon. With the previous Mario Kart games the blue shell and lighting was the holy grail of weapons and they didn’t appear frequently but now if you’re trailing behind you can pretty much bank on getting some decent items to bring you back to the front line. Don’t get me wrong I do think it’s fair for the tail enders to get the good items but I do think Nintendo should have tweaked the balancing system a little more not focussing mainly of making the races beginner friendly.

Control

Thankfully the control system hasn’t differed too much from the Game Cube and DS versions. Turbo launches and drafting are the same affair with only the drifting element being tampered with. The old art of snaking (linking multiple drift boosts to gather more speed) has been nullified. No longer can you manually pump up the drift boosts, with the Wii version drift boost happens over the duration of your drift. The karts have two levels and the bikes have the one. This has disappointed many fans of the DS versions as this technique used to separate the pros from the amateurs this is another example of Nintendo moulding the game to suit a broader audience. If drifting isn’t your forte then there’s a newly added option called ‘Automatic mode’ that automatically puts your can into a drift without having to jump into it manually. Nintendo were kind enough to give us a little back in return for messing with the drift boosting controls and that has come in the form of tricks. Now when you launch your vehicle off a ramp you can pull off one of four different tricks and once you’ve hit solid ground again you get rewarded with a small boost of speed. Overall the vehicle control is smooth and crisp, a Mario Kart veteran and easily adjust their technique to suite while a beginner can jump straight in and have a blast.

When it comes to controller options we now have four different types to choose from; the Wii Wheel, Wii Remote + Nun Chuck, Game Cube controller and the Classic Controller. The Wii wheel is great for beginners as they can simply select the Automatic Mode then twist and shake away. For someone that’s been playing Mario Kart though out the series probably wont like this option as it doesn’t have the accuracy of a digital or analogue controller. At times I found myself almost dislocating my shoulder followed by a ninja roll across the lounge room trying to get my vehicle pointed in the direction I wanted it to go. As for the Wii Wheel accessory it’s self it basically is a wad of plastic moulded into the shape of a steering wheel but compared to the plethora of crappy pieces of plastic posing as Wii accessories the Wii Wheel has to be the best design. The Wii Remote sides easily into the Wii Wheel and wheel it self has its own trigger button that is larger than the actual Wii Remote trigger. Nintendo were smart enough to add a hole in the side of the Wii wheel so you can still use the IR sensor, it’s such a simple idea that does wonders for convenience and I’m surprised none of the third party manufactures thought of it earlier. In the same manner as what they did with the Wii Zapper Nintendo have showed third party accessory manufactures how to do things properly.
If you’re still fixated on Double Dash and want to retain that feel, plug your old comfy Game Cube controller in and enjoy. All the buttons are the same as Double Dash, the new tricks are performed using the D-Pad and you have rumble feedback. The only draw back is that you’re hard wired into the console and by this point in time I’m sure most of us are spoiled by wireless controllers but if you have Wave Bird wireless Game Cube controller in your possession you’ll have the best of both worlds. Option three is to use the Wii remote and Nun Chuck combination, it is functional but to me it just feels to clumsy and unnatural to be used for racing game. Last but not least is the Classic Controller which is my personal favourite. Its wireless (sort of), having most of the SNES and N64 controller features it gives you that old school feel when playing and it’s accurate. My only gripe about it is the lack of rumble feed back and the way you have to juggle between the Classic Controller and the Wii Remote when navigating though the options. Apart from that the classic Controller is my weapon of choice with only a Wireless Game Cube controller being the one to top that.


Online

Mario Kart was a smash hit on all the Nintendo platforms but when it made its début on the DS it was a phenomenon. Apart from its super crisp game play and smooth graphics the added online feature just made the DS version totally addictive and even to this day people around the world are still playing WiFi matches. Nintendo also added online multiplayer with the Wii version, which was a no brainer on their behalf but this time they built up on the DS version by including some extras. Naturally that ‘DEFCOM 3 missile activation code’ AKA Nintendo friend code still has to be entered by both parties in order to play one of your mates but you now have the ability to send an invite to friends previously added to your Wii console via the Mario Kart channel which takes a little pain out of hammering in all those digits. With the new Mario Kart channel you can now check out if your friends are online, compete against ghost data, check out world wide rankings or participate in competitions. If online multiplayer is accessed through the actual game you have the choice of playing against random people in your country or around the world. Up to 12 competitors will automatically be grouped together, if you all start the game at the same time you get to see each others Mii characters give you a friendly wave from their position on the globe. If you jump into a group that has already commenced racing you have to kick back and wait until the next race but during this time you can watch the other competitors finish off their race from a replay style view. You begin your online experience with 5000 points which may increase or decrease depending on who you win or loose against in a race, if you decide to use the option to bring a guest with you when you go online that guest will remain neutral with no points to gain or loose. The online multiplayer has to be one of the games most appealing features, with the only draw backs being the choppy frame rate and resolution drop when the number of players increases and the stupid amount of weapons you get bombarded with when you’re in first place.


Graphics and sound

Obviously I expected the Wii version to out shine the DS version graphically by a long shot but when compared to the previous Game Cube version there isn’t much of a leap. Yes we now have a higher resolution when running though component cables and the new batch of Wii specific stages are bright, colourful and run smoothly, I was expecting more though. I understand that the remastered retro stages would look a little bland compared to the rest considering what they are originally based on. I really wanted to get blown away with the new stages and expected Nintendo to do some of their classic programming trickery to squeeze every last polygon out of the Wii’s GPU but unfortunately I didn’t and I’m afraid I’m going to have to put the Wii version’s graphics a small notch above what we got when playing Double Dash. There’s also the issue of the frame dropping when playing against a large number of opponents online. Luckily there’s more than enough quality game play to offset this so it hasn’t crippled the game at all.
The audio of this game is actually quite impressive, each track has their own theme music although some of them may be a little on the cutesy side they all pretty much suite the stages that they are assigned to. The vehicle and item sound effects are clearly presented and easily identifiable as well. The impressive aspect of the audio of this game is the actual quality; I ran the game through a surround sound receiver with great results. You could here what or who was coming up beside you through the correct speaker which is quite a valiant effort from Nintendo considering that the Wii is limited to the standard red and white audio cables.



Overall Rating 8/10

Mario Kart Wii is a good quality game with solid game play both single and multiplayer. Nintendo have tweaked with the classic Mario Kart formula to make the game friendlier for beginners and as much as I disapprove of this I have to admit it hasn’t affected the fun factor of game that much. Although I was expecting more from this latest instalment I have to bear in mind the hardware limitations and enjoy it for what it is. So if you’ve never played Mario Kart before just grab a hold of the Wii Wheel get straight into it and enjoy. If you’re Mario Kart veteran plug in the Classic Controller or Game Cube Controller and simply adjust your self to the new drifting system. Definitely worth a purchase and recommended for everyone.

Thank you for reading

-Guyv3r