[BreakABone]

IGN has posted the first online review of the game. (yay for having to be up at 6 am )

The online portion of the game for the most part sounds to be the most fleshed out online game for the Wii yet. Between this and Smash, Nintendo needs to create some type of unified online interface or channel.

But we will. The solid framerate is an obvious first, and it's followed by a quick and charming interface. Once online you can check for friends (small icons will instantly tell you if they're on before even going into the "friends" section), but can also get with 11 other racers in worldwide or regional play almost instantly. When in-game, a wheel icon displays for any racers using Nintendo's shell, but a golden wheel, the first step of Kart obsession, we might add, will show up if you've played the majority of your Wii experience with tilt control. Also in-game are star icons if you've earned higher than an A on every cup at every skill level in single player, with star, double star, and triple star being the possible "bragging rights" options out there. Then there's the point system that works with racing and battling separately, basically acting like a reverse ranking where the goal is to win races and drive up your total score from the starting 5,000 to well beyond 10k, which basically replaces the conventional GP scoring in single player mode, and acts as the system for matchmaking like-leveled players.


Online is even better than off. This one raises the bar for Wi-Fi on Wii.
It sounds like we're just listing features, but these are all high points to the online experience. Friend codes or no friend codes, Nintendo has taken a huge leap into the world of online with Mario Kart Wii, and has rivaled what Xbox Live does in a few simple ways. Coming late to a game will let you view the racers in progress like a live replay, and the Mario Kart Channel (usable without having the disc in) will let you view online friends, with a click of their Mii sending you on-deck into the match, automatically teaming you with them if there are spots available, and if it's indeed a team-based online match. Snaking is also out of the game, which already makes it a much better interactive world, and Nintendo even boots you from games if you attempt to drive in reverse and screw up other racers. We'll complain about the company's "big brother" attitude with friend codes and the like, but it's sure nice to have a fast, fun online experience without the drama that comes with going live.

The final score is a 8.5
Looks like Penguin will be getting his driver's license once again in the Mario World.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/868/868012p3.html