So, I'm an extremely lucky bastard it seems - I got MKWii sold to me before it was even officially released! I played through the entire 50cc mode, and have played every single level. I don't have much time now (I'll edit this post when I do), but some first impressions:
-Wii Wheel works. Damn well. I haven't felt tempted to use a GC controller yet.
-Lots of courses, but is immediately clear that the new ones are far better than the old ones. They are lush, look beautiful, are very alive and a lot of fun. I can miss some of the SNES and GBA stages, because they are pretty dated by now and don't begin to match the lush open environments of the Wii courses.
-Battle courses are even better, with huge stadiums featuring lots of ramps to perform stunts and play an FPS-like team deathmatch.
-Karts are solid, but don't 'feel fast'. Motorcycles do feel fast, but are harder to control.
-New drifting/mini-turbo works extremely well in karts. Motorcycle drifting is very tricky though.
-Items are alright, but far from great. Bullet Bill is extremely overpowered. Blooper is annoying, not fun. POW block isn't that good either. The mega mushroom is great though.
-Stunts are cool, and though you don't have much control over them, they definitely add some speed and flashiness to the MK formula. New stages feature lots of ramps and half-pipes, while old stages have been vamped up to include some stunt spots as well.
-It is obviously no coincidence that this game is simply named 'Mario Kart Wii' without an actual title. It is clearly the definitive Mario Kart version so far, with more of everything without sacrificing anything.
Conclusion: terrific racer which is gonna make for a lot of fun. The ultimate Mario Kart.
I drink your milkshake.
