After Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii has become the latest title to appear in the excellent "Iwata Asks:" series of interviews. Featuring producer Hideki Konno, Wii Wheel project leader Kenichiro Ashida, and Shigeru Miyamoto (in fully relaxed, shirt-open mode) getting grilled by Satoru Iwata, it's a treasure trove of information for Mario Kart enthusiasts.
Alongside an enjoyably lengthy dissection of the series' history, there's also discussion about Mario Kart Wii's online play. The online matchmaking in particular sounds a treat, in that it allows players to join a race once it's finished, thus avoiding races becoming one-on-one affairs (as so frequently happened in Mario Kart DS). Players can use the Mario Kart Channel to check which of their friends are currently playing online, and even join them instantly.
Producer Konno and Miyamoto also explained the decision to include bikes in this game, with Konno admitting that his own hobbies influenced the choice, and Miyamoto stating that the bikes are there to "make the world of Mario a little more for boys [by] adding an extreme-like element to the game." (Apparently, the title was originally known as "Mario Kart X," with the "X" taken from "extreme")
Finally, we hear more on the Wii Wheel, and the reasoning behind it. As expected, the peripheral is designed to make Mario Kart more approachable than ever before, and project leader Kenichiro Ashida reportedly created "about thirty" prototypes (many of which you can see in our gallery). Oh, and he even made gold and black versions -- just for the hell of it. Do want!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-04-2008 @ 3:30PM
Sonic_13 said...
I really like the Iwata Asks series. I especially like pictures of the development of the different accessories like the Wii Wheel, Balance Board, and Wii Remote.
I definitely hope they keep this going. They should do one for the development of the Zapper.
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4-04-2008 @ 5:17PM
Charles said...
I think I’m actually more hyped for this than I ever was for Brawl. For one, the online seems SOOOO much better than anything we have yet to see (I guess Mario Kart will be the trend setter for all Nintendo Consoles Online in the Future. MK was the first to implement online on the DS, and on Wii it’s the first to implement”Online” as we know it, not as Nintendo makes it look). Secondly, notice how Konno didn’t work, on what many think is the worst mario kart: DD and how he worked on the best 2 versions (DS and N64) so this is bound to be an excellent game despite what IGN said about it. It looks, fun, online looks great, the Wheel looks great and … well basically the online looking great covers all else what i was about to say looked great about the game.
SUPER HYPED for this!
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4-04-2008 @ 6:15PM
Onomah said...
I know it's only a matter of opinion, but I thought that the GBA version was one of the best. I preferred it to the N64 version, just putting that out there
4-05-2008 @ 3:27AM
Charles said...
I never played the GBA version, and that's why I didn't mention it, but I'm just saying that he wasn't there during the worst of the series.
4-04-2008 @ 6:21PM
Joe Cart said...
The wii wheel is gonna be awsome. Nintendo always has been creative with their controls dating back to the light gun for duck hunt 22 years ago. I need to buy 3 more wheels so I can have some major 4 player battles at the house every weekend. Gonna be the best Mario Kart to date.. cant wait
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4-04-2008 @ 6:51PM
WiiFTW said...
I'm tired of the nickle-and-diming on the controllers. $60/Wiimote for most games is enough, let alone the GC controller you need for Brawl, which you can only really get used as first-party now. Then $15 for a piece of plastic? I understand they put work into it, but no way should it cost $15. I'm waiting for a third-party to make a wheel and to sell it cheaper than Nintendo. I hope someone will teach them a lesson on robbing your primary audience. That is, unless, the wheel is useless and you're better off using remote+nunchuck. Time will tell.
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4-04-2008 @ 9:09PM
Sonic_13 said...
A wheel comes free with the game...
4-04-2008 @ 7:42PM
theb1rdm4n said...
Don't you think its a little funny the black one looks like a PSP?
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4-04-2008 @ 7:52PM
TWOO DEE said...
http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/mariokart/vol1/21.jpg
oh, hell yeah!
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4-04-2008 @ 11:07PM
TheOverlord#2 (will beat you with Toon Link!)(1461-5875-9923) said...
Gold Spray Paint will be bought!
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