Re and Wiiviews
My review of Iron Man and Mario Cart Wii follow. Cut for those who care not.
Iron Man
I was surprised this movie was a slow paced as it was. I am not sure that is a good thing for a superhero action movie. It's not that these movies should be all fire and explosions, but this one had actual dialog and plot. That being said I couldn't help feeling something was missing the whole movie. I couldn't put my finger on it. It was like everything was just left of focus.
I also spent most of the movie wondering why they cast Jeff Bridges in the role they did. They said, "We need an actor to fill this role"...and the best they could come up with was Jeff Bridges. Really? Really? Don't get me wrong, Jeff is a fine actor, but I think his talent is entirely misspent here. I also couldn't help wondering how much coke RDJ bought with his paycheck from this movie. Yeah..I know...
All that being said it's not a bad way to spend two hours of pre summer entertainment. Just don't go into it expecting non stop action.
Rating
2.75 sticky shoes out of 5
Mario Cart Wii
Ah the halcyon days of the Super Nintendo. All the power of 16 bits and the golden age of RPG's. It was for the little system that could that Nintendo released an oddity that went on to become one of their flagship titles. Mario Kart was one of the best reasons to own a Nintendo back in the day. Does the new game live up to the mountain of hype, or will it leave fans wanting?
Graphics
Don't expect to be wowed here. This game could have stepped right off the game cube with no trouble. For the most part everything looks bright and colorful with a clean, if cartoony look. One cool thing they did do (which occurs on a lot of the Wii titles) is they made good use of the mii's on the system.
Game play
This is the Mario Kart you have been playing, and loving, for years...almost. With 32 tracks (a mix of old and new) there is no shortage of things to learn. Some of the new tracks are quite fiendish in their design. With the player changes they can be punishing.
Ah, the player changes. Instead of taking on 5 other beloved Nintendo characters in each race, you take on 11 worthless backstabbing bastards. That's right, 12 racers to a track. With the sheer amount of powerups on each track, in the later classes you can actually be punished for holding the lead. In one race I got a red turtle, blue shell, red turtle right at the finish line that cost me the race.
This game is also short. Very short. I rented it and within two hours I was watching the end credits roll. Granted that was only for the lowest setting. If you are a completest who unlocks everything, be prepared for a long, and frustrating haul.
Online play
Online play...on the Wii? Surely H must be confused.
Actually this is one of the places where the game shines. Online play is integrated almost seamlessly into the experience. With a wait of 3-5 minutes to find a race and get started. Hours of fun can be had racing folks from all around the world...just expect to lose.
Summary
It's a good attempt by Nintendo to bring one of the all time classics to the Wii, but in the end it falls short in several key areas.
3.5 shakes of the Wiimote out of 7 (make it a rental, otherwise...meh)
Iron Man
I was surprised this movie was a slow paced as it was. I am not sure that is a good thing for a superhero action movie. It's not that these movies should be all fire and explosions, but this one had actual dialog and plot. That being said I couldn't help feeling something was missing the whole movie. I couldn't put my finger on it. It was like everything was just left of focus.
I also spent most of the movie wondering why they cast Jeff Bridges in the role they did. They said, "We need an actor to fill this role"...and the best they could come up with was Jeff Bridges. Really? Really? Don't get me wrong, Jeff is a fine actor, but I think his talent is entirely misspent here. I also couldn't help wondering how much coke RDJ bought with his paycheck from this movie. Yeah..I know...
All that being said it's not a bad way to spend two hours of pre summer entertainment. Just don't go into it expecting non stop action.
Rating
2.75 sticky shoes out of 5
Mario Cart Wii
Ah the halcyon days of the Super Nintendo. All the power of 16 bits and the golden age of RPG's. It was for the little system that could that Nintendo released an oddity that went on to become one of their flagship titles. Mario Kart was one of the best reasons to own a Nintendo back in the day. Does the new game live up to the mountain of hype, or will it leave fans wanting?
Graphics
Don't expect to be wowed here. This game could have stepped right off the game cube with no trouble. For the most part everything looks bright and colorful with a clean, if cartoony look. One cool thing they did do (which occurs on a lot of the Wii titles) is they made good use of the mii's on the system.
Game play
This is the Mario Kart you have been playing, and loving, for years...almost. With 32 tracks (a mix of old and new) there is no shortage of things to learn. Some of the new tracks are quite fiendish in their design. With the player changes they can be punishing.
Ah, the player changes. Instead of taking on 5 other beloved Nintendo characters in each race, you take on 11 worthless backstabbing bastards. That's right, 12 racers to a track. With the sheer amount of powerups on each track, in the later classes you can actually be punished for holding the lead. In one race I got a red turtle, blue shell, red turtle right at the finish line that cost me the race.
This game is also short. Very short. I rented it and within two hours I was watching the end credits roll. Granted that was only for the lowest setting. If you are a completest who unlocks everything, be prepared for a long, and frustrating haul.
Online play
Online play...on the Wii? Surely H must be confused.
Actually this is one of the places where the game shines. Online play is integrated almost seamlessly into the experience. With a wait of 3-5 minutes to find a race and get started. Hours of fun can be had racing folks from all around the world...just expect to lose.
Summary
It's a good attempt by Nintendo to bring one of the all time classics to the Wii, but in the end it falls short in several key areas.
3.5 shakes of the Wiimote out of 7 (make it a rental, otherwise...meh)