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Wii
The Minna de Kart Race
- New Import, In Stock |
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NCS
Game Synopsis
«©NCS»
Did you know that the Wii Remote can be used as a
steering wheel? Well, it's true and D3 Publisher
proves it in Minna de Kart Race
which features vehicle drifting and responsive
controls. The game also bumps up our
expectations for the company's future Wii wares.
Navigation through the menus in the game is handled by pointing the
Wii Remote at the screen but when it's time to race,
players hold the remote horizontally with both
hands. The "2" button serves as the accelerator
and the "1" button puts on the brakes. To maneuver
the kart, tilt the controller to the left or right
and the vehicle responds in kind. Hairpin turns
can be dominated by performing a drift where the
brakes are tapped lightly and the remote is tilted
towards the curvature of the turn. As the vehicle
slides and matches the curve, players may hit the
accelerator to power through the turn like a
champ.
In addition to the single player racing game, up to four gamers may
join in on the action with a split-screen viewing
mode where each players is afforded a quarter of
the viewing area. It's a bit cramped and
claustrophobic but workable. Three mini-games are
also included for a little bit of variety from the
kart racing conventions.
Jan Code:
4527823994669
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NCS
Game Notes
» Players may choose to play as a blue-haired
boy in blue jeans or a red-haired girl in
thigh-length jeans. Players may also choose the
nationality of the fisherman from pretty much every
country in the world including the USA, Iraq, Japan,
Poland, Israel, and many more. After choosing the
country, players are prompted to enter a name in
Hiragana, Katakana, or English. Next, you'll be able
to change the eyes and skin tone of your character
and outfit him. The outfit choices at the outset are
pretty much non-existent but as you earn some
credits, more options become available.
» Before a race starts, you can choose a racing
vehicle from three karts and customize it with one
of two possible themes. For example, the kart that
looks like a Formula One racer can be painted in an
orange/white color scheme or colored blue with
orange racing flames all over.
» The controls utilize only the Wii Remote that's held
horizontally in your hands. It's very intuitive and
feels like you're actually driving the vehicle and
possibly the next best thing to a hardware steering
wheel. The first stage is on a normal track
but the second stage takes the player onto dirt
roads which are surrounded on both sides by canyon
walls. The twisting dirt roads are conducive to
testing out the drifting mechanics of the game which
work reasonably well with the Wii Remote controller.
» Whenever your guy passes another driver, he'll
wave to him similar what the drivers did in Sega's
Power Drift coin-op from back in the day.
» The "A" button on the Wii Remote activates the
nitrous boosters. The booster gauge is located on
the lower-right corner of the screen and slowly
refills after it's been used. Each full booster shot
lasts for about 5 seconds of exhilarating speed but
when you're racing on twisting roads, the boosters
are liable to smack you right dab into a wall and
slow your roll to zero.
» The three mini-games as follows:
1) The first mini-game takes place on a Speed
Circuit and you're supposed to gain as much speed as
possible to jump over a lake. The boosters are
required to make it to the other side but
adventurous types can see how far they can go on
normal engine power and dunk themselves into the
water. The important thing about the nitrous is to
activate it about six seconds after your vehicle has
topped out at its max speed of about 213km/h so you
can gain the acceleration required to clear the
lake.
2) The second mini-game takes place on a wide open
circular track where the goal is to run your racer
into balloons and coins in order to rack up points
within the span of 2 minutes. Knocking into walls or
traffic cones will deduct points from your score and
boosters are available for rapid fire point
collection. The Mii squares that slowly rotate are
worth the most points at +20 each.
3) The third mini-game is a conventional race
against time where the goal is to run into coins as
well as a highlighted area at high velocity to gain
mass points.
» Minna de Kart Race is an enjoyable racing game
that's fun and well designed. Sadly, we're fairly
certain most North Americans won't get to play this
game since it's Japanese (region-protected) although
D3P may eventually bring it over to the States.
It gets
our vote of confidence especially at the low price
point.
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This document is ©NCSX 2007. All rights
reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of
this document may be made without express written
consent of National Console Support, Inc. |
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