I'm sure I'm not saying anything you don't know. I mean how many times have you seen someone's wife not exactly appreciate her husband's old college frat buddies? I can think of a few just off of the top of my head. But that's not to say that they can't get along, they just need to find some common ground. I've done my best throughout my life to bridge this gap and find this common ground.
I think the same can be said for video games. In this new generation, there are many different people playing video games and while they play them for the same reason (to have fun), they definitely play them very differently. Some may play them by themselves, while others play them with their entire family. My girlfriend (The 30YO GF) is relatively new to video games and plays them mostly with her little niece or with me. She uses video games to have fun and to better connect to the people close to her. Myself? I play video games with myself, my roommate (The 30Yo Roomie) and of course The 30Yo GF.
As you can imagine it's very difficult to find a bridge to bring all parties together. It's almost impossible to bring The 30Yo GF to play an online Halo 3 deathmatch, and it's equally impossible to get The 30Yo Roomie to sit down and play Super Paper Mario. But every so often there is a game that accomplishes this very difficult task, and that game is...
Mario Kart Wii
In case you are living under a rock, here is what the game is about. You can pick any famous Nintendo character and put them into either a Go-Kart or motorcycle and you race each other around various maps to see who wins. On the maps you can pick up various weapons to try either propel you faster (mushroom) or slow down the karts ahead of you (shells). The races are crazy, zaney, and lots of fun.And that is really why I like this game so much. Its a ton of fun to play. First it's very easy to play. All you do is press the gas and steer using either the enclosed wheel or the nunchuk and wiimote. Anyone can do this. Also, the maps are easily laid out and very fair. It doesn't matter if you just picked up the controller or have been playing the game for years, anyone has a chance to take home the gold medal.
Since it's the Nintendo Wii, the graphics aren't the Hi-def monsters that we're used to with the Xbox 360, and the sound is your basic beeps and whirls. But you know what? It doesn't matter. Because when you are barely holding onto first place screaming through a mall on the final lap with your girlfriend and roomie right on your ass, screaming for you to fuck up, you don't really notice that the sound of your Kart could be a little more realistic.
One of the things that is frustrating with this game is that right from the outset at least half of everything is locked, and you need to play the single player modes to unlock them. And while it is still fun to play just against the computer, it's not really the way you want to play this game. I'm sitting on the couch by myself and my roomie walks in wanting to play. What am I supposed to say, "Actually, can you wait like 30 minutes? I'm trying to unlock the Star course." Riiiiiight.
Overall, Mario Kart Wii is a very fun game. And it's a fun game that everyone can play. You can easily turn off Grand Theft Auto 4 for an hour or so and play with your apartment full of buddies and have a good laugh. Or you can easily gather the family around the Nintendo Wii and have a game night to see who really is the King of the Kart. If you have a Wii, this game is an easy must buy. I would even say that you could get an extra wheel for $15. The game is more fun using it than the standard old controllers.
Life can be tough sometimes. It can be tough finding some common ground that brings everyone together. It's very rare when something like that comes along. Maybe it's someone's birthday or a wedding. Video games are no different. It's really nice to say that Mario Kart Wii is such an occasion. Play together and enjoy...just avoid the blue shell.
Until next time,
- The 30 Year Old Gamer
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