MySims Racing (Wii) Review

MySims Racing is a competent take on the Mario Kart formula that fails to live up to the standards set by its inspiration. The game looks and feels well made and has plenty of options, but there is a certain level of soullessness that makes it pale in comparison to Mario Kart Wii. The game controls reasonably well, has a good audio/visual presentation, plenty of gameplay options and is technically sound, but it is missing that x-factor that makes Nintendo’s genre-defining series so appealing.

The game starts with a simple story mode that introduces a variety of familiar MySims characters and serves the function of a tutorial in how to play the game, create MySims characters and build racing cars. The storyline itself revolves around the efforts of the mayor to rebuild the town’s heritage as a racing community. There is the mandatory bad guy trying to disrupt the plans and the player must overcome the various obstacles to help re-establish the town’s racing pedigree. Pretty pointless stuff, but at least it does string the various stages together into something of a coherent story.

At its core the game plays in a very similar manner to Mario Kart, featuring the same frantic weapons-based kart racing. It does however have some additional features that help set it apart. The main difference is that the single player mode is not just a series of races against a grid of other characters. Instead it throws up some variation by including against the clock, one-on-one and collect-a-thon races. The game also features a non-linear progression, allowing players to pick and choose which challenge to take on next. This non-linear progression is something that was successfully exploited in Rare’s Diddy Kong Racing for the Nintendo 64 and it works well here too. The available weapons will be familiar to most players, but they are reasonably well balanced and serve to keep the racing competitive and tight. The artificial intelligence of competitors is also well balanced and the rubber-banding common to kart racing games is not too severe.

The game’s biggest differentiation from Mario Kart is the ability to customise both the MySims characters and the vehicles they use. The customisation process is one of the best additions as the different options actually have a noticeable effect on the performance of the vehicles. It is fun to tinker around with the various set-ups and see what the effect will be and new parts and options are opened up on a regular basis.

There are a huge range of control options in the game and almost every conceivable control variation available on the Wii is useable, including the Gamecube controller. While the controls work well, they do not have the same tight feel as Mario Kart Wii, especially the motion controls. Everything feels a touch less responsive and the cars seem to float a little and that stops the player from feeling in total control of their vehicle.

The game has a similar look to other MySims games and while the graphics are not groundbreaking, they are simple, colourful and functional. The MySims characters are well designed and have a unique look that is part anime and part lego and the environments are expansive and detailed. The sound effects are suitable and what you would expect from the franchise and complement the visual design perfectly. Technically the game is well put together too with a fast frame-rate and good collision detection.

The game has plenty of content, with lots to unlock. Those players who enjoy customising their characters will find plenty of costumes, car parts and features to play with. There is a decent local multiplayer mode, with four-player split screen, but no online multiplayer mode.

MySims Racing is a decent take on the kart racing genre that is technically well crafted and looks and sounds great. With a little more attention paid to getting the racing feel right, it could easily provide a viable alternative to Mario Kart Wii for those players not interested in online racing. As it stands, MySims Racing is yet another “almost there” game in the fledgling MySims franchise.

Personal thoughts
The heart of the MySims franchise is customisation. Rewards come if you are willing to persist and take advantage of the customisation modes, but that kind of thing does not necessarily appeal to all people. If you are willing to sit and work on your character and car, you will find that you can create appealing and interesting combinations, but if you aren’t willing to persist, you will find that everything will appear generic and uninspiring. People who sit on Facebook for hours filling out endless questionnaires on which star wars character they are or which friends they are most compatible with will love the multitude of options at their fingertips. Anyone who is just looking for a bit of no-fuss, weapons based racing is probably better off looking somewhere else.

While it is great that some effort has been made to differentiate MySims Racing from Mario Kart, in the end it is still an extremely similar experience. The weapons are mostly the same, the feel is similar, but not as tight, and the whole concept is almost created from the same blueprint. If you’ve played Mario Kart Wii to death and are looking for another kart racing game to play in single player mode, this is probably a suitable substitute, but if you are looking for a complete package to play instead of Mario Kart Wii, then this is not the game you are looking for.

Overall, MySims Racing is a competent, if generic, take on the kart racing formula. It offers plenty to do in single player mode and embraces the MySims create-it-yourself philosophy, but just fails to stand out from the crowd in any significant way.

Graphics 6.5

Simple environmnts and character models, but a well crafted artistic concept that matches the MySims look and feel perfectly.

Gameplay 6.5

Standard kart racing gameplay that feels slightly loose and floaty with some excellent additions that help to differentiate it a little from the competition.

Sound 6.0

Simple music and sound effects complement the look and feel well.

Tilt 8.0

Plenty to do and unlock, especially if you find customising your characters engaging.

Value 6.0

You have to give EA points for trying here as it could have easily come off as a poor Mario Kart clone. Instead it does enough to differentiate itself and provide something new for those bored with Mario Kart.