M&M's Kart Racing

"The first of the M&M's Trilogy on the Wii. It'll make your head spin, and I mean that literally."

M&M's Kart Racing is self explanatory. It's a racing game featuring those loveable chocolate candies. Released in October 2007, its sort of received a cult following. It can be found for $15 or less, and I say don't spend more than 10 dollars on it. It has some ups, and lots of downs. People classify this game as shovelware, and I can't really disagree with them. It's the first game in the epic M&M's Trilogy on the Wii, with Adventure coming next and Beach Party finishing them off. I'll do my best to get to the other two as well.

Starting the game, I went straight to the Tournament mode. It makes you race all 10 courses in succession. By the 6th course, I had a splitting headache and felt nauseous. I kept going, hoping each race would be my last. By the 10th, I had to set my Wiimote down and lay down for a good 10 minutes before I could continue. Normally I'm strong with games, but this seems to be a continuing trend with this one. Everyone who has played it agrees that it will make you sick within 30 minutes. Which is why I am strongly suggesting you do no more than 5 races at a time. Play this game in very short succession.

The control is simple. You hold the Wiimote on its side as you press 2 to accelerate, and you tilt the Wiimote left or right to turn. Sometimes when you go over a few bumps, the control will stop working and you will need to brake, because otherwise you will never turn and you'll find yourself running into a wall. When you run into a wall, or a random object, you'll need to press 1 to reverse. It's a very slow process and will annoy you. Luckily, the other racers are so slow, they'll always trail behind you. And if you get way behind them, it won't take much to pass them all.

Playing the first and third levels, its going to make you want to quit the game, because the level design on them is horrible. There are objects at every turn, and tiny doorways to get through. One mistake will put you at a dead stop. Luckily, most of the other levels are more straightforward so you won't have to worry about getting stuck at every turn. Some of them you just follow a straight path as you go around and around. So don't quit at first I say, keep going and it won't be as bad as the first and third levels.

When you are racing, its clear to see that your driver is going very slow. However, there is a number at the bottom right that tells you your speed. Its always in the late hundreds and early two hundreds. Now it doesn't say miles per hour or kilometers per hour, but its obviously way too slow to be either one of them. Completely unrealistic.

There are no jumps in the game, but on the beach level there is a pile of twigs you ride over which gets you a few centimeters in the air. That's the most air time you will see. You can actually make the kart hop a little bit if you swing the Wiimote upwards, but its completely pointless and doesn't even need to be in the game.

There is only one powerup in the game, and it's a teacup that boosts your speed by making you do constant wheelies. This isn't even always the best thing to do, because getting it will sometimes throw you straight into a wall, as well as make you miss the chocolate coins you collect on each level. Just be careful with this powerup, because you will find yourself saying “Oh gosh, noooo!”. I found it pretty funny how I would regret getting that teacup as soon as I started flying all over the place.

In conclusion, the game really isn't as horrible as some people have said it to be. It has its flaws, and by far the worst is the headache and stomach ache it will give you if you play too long. At 10 bucks, I can suggest you owning this one. Just be careful and don't play it for more than 30 minutes at a time.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/22/09

Game Release: M&M's Kart Racing (US, 10/25/07)