We know that Nintendo has been working to make its classic franchises more accessible; Super Mario Galaxy was easy enough to complete, even if it was a bit harder to get all 121 stars, and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass gave us a simple touch interface with even simpler puzzles. When Mario Kart Wii was announced, it came with the bold proclamation that Kart vets and newcomers alike would be on equal ground, and we had to wonder what that meant.
We may be getting insight now, thanks to a new fact sheet on the game from Nintendo. In it, the four control schemes are outlined: Wii Remote alone, Wiimote with Nunchuck, Classic Controller, and GameCube Controller. But longtime fans of the series might be a little put off by the Classic Controller description, which plainly states, "players cannot perform certain moves with this control scheme." Uh oh. The GameCube description is similar, saying "some maneuvers cannot be performed."
The press release doesn't describe exactly what maneuvers it refers to, so it's hard to tell how much this will hamper the experience. It's also difficult to fathom how controllers with more buttons will have fewer functions. The Wiimote and nunchuck combination doesn't have any such warning, so those looking for analog steering controls at least have that option available to them. We can't say if this is a game-breaker until we get our hands on it, but it's certain to upset some of the hardcore Kart fans.
