RANCHO CUCAMONGA - So much could be gained from Saturday's "Mario Kart Wii" tournament here at Shuffle and Cut Games. Even though there were just seven participants (full disclosure: I was one of the entrants), there was enough done during the competition that, I hope, other tournament organizers take note of.

Multi-player events: Three-player and 4-player competitions will not work. Well, they can work, but there is an obvious frame rate differential. Also, the karts and bikes have a noticeable lag, to the point that drifts must be held longer than normal in order to get a mini turbo.

How much does this hurt? A lot, especially in Mario Kart where one messed-up turn is essentially the match. These changes make the top bikes in the game -- the Bowser Bike (Flame Runner) and Mach Bike -- less useful than normally intended. Their steering and speed make them two of the best vehicles naturally.

A 1-on-1 competition is the best way to go for a live competition because the intended frame rate remains the same, which leaves the kart and bike usefulness the same as well. There's also another reason:

You can read more on the blog.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 6/29/2008 12:23:00 PM.