GAMEOV3R

I have no choice. Mario Kart has taken over all of my game time for the past week. My Xbox 360 must think the electricity has been cut off for good. And so, as I say, I have no choice but to talk about MK Wii. Quiet at the back! I don't care how much you've read about MK Wii already. Besides, this might be a little bit different.

Let me start by asking this; Do you hate Blue Shells? Good. So do I. There's nothing worse than earning a lead and then have someone fire a Blue Shell up your exhaust pipe. You get going again, find yourself still in the lead, smile to yourself, and you then receive a Red Shell up the exhaust! Followed by a Blue one. By the time you set off again this time the other eleven racers whoosh past you, knocking you sideways and off the road. Undeterred, you battle your way back to the front and take the lead as you approach the final bend. Another Blue Shell takes you out and, rubbing salt into your now well seasoned wound, you fall into a conveniently placed abyss. You cross the line dead last. Mario Kart Wii, I love to hate you just as much as I love you.

Now a funny thing happened to me this week while playing Mario Kart Wii and seeing as I've played Mario Kart games since the days of the SNES, I'd like to put what happened down to my brilliance at Mario Kart games in general. I'd like to, if I were that good, but I really think that this was a complete fluke. A complete fluke with Rolex timing.

Here's what happened... I was playing as Yoshi, driving a Standard Kart and using the Wii Wheel. I'd managed to eek out a lead on DK Jungle Raceway and was hooning around the bend that leads to the Speed Boost that catapults you across the river. With me? If not have a look at the picture below. As I'm hooning along, on full lock with orange sparks flying, I hear the familiar beeping and whooshing of a Blue Shell homing in. A cursory glance at my position confirms that the blasted thing is homing in on me. I braced for the inevitable impact. The Blue Shell made it's final whooshing and excited beeping as it hovered above Yoshi's head relishing the kill. At that very moment I hit the Speed Boost and began accelerating towards the edge of the ramp. I heard the Blue Shell come crashing down.

I peeked out from behind one scrunched up eyelid to see Yoshi sailing through the air, eyes firmly focused on landing on the river bank. He landed, lit up the tyres and boosted away. Yay!! I dodged a Blue Shell! I dodged a Blue Shell!! I dodged a Blue Shell!!! I dodged a Blue Shell!!!!

^^^Blue Shell Line - Do Not Cross^^^
(The scene of the dodged Blue Shell)

Mocking the normally infallible Blue Shell is probably not the wisest move. I will, no doubt, receive more than my fair share of them for months to come. I'm off to find out.

Have you taken a Blue Shell today? Where did you take it? To the beach? For a drive? Put a lead on it and bring it with you to the Gameov3r FORUM.