Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

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Description

Mario Kart Wii is an installment of the long-running Mario Kart series, but here for the Nintendo Wii, where you take control of various Nintendo characters to race through different tracks and win the Grand Prix, using a variety of vehicles and items spread through the track to help you.

There are various additions to the series. Players can now also play with motorbikes, which can do wheelies but are lighter and can't super boost, in contrast with karts. There's 6 varieties of each for each character class to choose from, and 4 new characters have been added as well as being able to drive with your Mii. Finally, there's 16 new tracks as well as 16 returning from previous games.

Gameplay has also been modified. Drifting has been tweaked so that it's easier to use and players only get a turbo boost based on how well they perform the drift. It can be set to Manual, where players press a button to drift, or Automatic, where it's automatically triggered on curves but provides no turbo boost. Stunts can also be performed in the air to gain turbo boosts. Races have also been bolstered to support up to 12 players now.

There's 4 modes of play to choose from: Grand Prix, where you race through series of tracks in the 50cc (karts only), 100cc (bikes only) and 150cc (karts and bikes) cups; Time Trial, where you take on ghost replays and try to finish in the least time; Versus, where you race against opponents on a single track; and Battle, where you can compete against your foes in either hitting them with weapons or collecting coins.

Multiplayer is also supported, allowing up to 4 players in hotseat and 12 online on Nintendo Wi-Fi, where you can take on strangers and friends (with Friend Codes) in any game mode, play in competitions, beat other's ghost replays or check online rankings. The game can be played using a Wii Wheel (included), Wii Remote, Nunchuck, Classic Controller, or Gamecube Controller.

Screenshots

Alternate Titles

• "マリオカートWii" -- Japanese spelling
• "마리오 카트 Wii " -- Korean spelling
• "Mario Kāto Wī" -- Japanese title

Part of the Following Groups

• Genre: Kart racing
• Mario games
• Mario Kart series

User Reviews

Ridding on Victory Lane

Lawnmower Man (140)

The Press Says

Cheat Code Central	Apr, 2008	4.8 out of 5	96
Good Game	Apr 21, 2008	9.5 out of 10	95
The Video Game Critic	Jun 14, 2008	A-	91
VicioJuegos.com	Apr 23, 2008	89 out of 100	89
Computer and Video Games (CVG)	Mar 25, 2008	8.8 out of 10	88
4Players.de	Apr 10, 2008	86 out of 100	86
UGO (UnderGroundOnline)	2008	B+	83
GamingEvolution	2008	8 out of 10	80
Nintendo Master	Apr 30, 2008	8 out of 10	80
Factornews	Apr 16, 2008	8 out of 10	80

Forums

Topic	# Posts	Last Post
The wheel	2	beetle120 (2319) May 27, 2008

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Mario Kart Wii appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Tracks

There are eight classic tracks you can race on from the beginning. The tracks in order of the game in which they appeared are:

• Super Mario Kart: Ghost Valley 2
• Mario Kart 64: Mario Raceway, Sherbet Land
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit: Shy Guy Beach
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Peach Beach, Waluigi Stadium
• Mario Kart DS: Yoshi Falls, Delfino Square

In addition to these eight tracks, there are eight more classic tracks you can unlock. The tracks once again in order of the game in which they appeared are:

• Super Mario Kart: Mario Circuit 3
• Mario Kart 64: DK's Jungle Parkway, Bowser's Castle
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit: Bowser Castle 3
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Mario Circuit, DK Mountain
• Mario Kart DS: Desert Hills, Peach Gardens

Awards

• GameSpy
  • 2008 – Wii Game of the Year
  • 2008 – #5 Multiplayer Game of the Year
  • 2008 – Wii Racing Game of the Year

Related Web Sites

• Iwata Asks - Mario Kart Wii (NCL president Satoru Iwata interviews NCL senior managing director Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideki Konno of Nintendo EAD & Kenichiro Ashida of Nintendo's Integrated R&D division.)
• Mario Kart Wii (Official game web site by Nintendo of America.)