Mario Kart Wii
Mario Kart Wii is the latest installment of the Mario Kart series. Designed from the ground up for the Wii, a Wii Wheel is included in the package because Nintendo aimed that it would make it a more realistic steering experience. It is, however, compatible with other controllers as well. It features many classic Mario Kart characters as well as several new ones.
Gameplay
In Mario Kart Wii, up to twelve players race to the finish in a multi-lap race around a given circuit. Along the way, players may employ items, horseplay, and take shortcuts to earn first place.
Controlling
The main feature is the use of the motion sensing of the Wii Remote. By tilting the remote, players can steer their karts. Nintendo hopes to address some of the issues game critics faced with the first racing game Nintendo published for the Wii, Excitetruck, by making Mario Kart Wii compatible with the Wii Wheel. Since the Wii Remote is designed to be inserted into the Wii Wheel (as it is not an independent controller) players can also play without the Wheel. Mario Kart Wii can also be played using the Nunchuck controller, the Classic Controller or the GameCube controller.
Controls and actions of the game
- Accelerate: Holding the corresponding button, the kart will go forwards. Accelerating time depends on the type of the karts: Lightweight karts have a high acceleration, but low speed. Heavyweight karts tend to have a low acceleration, but a high top speed. Middleweight karts have an average top speed and acceleration
- Steer: Steering lets drivers move around corners.
- Brake: Braking slows the kart to a stop abruptly.
- Reverse: The character's kart will go backwards if the user holds the brake button.
- Look Behind: Players can look behind their kart. In this way, players can be alert from characters incoming to steal the player's place from the rear. This feature once appeared in Super Mario Kart.
- Drift: Drivers drift to keep the kart's speed and take corners much better, with the benefit of getting mini-turbos. The feature can be set to happen automatically or when a button is held.
- Mini-turbo: After drifting for a reasonable amount of time, varying on the vehicle used, blue sparks will erupt from the player's rear tires. Releasing the drift button gives them a short burst of speed. In a kart, players can keep drifting for longer periods to get orange sparks and a much longer boost. A mini-turbo can't be performed when drifting is set to automatic. The player can also perform a "standing mini-turbo" by holding the brake and drift buttons at the same time. This technique can also be used on Automatic, but blue sparks will appear right from the start; taking less time to get a mini-turbo.
- Tricks: Players can pull off a stunt when they jump in order to gain a momentary mini-turbo. Players can perform a trick by flicking the Wii Remote or pressing the D-pad (on the GCN or Classic Controllers) in any direction when going off a ramp or hill. They do a stunt, cheer, and obtain a speed boost when landing.
- Wheelie: Wheelies can be performed only when riding Bikes; drivers can increase their speed when they lift up the front of their bike. While the driver holds the front of the bike up, s/he can hardly turn. The wheelie can be ended by braking, drifting, or waiting for it to run out on its own.
Modes of Play
- Grand Prix (1 player) In this mode, the player races against 11 other CPU players in quest to finish first. There are 8 cups to choose from, ranging from most to least difficult. The player earns points by placing within 12 positions (see chart below.) At the end of the cup, player with the most points wins.
- Time Trial (1 player) The player races for the fastest time on a selected course.
- Versus (1 to 4 players, up to 12 online) Players can race to their own custom settings, but it is otherwise relatively the same to Grand Prix.
- Battle (1 to 4 players, up to 12 online) Players team up with each other in a battle for the most points. Items only work against the other team. It won't have a effect to the players team. There are two ways to battle:
- Balloon Battle: Get points by hitting opponents with the player's items. If the player looses 3 balloons, 1 point will be discounted.
- Coin Runners: Get more coins than the other team. If the player hit a opponent, (s)he will drop half of his/her coins.
- Ghost Race (Mario Kart Channel, 1 player) A Time Trial race with ghosts made by players around the world with relatively the same skill level to the actual player.
- Tournament (Mario Kart Channel, 1 player) The player competes in a timed competition with specific goals (see list below). This mode serves as the replacement of Mission Mode from Mario Kart DS.
Note: Grand Prix mode for 50cc using Karts, 100cc using for bikes only, 150cc using for Bikes and Karts and Mirror for Bikes and Karts. By winning all the tracks in 50cc or 100cc, it's possible to play with both bikes and karts. Mirror Mode is unlockable by gaining first place on all other Grand Prixes.
Other information
- In this game additionally, both normal races and battles are playable online through the use of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (WFC). This is the second game in the series to utilize the WFC and the first to allow for online battles. Races and Battles will now cater up to 12 players via Wi-Fi connection [1].
- Just like Mario Kart DS, it is not possible to play Grand Prix with multiple players. Players can now only win trophies playing alone.
- In Battle Mode, the player can only play in teams.
Tournaments
Mario Kart Wii introduced a new mode for the Mario Kart Series, entitled "Tournament Mode" (also known as Competition mode in PAL versions). Tournament Mode is somewhat similar to Mission Mode from Mario Kart DS. Tournaments can be played on the Mario Kart Channel, so long as the Mario Kart Wii disc is in the Wii. Tournaments require an internet connection, and WiiConnect24 to be turned on before they can be played. After a while, a tournament is retired to make room for a new one. However, the rankings of older tournament can still be viewed on the rankings table.
Types of Tournaments
- VS. Race – A standard VS. race; however, race courses are somewhat altered.
- Time Trial – A standard Time Trial; however, race courses are somewhat altered.
- Numbered Gates – The player must drive through the gates in order, as fast as possible.
- Coin Collecting – The player must collect the coins on the stage as fast as possible.
- Boss Battle – The player must fight against a boss from Super Mario Galaxy or New Super Mario Bros.Template:Refneeded – These Tournaments are played on special stages.
List of Tournaments
Major Changes
While every previous Mario Kart game allowed for a maximum of eight racers on each course, up to twelve are on course at one time in Mario Kart Wii.
In Mario Kart Wii, players can select twelve types of vehicles, six karts and six bikes for each of the three classes. Vehicles vary, depending on the character's weight type, and color schemes of every kart will also vary regarding to every character who is shown.
A notorious change of the game, is the removal of Snaking, which players tend to gain several consecutive mini-turbos after performing a powerslide. Performing a mini-turbo depends on how long a player can hold the button for drifting. However, there is a strategy to use drifting, something that has always kept on each Mario Kart game. This strategy involves managing the drifts to avoid losing speed.[1].
Also, a new feature called "Tricks" or "Stunts" is now a part of gameplay. When player performs a trick, the player is able to gain a momentary boost of speed, which allows characters to do a few different things, such as grabbing an Item Box out of midair. One example of trick is pulling off acrobatics in air, which can be performed by shaking the Wii Wheel upward.
Motorbikes are vehicles in the game. Peach, Daisy and Rosalina are in an alternate outfit while riding the motorbike, as opposed to their traditional outfit while riding there karts. Motorbikes are better at tricks than karts.
Special Items, introduced in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, were taken out for being too unbalanced. Overall, Mario Kart Wii is based heavily on Mario Kart DS, and not on Double Dash!!.
Mario Kart Wii features a text chat in Online Multiplayer Mode. Users can send pre-written phrases to other users before the series of races starts. There is no facility for a user to type his or her own message[2]. Also, the text chat is only available when racing or battling against Friends.
Point Spread Comparisons | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | |
SMK + MK64 + MKSC GP | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
MKDD + MKDS GP | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
MKWii GP | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Grove-green bg signifies victory results (great clapping, character(s) cheering), best after-race music Yellow-limegreen bg signifies moderate results (mild clapping, moderate character reaction), same music in Wi-Fi as winner (different in MKDS GP) Normal bg signifies losing results, losing music In Super Mario Kart to Mario Kart Super Circuit, 5th or worse forces the player to retry the race. If the racer fares this badly three times, the Grand Prix must be started over. In Double Dash to Wii, the GP normally goes forth. |
Playable Characters
A total of twelve Mario characters are available from the start, while twelve more can be unlocked for a total of twenty-four playable characters. [2]
There are three types of Characters.
- Small: These characters ride in Small karts. They have mostly a good acceration and off-road ratio, but low top speed. By their weight, these characters can be knocked apart if they try to bump onto other kart of superior weight.
- Medium: They ride in Middle weight karts. Most of these characters show an average acceleration, weight and off-road.
- Large: These characters are defined by their strength, capable of banging apart other karts with low weight. They ride on Large vehicles, featuring high top speed and weight, but showing low acceleration, handling, and off-road.
Mario
MediumLuigi
Medium- Peachbasic.PNG
Peach
Medium - Yoshibasic.PNG
Yoshi
Medium - Babymariobasic.PNG
Baby Mario
returned
Small - Babypeachbasic.PNG
Baby Peach
new
Small Toad
Small- KoopaBasic.PNG
Koopa Troopa
returned
Small - Wariobasic.PNG
Wario
Large - Waluigibasic.PNG
Waluigi
Large - Dkbasic.PNG
Donkey Kong
Large Bowser
Large
Unlockable Characters
- DaisyMKWii.PNG
Daisy
Medium - Birdpmkwii.PNG
Birdo
returned
Medium - Diddymkwii.PNG
Diddy Kong
returned
Medium - Jrwii.PNG
Bowser Jr.
returned
Medium - Babyluigi.PNG
Baby Luigi
returned
Small - Babydaisykart.PNG
Baby Daisy
new
Small - Toadettewii.PNG
Toadette
returned
Small - Drybwii.PNG
Dry Bones
Small - Boowiiking.PNG
King Boo
returned
Large - Rosawii.PNG
Rosalina
new
Large - Funkpngmm.PNG
Funky Kong
new
Large - Skelebowwii.PNG
Dry Bowser
new
Large
- Miis are also featured as secret characters with two different costumes to unlock - a racing suit and an outfit that varies depending on the gender.
How To Unlock
How to Unlock the Characters | |
---|---|
Daisy | Win 150cc Special Cup or play 2,850 races |
Birdo | Play Time Trials on 16 different courses, win 250 WFC races, or play 1,350 races |
Diddy Kong | Win 50cc Lightning Cup or play 450 races |
Bowser Jr. | Obtain at least 1 Star Rank for all 100cc Retro Grand Prix Cups or play 3,450 races |
Baby Luigi | Unlock 8 Expert Staff Ghost Data in Time Trials, win 100 WFC Ghost Races, or play 3,150 races |
Baby Daisy | Obtain at least 1 Star Rank for all 50cc Wii Grand Prix Cups or play 1,950 races |
Toadette | Play Time Trials on all 32 different courses, win 1,000 WFC races, or play 3,150 races |
Dry Bones | Win 100cc Leaf Cup or play 1,050 races |
King Boo | Win 50cc Star Cup or play 750 races |
Rosalina | Have a Super Mario Galaxy save file and win 50 races, attain at least 1 Star Rank for all 150cc Mirror Grand Prix cups, or play 4,950 races |
Funky Kong | Unlock 4 Expert Staff Ghost Datas in Time Trials, win 25 WFC Ghost Races, or play 2,250 races |
Dry Bowser | Obtain at least 1 Star Rank for all 150cc Wii Grand Prix Cups or play 4,350 races |
Unlocking Outfits for Miis
How to Unlock Mii | |
---|---|
Mii outfit A (Racing suit, blue Mii logo) | Win the Special Cup in 100cc or play 1,650 races |
Mii outfit B (Mario Overalls/Princess Peach Outfit, red Mii logo) | Unlock Expert Staff Ghosts on all 32 courses in Time Trial mode, win 5,000 WFC Ghost Races, or play 5,100 races |
Tracks
Including both retro tracks, from all four previous games, and new tracks.
Race courses are divided into various Cups again: Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup and Special Cup for new courses and Shell Cup, Banana Cup, Leaf Cup and Lightning Cup for old courses. Notably, these are the same as Mario Kart DS.
New Courses
There are sixteen new courses in Mario Kart Wii.
Mushroom Cup
Flower Cup
Star Cup
Special Cup
Retro Courses
These courses appeared in previous Mario Kart installements, much like in Mario Kart DS. This includes 2 courses from the SNES installement, 4 from the N64 installement, 2 from the GBA installement, 4 from the GCN installement, and 4 from the DS installment. All of these have been graphically updated and have some new details such as extra trees and ramps, and also new features such as jumps, pipe tricks, and even added shortcuts. These retro courses appear in the Shell, Banana, Leaf or Lightning cups.
Shell Cup
- Peach Beach (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)
- Yoshi Falls (Mario Kart DS)
- Ghost Valley 2 (Super Mario Kart)
- Mario Raceway (Mario Kart 64)
Banana Cup
- Sherbet Land (Mario Kart 64)
- Shy Guy Beach (Mario Kart Super Circuit)
- Delfino Square (Mario Kart DS)
- Waluigi Stadium (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)
Leaf Cup
- Desert Hills (Mario Kart DS)
- Bowser Castle 3 (Mario Kart: Super Circuit)
- DK's Jungle Parkway (Mario Kart 64)
- Mario Circuit (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)
Lightning Cup
- Mario Circuit 3 (Super Mario Kart)
- Peach Gardens (Mario Kart DS)
- DK Mountain (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)
- Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 64)
Battle Courses
Wii tracks
Retro tracks
- Battle Course 4 (Super Mario Kart)
- Battle Course 3 (Mario Kart Super Circuit)
- Skyscraper (Mario Kart 64)
- Cookie Land (Mario Kart: Double Dash)
- Twilight House (Mario Kart DS)
Boss tracks
These are only found in Tournament mode.
Ghosts
In Mario Kart Wii, there are Normal Staff ghosts and Expert Staff ghosts. Beating the normal staff ghosts by a certain amount of time unlocks the Expert Staff ghosts. Unlocking Expert Staff ghosts can help unlock certain characters and vehicles in the game. Below are two tables: the first shows the Normal Staff ghosts, while the second shows the Expert Staff ghosts.
Normal Staff Ghosts
Normal Ghosts | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Course | Staff Name | Time | Character | Vehicle |
Luigi Circuit | Nin*sato | 01:29.670 | Luigi | Sprinter |
Moo Moo Meadows | Nin*YuNya | 01:37.856 | Baby Daisy | Booster Seat |
Mushroom Gorge | Nin*Murak | 02:16.110 | Toadette | Quacker |
Toad's Factory | Nin*Misa | 02:22.480 | Toad | Jet Bubble |
Mario Circuit | Nin*==Kony | 01:44.777 | Mario | Sugarscoot |
Coconut Mall | Nin*♪SiMO | 02:30.764 | Daisy | Sugarscoot |
DK Summit | Nin*mokke | 02:34.693 | Donkey Kong | Standard Bike L |
Wario's Gold Mine | Nin*morimo | 02:19.585 | Wario | Wario Bike |
Daisy Circuit | Nin*Toki | 01:56.822 | Daisy | Daytripper |
Koopa Cape | Nin*Rose | 03:03.022 | Koopa Troopa | Cheep Charger |
Maple Treeway | Nin*pico | 02:58.633 | Diddy Kong | Classic Dragster |
Grumble Volcano | Nin*Gorin | 02:28.237 | Dry Bowser | Offroader |
Dry Dry Ruins | Nin*Kei | 02:30.949 | Yoshi | Classic Dragster |
Moonview Highway | Nin*KOZ* | 02:16.802 | Peach | Standard Kart M |
Bowser's Castle | Nin*YABUKI | 03:04.836 | Bowser | Piranha Prowler |
Rainbow Road | Nin*Konno | 03:05.895 | Rosalina | Shooting Star |
Peach BeachGCN | Nin*HIRO | 01:34.233 | Peach | Daytripper |
Yoshi FallsDS | Nin*DoTak | 01:16.461 | Yoshi | Sneakster |
Ghost Valley 2SNES | Nin*YOKO | 01:06.595 | King Boo | Standard Kart L |
Mario RacewayN64 | Nin*Ichiro | 02:14.799 | Baby Mario | Bit Bike |
Sherbet LandN64 | Nin*Sakat | 02:48.651 | Baby Luigi | Quacker |
Shy Guy BeachGBA | Nin*Kato | 01:45.568 | Koopa Troopa | Cheep Charger |
Delfino SquareDS | Nin*iwaco | 02:41.807 | Wario | Wario Bike |
Waluigi StadiumGCN | Nin*NARI* | 02:32.882 | Waluigi | Standard Bike L |
Desert HillsDS | Nin*Sako | 02:10.233 | Dry Bones | Bit Bike |
Bowser Castle 3GBA | Nin*Fukuda | 02:58.304 | Dry Bowser | Standard Kart L |
DK's Jungle ParkwayN64 | Nin*Matt | 02:58.264 | Donkey Kong | Phantom |
Mario CircuitGCN | Nin*♪Miz | 01:59.771 | Mario | Standard Bike M |
Mario Circuit 3SNES | Nin*iwaco | 01:38.880 | Baby Mario | Standard Kart S |
Peach GardensDS | Nin*Ito.y | 02:34.894 | Baby Peach | Magikruiser |
DK MountainGCN | Nin*♪msk | 02:57.744 | Funky Kong | Wario Bike |
Bowser's CastleN64 | Nin*GASK2 | 03:19.323 | Bowser Jr. | Standard Kart M |
Expert Staff Ghosts
Fast Ghosts | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Course | Staff Name | Unlock Time | Time | Character | Vehicle |
Luigi Circuit | Nin*Uta♪ | 01:26.394 | 01:19.419 | Luigi | Mach Bike |
Moo Moo Meadows | Nin*Tkym | 01:34.160 | 01:25.909 | Baby Daisy | Bullet Bike |
Mushroom Gorge | Nin*Miki | 02:10.875 | 02:01.011 | Toadette | Mini Beast |
Toad's Factory | Nin*GQO | 02:17.653 | 02:05.593 | Toad | Blue Falcon |
Mario Circuit | Nin*fuyu | 01:40.528 | 01:33.702 | Mario | Sprinter |
Coconut Mall | Nin*MUGI* | 02:25.620 | 02:13.333 | Daisy | Wild Wing |
DK Summit | Nin*KOZ* | 02:29.076 | 02:17.546 | Donkey Kong | Flame Flyer |
Wario's Gold Mine | Nin*♪Ryo | 02:15.323 | 02:04.800 | Wario | Flame Flyer |
Daisy Circuit | Nin*Taeko | 01:51.786 | 01:41.362 | Daisy | Mach Bike |
Koopa Cape | Nin*morimo | 02:56.867 | 02:41.370 | Koopa Troopa | Bubble Bike |
Maple Treeway | Nin*MUGI* | 02:51.684 | 02:37.812 | Diddy Kong | Sneakster |
Grumble Volcano | Nin*aki | 02:22.856 | 02:11.852 | Dry Bowser | Spear |
Dry Dry Ruins | Nin*Akito | 02:26.064 | 02:14.286 | Yoshi | Sneakster |
Moonview Highway | Nin*Koh | 02:10.509 | 02:04.163 | Peach | Mach Bike |
Bowser's Castle | Nin*Masa | 02:57.382 | 02:42.098 | Bowser | Flame Bike |
Rainbow Road | Nin*Syun1 | 03:00.007 | 02:44.734 | Rosalina | Jetsetter |
Peach BeachGCN | Nin*Taeko | 01:30.909 | 01:23.140 | Peach | Dolphin Dasher |
Yoshi FallsDS | Nin*FJ | 01:14.072 | 01:09.175 | Yoshi | Super Blooper |
Ghost Valley 2SNES | Nin*sira〉 | 01:04.261 | 00:58.907 | King Boo | Spear |
Mario RacewayN64 | Nin*Yuuki | 02:10.069 | 01:59.053 | Baby Mario | Mini Beast |
Sherbet LandN64 | Nin*FJ | 02:42.536 | 02:28.356 | Baby Luigi | Blue Falcon |
Shy Guy BeachGBA | Nin*Matt | 01:41.174 | 01:32.867 | Koopa Troopa | Magikruiser |
Delfino SquareDS | Nin*TARO | 02:36.630 | 02:24.169 | Wario | Honeycoupe |
Waluigi StadiumGCN | Nin*♪Ryo | 02:26.335 | 02:12.367 | Waluigi | Piranha Prowler |
Desert HillsDS | Nin*solami | 02:02.358 | 01:52.686 | Dry Bones | Tiny Titan |
Bowser Castle 3GBA | Nin*A24 | 02:53.651 | 02:39.391 | Dry Bowser | Flame Runner |
DK's Jungle ParkwayN64 | Nin*Syun1 | 02:51.693 | 02:37.782 | Donkey Kong | Flame Flyer |
Mario CircuitGCN | Nin*Dai8 | 01:55.907 | 01:49.939 | Mario | Wild Wing |
Mario Circuit 3SNES | Nin*Shige | 01:35.213 | 01:26.659 | Baby Mario | Bullet Bike |
Peach GardensDS | Nin*==Kony | 02:29.793 | 02:16.777 | Baby Peach | Mini Beast |
DK MountainGCN | Nin*Miyam | 02:52.100 | 02:38.130 | Funky Kong | Flame Flyer |
Bowser's CastleN64 | Nin*Kentan | 03:09.228 | 02:55.933 | Bowser Jr. | Sneakster |
Vehicles
There are 36 total vehicles in the Wii installment (Here can be seen all the karts and bikes [3]). 18 karts, 18 bikes, each divided into the 3 weight classes, making 6 and 6 available to each character, 3 and 3 to begin (thus making half of the vehicles unlockables. Each has 7 stats which are shown during character selection:
- Speed: How high the top speed of the vehicle is. This does not affect off-road travel.
- Weight: How heavy a kart is. With a higher weight, the player can knock lighter characters away by ramming them. Bikes are lighter than karts.
- Acceleration: How quickly the vehicle's top speed is achieved from a non-moving position.
- Handling: How tight the kart can normally turn. Usually opposes the drift rating.
- Drift: How tight the kart turns while using the drifting maneuver. Usually opposes the handling rating.
- Off-Road: How much speed the kart retains when off of the track. A low rating of this can cause a near-standstill for the vehicle.
- Mini-Turbo: When using the manual drift option, how effective a mini-boost will be.
There are six "types" of bikes and karts (as each kart has a bike with similar stats):
(Note: the type names are all conjecture. If someone has the actual names, please add them to this section.)
- Standard: These are well-rounded and are suitable for beginners. Examples would be the Standard Kart L or Standard Bike S.
- Speed: These are very fast and have a good drift, but have poor off-road and acceleration. Examples would be the Wild Wing or the Flame Runner.
- Control: These are rather slow, but feature excellent control and off-road, making them mirrored to Speed vehicles. Examples would be the Booster Seat or the Sugarscoot.
- Cruiser: These control similarly to Control types, but have more speed and off road but less acceleration and handling. Examples would be the Piranha Prowler or the Zip Zip.
- Rally: These vehicles are almost perfectly well rounded, but have great off road in return for poor drift. Examples would be the Tiny Titan or the Shooting Star.
- Jet: Normally unlocked later in the game, these vehicles are incredibly fast and quite heavy, but are poor in all other stats. Examples would be the Sprinter or the Jet Bubble.
The following table includes: vehicles in order of class primarily and karts first, bikes second (small karts, small bikes, medium karts, medium bikes, large karts, large bikes). The last half of each of these six sub-sections are unlockables; the right-hand column describes the requirement to unlock it: if it is a single cup, it must be simply won. Each individual statistic is generalized into the following:
|
Two of the same color does not necessarily mean the stat is exactly equal.
Items
Mario Kart Wii includes three new items: the Mega Mushroom, the POW Block and the Thunder Cloud. Items can be earned by driving through Item Boxes on the courses, just like in previous games. Once a player has done so, an item will be selected via the Item Roulette. In general, players tend to obtain a weak item as a banana or a green shell when they are in first. However, if players are in second or a lower place, obtaining a powerful item such as a red shell or a thunderbolt is more frequent. Usually, the lower the place of the player, the rarer and more powerful the item they get.
- Banana
- Triple Bananas
- Red Shell
- Triple Red Shells
- Green Shell
- Triple Green Shells
- Mushroom
- Triple Mushrooms
- Golden Mushroom
- Mega Mushroom
- Fake Item Box
- Blooper
- Bob-omb
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Cloud
- POW Block
- Star
- Spiny Blue Shell
- Bullet Bill
The player can also decide what type of items can be obtainable during a race. The options include as follows:
- Balanced - The default option. This gives everyone items depending on what position they are in and how far behind they are. Extreme items may not be as common.
- Aggressive - Each player gets items pertaining to what place they are in. Green Shells and single bananas are rare while extreme items become more common as the player progresses to last place.
- Strategic - Extreme items are unavailable. Weaker items take head-forth and last place gets better but not extreme items.
- None - No items at all.
Reception
Template:VG Reviews Mario Kart Wii is one of the most successful of the Mario Kart series and has good reception. On its launch day in Japan, it sold about 300,000 copies, and a week after it had reached 1 million copies. Mario Kart Wii sold best in first-week sales in comparison to all other Mario Wii titles.
There is much praise for the online capabilities in Mario Kart Wii, and also for the variety of karts and fun course design. Official Nintendo Magazine stated that the Wii Wheel worked effectively, and that they love the multiplayer modes. GameSpot editor Lark Anderson states that the game is pick-up-and-play friendly and the motorcycles are a fun alternative to karts. Joe Sinicki of Blast Magazine writes, "While it still does suffer from some of the problems of the older games, Mario Kart Wii takes the simple and accessible formula set by its predecessors and tweaks it enough to make it feel fresh and fun, creating one of the most entertaining and rewarding gaming experiences in quite some time." An editor of IGN said that "Nintendo has delivered one of the best console Karts in years".
GameSpot noted that "nostalgia doesn't save most of the classic courses from being boring". NGamer stated that the tracks are too big for local multiplayer. Also, IGN criticized the rubber band AI in the 150cc races of the Grand Prix and NGamer UK was disappointed that Battle mode can now only be played in teams; no free-for-all option is offered which removes the 'last man standing' element of previous Mario Kart Battle modes. GameTrailers and IGN also commented that you can go from first place to last easily because of the computers throwing many items at you aimed at the winning player, most of which are unavoidable, meaning there is a certain level of luck needed in racing.
Voice Cast
- Charles Martinet – Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi
- Sam Kelly – Princess Peach, Baby Peach, Toad, Toadette
- Deanna Mustard – Princess Daisy, Baby Daisy
- Kenneth James – Bowser
- Caety Sagoian – Bowser Jr.
- Mercedes Rose – Rosalina
- Takashi Nagasako – Donkey Kong
- Katsumi Suzuki – Diddy Kong
- Toshihide Tsuchiya – Funky Kong
- Kazumi Totaka – Yoshi
- Ayumi Nagao
- Fumihiro Okabayashi
- Hitomi Hirose
- Katsuhiro Harasawa
- Takuya Sato
- Tomo Adachi
- Tomoyuki Higuchi
- Yuko Kaida
Official Artwork
Characters
- MarioKartWii2.jpg
- MarioKartWii.jpg
Mario - Mariokartwii.marioart.jpg
Mario - LuigiKartWii.jpg
- PeachKartWii.jpg
- Mariokartwii.yoshiart.jpg
- Mariokartwii.toadart.jpg
- Mariokartwii.babymarioart.jpg
- Mariokartwii.babypeachart.jpg
- Mariokartwii.warioart.jpg
- Mariokartwii.waluigiart.jpg
- Mariokartwii.koopaart.jpg
- Mariokartwii.donkeykongart.jpg
- BowserKartWii.jpg
Items
- Mushroom2.PNG
- MKwii TripleShroom.jpg
- MKwii Goldmushroom.jpg
- MKwii Megamushroom.jpg
- MKwii Itembox.jpg
- MKwii Fakebox.jpg
- MKwii Banana.jpg
- MKwii TripleBanana.jpg
- MKwii Greenshell.jpg
- MKwii TripleGreenShell.jpg
- MKwii Redshell.jpg
- MKwii TripleRedShell.jpg
- MKii Blueshell.jpg
- Star.PNG
- MKwii Thunderbolt.jpg
- MKwii Thundercloud.jpg
- MKwii Bob-omb.jpg
- Blooper.PNG
- NSMBBulletbill.jpg
- MKwii Powblock.jpg
Promotional
- Mario kart wii artwork.JPG
Group
Trivia
- Part of the Title Screen Music is a remix from Mario Kart DS. Also, part of the second half of the credits is a remix of the main theme of Mario Kart DS.
- Since Mario Kart 64, four avatars of the leading characters (or all eight in Mario Kart DS) were shown on the left side of the screen. In Mario Kart Wii, they were removed.
- Many characters appear as spectators alongside courses, including Hammer Bros, Sledge Bros, Shy Guys, Toads, Nokis, Piantas, and the player's Miis as well. Several more characters appear in the audience of Waluigi Stadium.
See Also
References
External Links
- North American Official Site
- European Official Page
- Japanese Official Site
- IGN
- Jeux-france information