Mario Kart Wii
From GameWiki
| Mario Kart Wii | |
| Developer: | Nintendo EAD |
| Publisher: | Nintendo |
| Platforms: | Wii |
| Play Modes: | Single/Multiplayer |
| Media: | Wii Optical Disc |
Summary
Mario Kart Wii (マリオカートWii, Mario Kart Wii) is a kart racing video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Wii console. It is the sixth installment in the Mario Kart series (not including the two arcade games) and the second Mario Kart to use Nintendo's free online service. The game was released on different times in April 2008. Every copy of the game is packaged with the Wii Wheel accessory, which is designed to house the Wii Remote to allow more intuitive and conventional steering.
Mario Kart Wii is the successor to Mario Kart DS for the Nintendo DS. Changes from the predecessor include motorbikes and support for up to twelve racers. Like other games in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart Wii involves various characters from various Mario games racing each other on tracks themed from locations in the Mario series.
Guides & Useful Stuff
- General Guide and FAQ
- If you are starting with Mario Kart Wii or already in it for a while, this guide contains many useful things you should know, or simply to make your life easier. A first read for everyone. If you have problems or questions, and the other guides do not answer them, try in here. Your question might have been already answered.
Gameplay
In Mario Kart Wii, the player(s) can choose any one of up to 24 unique characters, separated into three weight classes, to operate their kart. The weight of a character affects their performance on the track as well as what types of karts or motorbikes they can use. Light weight translates to fast acceleration and good off-road capabilities, but low top speed. Heavy weight means slow acceleration and poor off-road capabilities, but high top speed. This makes a certain weight class more suited to certain playing styles, and less suited to others. The players then race across various tracks. Each track has a unique shape, as well as different obstacles and hazards to avoid. The game includes 32 different tracks, and up to 12 characters can participate in a race. Also featured is the ability to slipstream.
Players can obtain items by driving through item boxes, which can be used for either defense, offense or for powering up the engine. While most items have appeared in previous iterations, new ones have been introduced, such as the Mega Mushroom, which allows the character to grow to an enormous size and flatten opposing characters.
The primary control scheme is the Wii Wheel. In addition to the Wii Wheel, four other control schemes are present: the Wii Remote alone (tilted on its side), the Remote with the Nunchuk attachment, the Nintendo GameCube controller, or the Wii Classic Controller. The ability to "snake" in previous Mario Kart games, which creates speed boosts by repeatedly drifting, has been greatly reduced in favor of a new speed boost system based on how long the player actually drifts and the angle at which they drift.
Reception
Mario Kart Wii has been received positively, praising the online capability and the large number of tracks, characters and karts. "Official Nintendo Magazine" UK claimed that the new "Wii Wheel" worked very effectively and loved the different multiplayer modes. NGamer praised the online features of the game as such, but claimed that the tracks are too big for local multiplayer matches. IGN commented that "Nintendo has delivered one of the best console Karts in years", but criticized the rubber band AI in the 150cc races of the Grand Prix. GameSpot complimented that the game is easy to jump into for players of any skill level and that motorcycles provide a great alternative to go-karts, but thought the classic courses were boring.
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. Joe Sinicki of Blast Magazine comments: "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." Reviewers such as GameTrailers and IGN have commented that it is easy to fall from first place to last by being continuously attacked by several weapons, many of which are unavoidable, leading to a certain amount of luck in racing. This makes it more accessible for beginners, but can be discouraging for skilled players.
Sales
Mario Kart Wii had a very successful launch and sold 300,000 copies on the launch day in Japan alone, compared to Mario Kart DS which sold 160,000 copies on its first day and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! which sold 180,000 on its first day. Only three days later it had sold a total of over half a million copies in Japan. In the UK, Mario Kart Wii was the best-selling video game in the week ending April 12, 2008, having "the eighth biggest opening sales week in UK software history," according to ChartTrack/ELSPA. The game dwarfed all other five Mario Wii games combined (Mario & Sonic at the Olympics, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 8, and Mario Strikers Charged) when comparing first week sales. In the week ending May 4, 2008, Mario Kart Wii had sold over a million copies in Japan alone, less than a month since its release in the region.
