Nice! Want to share your thoughts on Mario Kart Wii?
Mario Kart Wii is a multiplayer-oriented racing game for the Wii, and the sixth main installment in the Mario Kart series. Mario Kart Wii retains the traditional item-based weaponry familiar with the franchise, where players can select a Mario franchise driver and themed vehicles. As with most racing games, the overarching goal is to place first among other competitors, through the usage of such items and taking the fastest routes to secure the leads. Several new key elements introduced to Mario Kart Wii include increasing the number of racers to 12 racers from 8 racers from previous entries in the series, as well as introducing a new type of vehicle to the franchise: bikes. The game takes advantage of features unique to the Wii, most notably its motion control capabilities. A Wii Wheel is included in most Mario Kart Wii packages, though the game is still compatible with other controllers. Game modes are also present such as the traditional Grand Prix, Versus, Battle, and Time Trial modes.
ReleasedApril 10, 2008
DeveloperNintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development
Back in my peewee pre-puberty days, i used to play this afterschool for hours with aggression for winning. My neighbor (BFF at the time) and us would bet anything and everything on winning - mcdicks, favors, pranks. I played with fierce sweaty hands. Bro u have no idea
Fast forward to college, Bill, Eric, Dennis, and I would play this game. Look, don't expect to beat all the japanese online players, theyll cook you.
I'd be remiss to say this was the perfect game for beerio kart (if you lose you drink).
u can imagine how unforgettable (and forgettable = blackout) that was. Of course, expect screaming, yelling, and occasional physical violence to be part of this game.
What more can I say? PLAY IF YOU DARE
Also King Boo, I'll always hate you
Mario Kart Wii was revolutionary for the franchise. It introduced bikes, unique Kart customizations, new mechanics on maps that allowed for players to perform tricks, and an exclusive wheel controller to fit with the Wii remote. Additionally, they upped the race placement cap from 8 to 12, and we had a bunch of new maps. For me and many people who played this game, Coconut Mall was the favorite, and possibly the most iconic Mario Kart map ever made. First and foremost, it featured a banger of a sound track, one so good I can still hear it to this day, but in general, it just played super smooth and featured a good balance of obstacles and alternative map routing with aesthetically pleasing graphical design around the mall concept.
And from a gameplay perspective, driving, although less fluid and slower as it once was on gamecube, was still very smooth. Additionally, the featured side rails and added "trick" spots integrated within the designated kart path for most maps, made the experience incredible. It was and still is such a satisfying feeling when you hit one of the side jumps and the character does a flip or 360 on their bike, as the controller vibrates and makes a sound exclusive to that player. Nintendo knew what they were doing with this, as they were able to hack into the brain's reward pathway system each time you hit a jump. I will also add, the Wii remote wheel was such a cool concept and worked extremely well. The idea of turning the wheel like you would your own kart, although hard to grasp at first due to years of controller play, would create a level of authenticity, engagement, and connectivity with the game not seen in any Mario karts to date.
Overall, I would argue that Mario Kart Wii is right up there with double dash and Mario Kart DS as being the best Mario Kart of all time. On a good day, I may even put it as number one due to the gameplay itself and it's sheer impact on the franchise. On that note, I also believe Mario Kart Wii is better than the newest mario kart's. There's something about the movement and aura of this game that Nintendo has been unable to replicate.
Definitely the best Mario kart game. Played so many hours of this as a kid. I’m not in love with racing games or Mario kart in general, but seeing the reviews here has made me want to grab the Wii from my dad’s house and bust this one out again.
This is like the only game my roommates and I played together for my entire 2nd year of college. Hanson and I would be up to ungodly hours trying to beat the expert/fast ghosts in the time trials. We'd also run games of beerio kart where we'd be completely smashed before we even made it through the 2nd grand prix lol. At the end of the year, we had the genius idea of running back beerio kart with four lokos, and to this very day that was still the worst hangover I've ever experienced.
Played all my hours on a gamecube controller which made the driving and drifting very easy. I have no idea how the fuck people play on the wii remote/wheel but mad respects to the people who do.