Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii is an installment in the Mario Kart series. It is released for the Wii, and comes packaged with the Wii Wheel.

It is the first game in the Mario Kart series to allow the player to drive bikes. The game allows up to four players split-screen, and up to twelve player online matches using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Included in the game is a channel for the Wii Menu called the Mario Kart Channel where a player can compare their scores with other players online.

Gameplay
The player can control the karts by using the Wii Wheel, a container for the Wii Remote which comes inside the game's box. By tilting the wheel, the player can steer. The B button on the rear of the wheel is to use items. The game can also be controlled using the Classic Controller or the GameCube Controller.

As in previous games, the player can participate in a Grand Prix, each containing four tracks in which points are gained for the player's position at the end of the race. The player must come within the top three players at the end of the Grand Prix to win a trophy.

There are 32 tracks in Mario Kart Wii. There are four sets of 'new' tracks, along with four sets of tracks which have appeared in previous titles in the Mario Kart series. Each set contains four tracks, and can be played entirely in Grand Prix mode.

A new addition to the series is motorbikes. In 100cc and 150cc, the player can participate using motorbikes. There are specific vehicles for each character. Some characters wear different costumes when driving different vehicles.

The game supports up to four players in offline multiplayer, and up to twelve players online using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Offline multiplayer includes Vs. and Battle modes, as in Mario Kart DS. In Vs. players can play against each other or in a team. In Battle mode, the players must play in teams. It isn't possible to unlock trophies or any other awards in multiplayer mode.

Characters
There are 24 playable characters in the game. Twelve characters can be played from the start. An extra 12 can be unlocked through the single-player mode. The player can also play as their Mii, the first game in the series which uses this feature.

Mii
The weight of the Mii depends on its height and weight, which can can be edited through the Mii Channel.

Courses


There are thirty two race tracks in Mario Kart Wii. Each track is part of a Grand Prix. There are eight different Grand Prix in the game, each comprising four tracks. Sixteen of these tracks are new tracks, however the last sixteen are tracks from previous games in the series.

In addition to this, there are also ten Battle Courses, with five being new courses and five from previous titles in the series.

Items
Items play a fundamental part in Mario Kart Wii. Items are received through item boxes, which are usually scattered in groups throughout a course, often in a horizontal line. The item is then stored for use whenever the racer wishes (except in the case of the Thunder Cloud, which is immediately activated). Items can be split into two categories, aggressive items, and strategic items. Normally, the lower the player's position in the race, the rarer and more useful items they will receive from item boxes to help balance the gameplay.

Aggressive Items
Aggressive items are any items that will affect other players in a way that another racer's vision is blocked, stops, or loses speed, such as the red shell. The aggressive items are:

Strategic Items
Strategic items are items such as the Mushroom, which will assist in the race, without affecting the other racers without effort from the racer (eg. The mushroom can only affect another racer if the other racer is rammed with the mushroom). Such items are:

Note: The Bullet Bill is considered strategic because it will not affect other racers unless they are in Bullet Bill's race path.

Glitches
There is a well known glitch in Mario Kart Wii. When used, it allows each player in split screen multiplayer to use the same character, which is not usually allowed. It can be caused by doing the following:


 * One person selects and then deselects a character.
 * The next player selects and then deselects the same character.
 * Other players who want the character must do the same.
 * Go back one screen then return to the character selection screen.

At the screen, all player icons should be on the same character, which can then be used in-game.

The downsides to using this glitch may include worse graphics for that particular character, and if multiple human players using the same character make it to the top 3 at the end, a Mii will show up instead.

Reception
By the end of 2009, Mario Kart Wii had sold over 21 million copies. It sold 300,000 copies alone on its release day in Japan.

GameSpot commented that the game 'proves that the franchise is just as relevant and fun as ever' and gave it a score of 8.5. IGN UK said that the game featured 'some exceptional track design' and commented that this was 'Mario Kart done right', giving the game a score of 8.9. However, the game was criticized for its offline battle mode. The average score for the game on GameRankings is 82%.

Trivia

 * This game was called Mario Kart X when in development.
 * This game is now included, with a Wii Wheel, with the Wii for $249.99. It is also available for the Black Wii.
 * This game marks Funky Kong's appearance in a Mario series game.