Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii is the latest game in the Mario Kart series. It is released for the Wii, and comes packaged with the Wii Wheel. It was released on April 10, 2008 in Japan, April 11, 2008 in Europe, and will be released on April 28, 2008 in the United States.

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 the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Included in the game is ae a channel for the Wii Menu called the Mario Kart Channel where you can compare your 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 change direction. The B button on the rear of the wheel is used to drop 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 gain a trophy.

There are many 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 the 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 other awards in multiplayer mode.

Characters
There are twenty four playable characters in the game. Twelve characters can be played from the start. An extra twelve can be unlocked through the single-player mode. The player can also play as their Mii.

Mii
The weight of the Mii depends on it's height and weight, which can can be edited throught 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 Grand Prixs 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 tracks and five being tracks 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.

Agressive Items
Agressive 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 agressive items are:

Strategic Items
Strategic items are items such as the mushroom, which will assist you 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.