| Mario Kart Wii | |
|---|---|
 Box art, depicting Mario and Luigi using the Wii Wheel | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo EAD |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Yasuyuki Oyagi |
| Producer(s) | Hideki Konno |
| Designer(s) |
|
| Programmer(s) |
|
| Artist(s) | Daisuke Kageyama |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Series | Mario Kart |
| Platform(s) | Wii |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Kart racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Mario Kart Wii[a] is a 2008kart racing game developed and published byNintendo for theWii. It is the sixth installment in theMario Kart series, and was released in April 2008. Like its previous installments,Mario Kart Wii incorporatesplayable characters from theMario series, who participate in races on 32 differentrace tracks using specialized items to hinder opponents or gain advantages. The game features multiplesingle-player andmultiplayer game modes including two- to four-personsplit screen. Online multiplayer was supported until the discontinuation ofNintendo Wi-Fi Connection in May 2014.Mario Kart Wii uses theWii Remote'smotion-controls to provide intuitive and conventionalsteering controls. Each copy of the game wasbundled with theWii Wheel accessory to augment this feature and mimic asteering wheel.
The game received positive reviews upon release, with praise for the online mode, coupled with its characters, innovative gameplay, tracks, and karts, but received criticism for its item balancing andrubber-band difficulty adjustment. The game sold over 37 million copies, making it the second best-sellingMario Kart game afterMario Kart 8 Deluxe and one of thebest-selling video games of all time.
Mario Kart Wii is akart racing game featuringsingle-player andmultiplayer modes. The players control one of many selectableMario franchise characters and participate in races or battles using go-karts or bikes on courses thematically based on locations from theMario franchise. During gameplay, the player views the action from athird-person perspective that tracks the player from behind their kart.[3]Mario Kart Wii supports four different control schemes. The primary control scheme is theWii Remote, optionally used in conjunction with the plasticWii Wheel accessory, which uses the controller'smotion-controls to simulate operating asteering wheel. The other supported control schemes are the Wii Remote with theNunchuk attachment; theClassic Controller; and theGameCube controller.[4] While driving, the player collectspower-ups fromitem boxes placed in various points on the track. These power-ups allow the player to attack opponents, causing them to slow down or spin out of control; defend against such attacks; or gain boosts in speed. These include the series staple items, such as theMushroom,Koopa Shell projectiles, theSuper Star,banana peels and lightning bolts, as well as new items such as theMega Mushroom andPOW Block.
Mario Kart Wii features 24playable characters from theMario series, the largest roster of anyMario Kart game until the release ofMario Kart 8 in 2014.[5] The game features characters who have appeared in previous installments, includingMario,Luigi,Princess Peach,Yoshi,Toad,Donkey Kong, andBowser, in addition to characters such asRosalina,Funky Kong, andDry Bowser who are playable for the first time. UnlikeMario Kart DS, where characters can drive a kart exclusive to that character and the standard go-kart, each character is assigned to one of three different weight classes, which affects the selection of vehicles the character can drive. In addition to this,Mario Kart Wii uses two different classes of vehicles, Karts and Bikes, with the latter being a new addition to the series. Bikes were also subdivided further into two categories: regular and sports bikes, with sports bikes featuring an alternate drift type known as inside drifting.Mii characters saved in the console'sMii Channel are also playable.[4] Thirty-six vehicles[6] are available inMario Kart Wii, each of which has different properties that affect how the vehicle handles while driving. Half the characters and vehicles are initially unavailable to the player; certain objectives must be completed tounlock each one. For example, the Jetsetter (also known as the Aero Glider in PAL regions) must be unlocked by earning a one-star rank or higher on all 150cc Retro Cups in Grand Prix mode.
The game features eight cups—sets of four different tracks—for a total of 32 unique tracks. Like its predecessorMario Kart DS,Mario Kart Wii has 16 new courses and 16 courses from priorMario Kart games.[7][8]
Mario Kart Wii features multiple game modes:Grand Prix,Time Trials, Versus, and Battle. All modes supportsingle-player gameplay; Versus and Battle supportlocal multiplayer for up to four players, with or withoutcomputer-controlled players. In Grand Prix, the player participates in four three-lap races from one of eight cups against eleven opponents. The player is awarded points at the end of each race based on their ranking. The total number of points collected, among other factors, determines the player's overall rank. Versus mode is similar to Grand Prix, but the presented courses and items are configurable. In Time Trials, the player must quickly complete the race in the fastest time possible—there are no opponents or items except for three Mushrooms given at the start of each race. The player can compete against aghost character, which mimics a player's movements from an earlier race. Ghost data can besaved in the Wii console memory.
Battle mode is similar to that seen in previous installments in which players drive around an enclosed arena and attack each other using items. The players are divided into two teams, red and blue, and teammates cannot harm each other with their items. There are two variants of Battle mode available: Balloon Battle and Coin Runners. In Balloon Battle, each player's kart has three attached balloons. A player gains a point each time they pop or steal a balloon belonging to an opposing team player but loses a point each time they lose all balloons. In Coin Runners, the players collect coins scattered throughout the arena and attack opposing team members to make them drop coins. The team that has accumulated the most points or coins total when the three-minute time limit expires wins.[9] There are tenarena courses available for Battle mode, which include five original courses and five retro courses.[9]
Online play viaNintendo Wi-Fi Connection was available until its discontinuation on May 20, 2014.[10][11] Versus and Battle modes were available and supported up to 12 participants, and up to two players could connect and play from the same Wii console. Players could compete against random players from within the same region or from any continent, or could compete only against players registered as friends. At the end of each race or match, each player's VR (versus rating) or BR (battle rating) would change based on their final ranking. The Mario Kart Channel also offered additional online information, including regional or worldwide rankings for Time Trials, and monthly Nintendo-sponsored tournaments with special objectives.[12][13]
Mario Kart Wii is the sixth game in theMario Kart series, followingMario Kart DS.[14]Hideki Konno, who worked with the Software Development Department ofNintendo'sEntertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) division and had previously worked on the first twoMario Kart games as well asMario Kart DS, served as the game's producer.Shigeru Miyamoto acted as "General Producer" and gave miscellaneous advice on various aspects of the game.[14]
Features cut fromMario Kart DS due to time constraints were implemented inMario Kart Wii alongside various improvements to online play. The developers also wanted to avoid online races becoming more deserted as they progressed, thus altering the online matchmaking to allow players to join a race once it is finished for participation in the next one.[15] The game was the first in the series to featureBMX motorbikes as drivable vehicles, an idea which Konno had proposed sinceDouble Dash out of his passion forextreme sports but was rejected due to the seemingly bizarre image of Mario riding a bike.[16] The game was briefly known internally under the name "Mario Kart X" before its final name was decided upon, referring to the "X" in the word "extreme".[17]
Mario Kart Wii was officially announced atE3 2007; the online features and the first footage of the game were shown at the Expo.[18] During Nintendo of America CEOReggie Fils-Aimé's presentation, he unveiled the game via a trailer that showed some of the new characters and tracks. The trailer also displayed that the game would include up to 12 simultaneous racers. Additional details of the game were later released in conjunction with the Nintendo Fall 2007 Conference held in October 2007, where it was revealed that it would include bikes and the Wii Wheel. New gameplay footage from the game was also shown, and the release date was revealed to be set for spring 2008.[19]
To complementMario Kart Wii's unique motion controls, a plastic, wheel-shaped casing for theWii Remote was included with some versions of the game. The designers tested roughly 30 different prototypes of the wheel with different shapes, colors, and weights based on real-life go-karts. The final design for the wheel was made to be as lightweight as possible for it to suit long-term periods of gameplay, and it was made entirely white despite experimentation with two-colored designs for it to fit with the color scheme of previous peripherals such as theWii Zapper and theWii Balance Board. A blue ring with the Wii logo inside of it was also placed on the backside of the wheel to give spectating players something interesting to look at; as a result, this blue ring ended up being featured in the game's logo.[20]
The game's music was composed by Asuka Hayazaki andRyō Nagamatsu [ja], who both used new interpretations of the familiar melodies from earlier games alongside original material. A 43-track official soundtrack was released in December 2011 as aClub Nintendo reward in Japan.[21] The speaker on the Wii Remote is frequently used during gameplay, withsound effects being emitted from it. During the extensive testing of the different Wii Wheelprototypes, the developers decided to have the voice actors play the game during recording sessions.[16]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 82/100[22] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Edge | 6/10[23] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | B+/C+/C[24] |
| Eurogamer | 8/10[25] |
| Famitsu | 37/40[26] |
| Game Informer | 8.5/10[34] |
| GamePro | 4.75/5[27] |
| GameSpot | 8.5/10[29] |
| GameSpy |   [30] |
| GameTrailers | 8.4/10[28] |
| GameZone | 8.8/10[31] |
| Giant Bomb |  [32] |
| IGN | 8.5/10[33] |
| Nintendo Life |  [35] |
| Nintendo World Report | 7.5/10[36] |
| Official Nintendo Magazine | 94%[37] |
Mario Kart Wii received "generally favorable" reviews according to thereview aggregation websiteMetacritic.[22] Reviewers deemed the gameplay to be familiar and more safe and predictable than that ofMario Kart: Double Dash.[24][30][31] Tae K. Kim ofGamePro admired the variety of the character roster,[27] though Bryn Williams ofGameSpy felt that some of the unlockable characters were bland.[30] Although Shane Bettenhausen ofElectronic Gaming Monthly and Ryan Davis ofGiant Bomb acknowledged that some of the new tracks were inventive, they and Williams determined the track roster to be weaker and less creative than in previous entries.[24][30][32]Official Nintendo Magazine commented that theWii Wheel worked very effectively and loved the different multiplayer modes.[38] Lark Anderson ofGameSpot praised the game for being easy to jump into for players of any skill level and stated that motorcycles provide a great alternative to go-karts.[29] The additions of motorcycles and an online multiplayer mode were welcomed.[24][27][30][31] The unbalanced items andrubber band AI, which were said to result in chance-influenced gameplay, were a common point of criticism,[27][28][30][32][31][33] as was the truncation of the battle mode from previous titles.[31]
Kim was unimpressed by the graphics, and observed that their quality lowered in the split-screen multiplayer mode.[27] Williams described the game as a "480p widescreen treat, delivering crisp, colorful graphics".[30] Greg Nicksarlian ofGameZone complimented the visuals as sharp and vibrant, but acknowledged their simplicity.[31] Mark Bozon ofIGN summarized the visuals as basic but charming and polished.[33] The music was generally considered to be unremarkable, and the voice acting was derided as repetitive and annoying.[24][27][31][33]
In 2010,Mario Kart Wii was included in the book1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.[39] Anthony John Agnello and David Roberts ofGamesRadar+ rankedMario Kart Wii #11 in their 2017 list of bestMario Kart games, the second-lowest ranking behind the cancelledVirtual BoyMario Kart. They described the game as "a bloated, populist mess attempting to please everyone" that "feels like the mostMario Kart rather than the bestMario Kart, and as a result, it's as if it's missing the series' soul".[40] The staff ofIGN ranked the game #18 in their 2019 list of "Top 25 Favourite Kart Racers", deeming it "yet another solid entry in the series" and saying that its expanded track roster and inclusion of both online and splitscreen multiplayer gameplay made it "one of the system’s go-to party games".[41] Luke Plunkett ofKotaku ranked the game at #7 out of the nine bestMario Kart games; he felt that there was little reason to play the game after the improvements made byMario Kart 7 and8, and that the motion controls were "straight garbage".[42] The tracks Maple Treeway and Coconut Mall have been ranked among the series' best,[43][44][45][46] while Matthew Wilkinson ofScreen Rant respectively rankedRainbow Road, Wario's Gold Mine, and Moonview Highway as the first, eighth and ninth most difficult tracks in the series.[47]
Mario Kart Wii had a successful launch and sold 300,000 copies on the launch day in Japan alone, compared toMario Kart DS which sold 160,000 copies on its first day andMario Kart: Double Dash which sold 180,000 on its first day.[48] 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.[49] 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 toGfK Chart-Track/ELSPA.[50][51] The game dwarfed all other fiveMario Wii games released up until then for the Wii combined when comparing first-week sales.[50] In the United States,Mario Kart Wii was the second-best-selling video game in April 2008, selling 1.12 million copies, according to theNPD Group; putting it behind theXbox 360 version ofGrand Theft Auto IV and ahead of thePlayStation 3 version, both released in the same week.[52] It ranked the fourth-best-selling game of December 2008 in the United States, selling more than 979,000 copies.[53] According to the NPD Group,GfK Chart-Track, andEnterbrain, the game has sold 2.409 million copies in the United States, 687,000 in the United Kingdom, and 1.601 million in Japan, respectively, for a total of 4.697 million copies sold by August 1, 2008.[54] As of March 2009, Nintendo has sold 15.4 million copies ofMario Kart Wii worldwide.[55] As of January 4, 2009, it has sold 2,133,000 copies in Japan.[56] It is also the fourth-best-selling game of Japan in 2008.[57] According to the NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track, and Enterbrain, the game has sold 856,000 copies in the United States, 394,000 in the United Kingdom, and 218,000 in Japan, respectively, for a total of 1.468 million copies sold in the third quarter of 2008 (July–September).[58] It was the second-best-selling game of 2008 in the United States, selling more than five million copies.[53] In France, it sold 4.8 million units, which is more than it sold in Japan (3.7 million).[59]
With 37.38 million copies sold worldwide as of March 31, 2021, the game is the best-sellingMario game for the Wii, thesecond-best-selling racing game, and thesecond-best-selling game for the Wii behindWii Sports.[60]
The game won multiple Wii-specific awards fromIGN in its 2008 video game awards, including Best Racing Game[61] and Best Online Multiplayer Game.[62]IGN also nominated it for Best Family Game for the Wii.[63] During the12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominatedMario Kart Wii for "Racing Game of the Year".[64] The game was ranked ninth inNintendo Power's "Best of the Decade."[65] It also won the award for "Favorite Video Game" at the2010 Kids' Choice Awards.[66]Guinness World Records has awardedMario Kart Wii with a record for being the best-selling racing video game of all time.[67] In 2009,Official Nintendo Magazine placed the game fourth in a list of the greatest Nintendo games of all time.[68]
While official online play support officially ended in 2014, unofficialvideo game mods created by fans, such as Wiimmfi, have re-established online play. Custom track packs, such as CTGP-R, added additional courses and new features, such as 24-player races, and additional modes such as Countdown and Item Rain.[69][70][71] Another pack that has gained notoriety recently is Retro Rewind, a mod that incorporates every track from Super Mario Kart to Mario Kart 7, along with some tracks from Mario Kart 8 and above.[72]
The best selling racing game of all time from 2008 saw players master the Wii Remotes (to varying degrees of success) with 24 characters and 36 vehicles to choose from.
There are 32 different race tracks, some of which are revamped from older systems and some that are totally new.
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| Other games | |
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