Mario Kart Wii

Template:Infobox Mario Kart Wii is a racing game for the Wii console. It is the sixth installment in the Mario Kart series, and the eighth overall. Similar to every Mario Kart game, Mario Kart Wii includes new features such as new race courses along with other courses that appeared in past Mario Kart games, like its predecessor Mario Kart DS. New items and characters were included, as well as an increased number of players for the races. Mario Kart Wii also introduced the use of bikes that vary in capabilities along with the classical karts. Game modes are also present such as the Grand Prix, Versus, Battle and Time Trial, many of them making use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for worldwide online play.

A Wii Wheel, designed from the ground up for the Wii, is included in most Mario Kart Wii packages. Mario Kart Wii however, is still compatible with other controllers such as a regular Wii Remote held sideways, the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Nintendo GameCube controller, and also the Classic Controller and Classic Controller PRO.

This game requires twenty-three blocks on the player's Wii system to save game data. Also, the game data cannot be copied. As a result, players are not able to transfer this game data onto another Wii. The game also includes its own Wii Channel called the Mario Kart Channel which allow players to play in special tournaments and trade their racing profile with other players around the world. This channel uses seventy-four to eighty-eight blocks (depending on from which region the game is from), but unlike the game data, players can copy the channel onto their SD cards.

Mario Kart Wii, unlike the preceding Mario Kart games, has twelve players present in normal races instead of eight. All twelve racers head to the finish in a multi-lap race around a given circuit. Along the way, players may employ items, utilize techniques, and take shortcuts to earn first place.

With over 28 million copies of the game sold, Mario Kart Wii is the second best-selling game and the best-selling Mario game for the Wii console.

Gameplay

Changes

The game's main title screen.

File:Mario Kart Wii - WFC Countries.PNG

This map shows all the countries listed in the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in Mario Kart Wii. Some countries are registered only in the Wii version of their own region, but there is also the possibility that they are registered in the game. Some countries or islands disappeared or disintegrated, but still registered as such on the Wii or the game, as Aruba, Sint Maarten and Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles) and South Sudan (which gained independence from North Sudan, but the two countries still registered as "Sudan").

While every previous Mario Kart game allowed for a maximum of eight racers on each course, up to twelve are on the course at a time in Mario Kart Wii.

In Mario Kart Wii, players can select twelve types of vehicles (six karts and six bikes) for each of the three classes. Vehicle selection varies depending on the character's size class, and color schemes for available vehicles also vary with regard to character selected.

A major departure from prior games is the change of the drifting system. Performing a mini-turbo depends on how long players can hold the button for drifting and the angle at which they drift. Drifting can be used strategically and involves managing the drifts to avoid losing speed.

A new feature named "Tricks" is now also a part of the gameplay. When drivers perform a trick and lands successfully, they are able to gain a momentary boost of speed. Tricks consist of mid-air acrobatics and are performed by shaking the Wii Wheel upward, shaking the Wii Remote in the Wii Remote + Nunchuk combo, pressing the on the Classic Controller, or pressing the on the GameCube controller.

Motorbikes are introduced in this game. Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina are in an alternate outfit while driving motorbikes, as opposed to their traditional outfit while riding karts. Although Wario does have a biker outfit of his own from the WarioWare series, he does not wear it when driving motorbikes.

Special Items which were introduced in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, are not featured in the game. Overall, Mario Kart Wii is based heavily on Mario Kart DS and has some influence from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

Mario Kart Wii features a text chat in Online Multiplayer Mode. Users can send pre-written phrases to other users before the series of races starts. There is no facility for a user to type his or her own message. Also, the text chat is only available when racing or battling against Friends.

Another new change is the point system used for Grand Prix races. With twelve racers competing in each race, the point value has increased. Below is a chart of the point spread comparison between these seven games:

Point Spread Comparisons (GP)
	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th
Super Mario Kart Mario Kart 64 Mario Kart: Super Circuit	9	6	3	1	0	0	0	0	-	-	-	-
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Mario Kart DS	10	8	6	4	3	2	1	0	-	-	-	-
Mario Kart Wii	15	12	10	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1	0
Mario Kart 7	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1	-	-	-	-
Grove-green bg signifies victory results (great clapping, character(s) cheering), best after-race music Yellow-limegreen bg signifies moderate results (mild clapping, moderate character reaction), same music in Wi-Fi as winner (different in MKDS GP) Normal bg signifies losing results, losing music In Super Mario Kart, and Mario Kart Super Circuit, 5th or worse forces the player to retry the race. If the racer fares this badly three times, the Grand Prix must be started over. In Mario Kart 64, 5th or worse forces the player to retry the race, but without the restrictions on how many times the player can retry a race. In Mario Kart: Double Dash to Mario Kart Wii, the Grand Prix normally goes forth.

Controlling

Controllers that can be used in Mario Kart Wii.

The main feature is the use of the Wii Remote's motion-sensing ability. By tilting the remote, players can steer their karts. During the development of this game, Nintendo hoped to address some of the issues game critics faced with the first racing game Nintendo published for the Wii, Excite Truck, by making Mario Kart Wii compatible with the Wii WheelTemplate:Refneeded. Since the Wii Remote is designed to be inserted into the Wii Wheel (it is not an independent controller), players can also play without the Wheel if they choose to. Mario Kart Wii can also be played by connecting the Nunchuk Controller or the Classic Controller, or using the GameCube Controller. Controlling the vehicle is divided up into two sections: Basic and Advanced.

Basic Controls

• Accelerate: When drivers hold down the corresponding button, the vehicle goes forward.
• Steer: Steering lets drivers move around corners.
• Brake: Braking slows the vehicle to an abrupt stop.
• Reverse: The driver's kart goes backwards if the driver holds the brake button. If a vehicle reaches maximum top speed, the vehicle will drift instead.
• Look Behind: Drivers can look behind their vehicle. In this way, drivers can be alert from other drivers incoming to steal their place. Drivers can also use this feature to see where they are going while backing up, or to aim a weapon at an opponent following up. This feature once appeared in Super Mario Kart.
• Drift: Drivers drift to keep the vehicle's speed and take corners much easily, with the benefit of getting mini-turbos. The feature can be set to happen automatically or when a button is held.

Advanced Controls

File:Rocket Start (Mario Kart Wii).jpg

Koopa Troopa performing a successful Rocket Start at Koopa Cape.

• Rocket Start: Drivers can perform a speed boost when a race begins. If drivers hold down the corresponding acceleration button right after the countdown timer displays the number 2, then he/she will receive an extra speed boost when the word GO! appears on the screen. However, if drivers hold down the acceleration button for too long, when the final beep is heard, their engine bursts and they get an even worse start than a regular one and take a few seconds to recover.
• Mini-Turbo: When drivers drift for a reasonable amount of time varying on the vehicle used, blue sparks erupt from the vehicle's rear tires. Releasing the drift button gives them a short burst of speed. In a kart, drivers can keep drifting for longer periods to get orange sparks and a longer boost. However, orange sparks cannot be created on bikes. Of course, the drifting stats of the vehicle used also matters. Drivers can also perform a "standing mini-turbo" by holding the brake and drift buttons at the same time. A mini-turbo can't be performed when drifting is set to automatic, but the standing mini-turbo can.
• Tricks: Drivers can pull off a trick when they jump in order to gain a momentary mini-turbo. Drivers can perform a trick by flicking the Wii Remote, pressing the on Classic Controller, or on the GameCube Controller in any direction when going off a ramp or hill. They obtain a speed boost when landing.
• Wheelie: Wheelies can be performed only when drivers are riding Bikes. Drivers are able to increase their speed when they lift up the front of their bike. While drivers hold the front of the bike up, the bike can hardly turn. The wheelie can be ended by braking, hopping, waiting for the wheelie to end, or simply setting the Wii Wheel or Wii Remote back down or pressing . If drivers are bumped into while they are performing a wheelie, they lose most of their speed.

Modes of Play

File:MKWiimirrorMC1.png

Luigi in Mario Circuit 3.

• Grand Prix (1 player) In this mode, the player races against eleven other CPU players in a quest to finish in first. There are eight cups to choose from, ranging from the most to the least difficult. Drivers earn points by placing within twelve positions (see chart above). A driver with the most points at the end of the four races wins the cup. The driver will be awarded a grade for their racing performance at the end of the cup.
• Time Trial (1 player) Drivers race for the fastest time on a selected course. The fastest record is able to be raced again as a ghost. Drivers can also race staff records, or Regional Records/Champions and World Records/Champions (Wi-Fi must be used) and Friend Records (Friend must be registered, friend must send the ghost for Ghost Races, and Wi-Fi also must be used.)
• VS Race (1 to 4 players, up to 12 online) Drivers can race to their own custom settings, but it is otherwise relatively the same to Grand Prix, other than the fact that drivers can see the other racers' character's names. The driver may choose a Solo Race, where they try to win for themselves, or Team Race, where two teams, red and blue, try to win for the team in order to gather the most points and beat the other.
• Battle (1 to 4 players, up to 12 online) Drivers team up with each other in a battle for the most points. Items only work against the opposite team, and have no effect on the team that use them. The player can only select the Standard Kart or Bike. There are two ways to battle:
  • Balloon Battle: All drivers get three balloons and must use the items to hit the opponents to pop their balloons and get one point for every hit. If drivers lose all of their balloons, one point is deducted and remain out for a while to be brought back to the battle with three balloons once more.
  • Coin Runners: The goal for drivers is to obtain more coins with their team than the other. In the top right corner of the screen, the score shows, which are the coins obtained altogether for each team. If drivers hit opponents, opponents drop their coins. The certain amount of coins dropped depends on the item that hits the player, and the amount of coins that the player has already gathered.
• Ghost Race (Mario Kart Channel, 1 player) A Time Trial race with ghosts made by players around the world with relatively the same skill level to the actual player.
• Competition (also known as Tournament) (Mario Kart Channel, 1 player) Drivers compete in a timed competition with specific goals (see list below). This mode serves as the replacement of Mission Mode from Mario Kart DS. New tournaments are posted twice a month.

Grand Prix Mode initally allows only karts in 50cc and only bikes in 100cc; if all the tracks are won in a single engine class, the other vehicle type will become available for it. Mirror Mode is unlocked by scoring first place on all 150cc Grand Prix.

Other Information

• Additionally, in this game, both normal races and battles are playable online through the use of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (WFC). This is the second game in the series to utilize the WFC and the first to allow for online battles. Races and Battles will now cater up to 12 players via Wi-Fi connection [2].
• Just like Mario Kart DS, it is not possible to play Grand Prix with multiple players. Players can now only win cup trophies by playing alone.
• In Battle Mode, the player can only play in teams. Also, the Spiny Shell makes its first appearance in Battle Mode. It chases the player of the opposite team with the most points. Also the Thunderbolt is an item in Battle Mode. It shrinks the drivers of the opposite team and makes them lose their items, but does not take a balloon or drop coins.

Competitions

A list of Competitions or Tournaments up to the current one can be found here.

Baby Mario collecting coins in Competition Mode.

Mario Kart Wii introduces a new mode for the Mario Kart series, entitled "Competition Mode" (also known as Tournament mode in the North American versions). Competition Mode is somewhat similar to Mission Mode from Mario Kart DS. Competitions can be played on the Mario Kart Channel, so as long as the Mario Kart Wii disc is in the Wii. Competitions require an Internet connection, and WiiConnect24 to be turned on before they can be played. After a while, a competition is retired to make room for a new one. However, the rankings of older competitions can still be viewed on the rankings table.

Types of Competitions

• VS. Race - A standard VS. race; however, race courses are somewhat altered.
• Time Trial - A standard Time Trial; however, race courses are somewhat altered.
• Numbered Gates - The player must drive through ordered gates as fast as possible.
• Coin Collecting - The player must collect the coins on the stage as fast as possible.
• Boss Battle - The player must fight against a special boss.

Licenses

File:Licensemkwii.png

An example of a Mario Kart Wii license.

Licenses replace normal save files. It is the first Mario Kart game to feature save files.

Each license contains each player's data, their Mii, nickname, Friend Code, and a table including all categories and cups with an empty space. After a cup is won, the corresponding space is filled in with a colored square: gold for first place, silver for second, bronze for third. If at any time the Mii being used for Mario Kart Wii is deleted from the Mii Channel, the in-game Mii is also deleted.

Friend Roster

File:Friendrostermkw.png

A friend roster.

Players can add different people around the world on to their Mario Kart Wii Friend Roster. Two people need to add the Friend Codes on their licenses. A player can have up to 30 people on their Friend Roster.

If two people are friends on a roster, one can open a room, which allows who is ever friends with the person to join that room. In the room, the players who joined can send messages. If a player who added the person who created the room, and another person joins and the player has not added them, they have an ability to do so. The host of the room can choose a VS Race, Team VS Race, Balloon Battle, and Coin Runners.

If a player joins a race when another player is online and friends with them, the player who added the player in the race can join that race and race with the friend.

Items

Mario Kart Wii includes two new items: the Mega Mushroom and the POW Block, and brings back the Thunder Cloud (from the Mario Kart Arcade GP installments). Items can be earned by driving through Item Boxes on the courses, just like in previous games. Once a player has done so, an item will be selected via the Item Roulette. In general, players tend to obtain a weak item such as a banana or a green shell when they are in first. However, if players are in a lower place, obtaining a slightly more powerful item such as a red shell or a Thunderbolt is more frequent. Usually, the lower the place of the player, the rarer and more powerful the item he/she gets. Stars, Mega Mushrooms, and Bullet Bills are examples of powerful items.

Image	Name	Description
File:Mushroom2.PNG	Mushroom	Gives players a small boost that ignores terrain.
File:MKwii TripleShroom.jpg	Triple Mushrooms	Gives players three Mushrooms, which give separate boosts. The default item in Time Trials mode.
File:MKwii Goldmushroom.jpg	Golden Mushroom	The driver temporarily gets an infinite amount of mushroom boosts.
File:MKwii Megamushroom.jpg	Mega Mushroom	The driver grows bigger, which allows the driver to squash other racers by running over them. The Mega Mushroom is immune to all attacks except those from the Star and the Bullet Bill.
File:MKwii Itembox.jpg	Item Box	Drivers are able to run into these item boxes to obtain certain tools, depending on their rank on the current race course.
File:MKwii Fakebox.jpg	Fake Item Box	This item imitates an Item Box, in which it is colored red and the ? mark is flipped upside down. It causes opponents to flip over once hit. It cannot block item attacks.
File:MKwii Banana.jpg	Banana	When drivers run into them, it causes them to slip and slow down on the track.
File:MKwii TripleBanana.jpg	Triple Bananas	This item gives the driver a trail of three bananas.
File:MKwii Greenshell.jpg	Green Shell	A basic green shell that can be shot forwards and backwards. It bounces off barriers several times before it is destroyed.
File:MKwii TripleGreenShell.jpg	Triple Green Shells	Three green shells that surround the racer until released.
File:MKwii Redshell.jpg	Red Shell	A shell that homes onto other racers when fired forward. Breaks once it makes contact with a wall.
File:MKwii TripleRedShell.jpg	Triple Red Shells	Three red shells that surround the racer until released.
File:MKii Blueshell.jpg	Spiny Shell	A flying-blue shell that goes to first place and blows them up. Any other player caught in the blast radius also gets affected.
File:Star.PNG	Star	Obtains complete invincibility for a short period of time.
File:MKwii Thunderbolt.jpg	Lightning	Lightning makes every racer (other than last) shrunken and returns back to normal size by the lowest place to first. Any users with the Mega Mushroom in effect shrink to normal size. Players lose any item they have once they get struck by Lightning.
File:MKwii Thundercloud.jpg	Thunder Cloud	When obtained, it increases the racers' top speed and acceleration for a short period of time and then shrinks the racer like the lightning. It can be passed off to someone else when the player bumps into them. When boosted, players ignore terrain effects as well.
File:MKwii Bob-omb.jpg	Bob-omb	Blows up a racer anywhere on the track. Has the same effect as the spiny shell except that it can be lobbed or tossed backwards just like a banana.
	Blooper	Squirts ink in any racer in-front of the one who deployed it. It can be erased quicker by a boost from a boost panel, invincibility by a star, or a mushroom.
File:NSMBBulletbill.jpg	Bullet Bill	Turns the racer into a Bullet Bill and increases the top speed of the racer drastically. Racers are invincible and the autopilot drives the racers for them. Flips over any opponent caught in the way.
File:MKwii Powblock.jpg	POW Block	A POW logo comes on the screen and then everyone (other than the racer who deployed) spins out. Players who deploy the wheelie button get a milder version of the effect. Does not affect racers in the air. All players hit by this lose their items.

Drivers

The complete roster.

Twelve Mario characters are available from the start, while twelve more can be unlocked for a total of twenty-four. They are separated into these three categories:

• Small: Small drivers are able to drive small vehicles. They usually have a good acceleration handling and off-road stat, but low top speed and weight.
• Medium: Medium drivers are able to drive medium-sized vehicles. Most of the karts show average acceleration, weight, and off-road.
• Large: Large drivers are able to drive large vehicles. They mostly feature high top speed and weight, but low acceleration, handling, and off-road.

Starting Drivers

• 

  Mario
  Medium

• 

  Luigi
  Medium

• Peachbasic.PNG

  Peach
  Medium

• Yoshibasic.PNG

  Yoshi
  Medium

• Babymariobasic.PNG

  Baby Mario
  Small

• Babypeachbasic.PNG

  Baby Peach
  Small
  New

• 

  Toad
  Small

• KoopaBasic.PNG

  Koopa Troopa
  Small

• Wariobasic.PNG

  Wario
  Large

• Waluigibasic.PNG

  Waluigi
  Large

• Dkbasic.PNG

  Donkey Kong
  Large

• 

  Bowser
  Large

Unlockable Drivers

• DaisyMKWii.PNG

  Daisy
  Medium

• Birdomkwii.PNG

  Birdo
  Medium

• Diddymkwii.PNG

  Diddy Kong
  Medium

• Jrwii.PNG

  Bowser Jr.
  Medium

• Babyluigi.PNG

  Baby Luigi
  Small

• Babydaisykart.PNG

  Baby Daisy
  Small
  New (First Appearance)

• Toadettewii.PNG

  Toadette
  Small

• Drybwii.PNG

  Dry Bones
  Small

• Boowiiking.PNG

  King Boo
  Large

• Rosawii.PNG

  Rosalina
  Large
  New

• Funkpngmm.PNG

  Funky Kong
  Large
  New

• Skelebowwii.PNG

  Dry Bowser
  Large
  New

• Miis are also featured as the secret twenty-fifth character with two different costumes to unlock – a racing suit and an outfit that varies depending on the gender. The color of the outfit also depends on the Mii's favorite color.

Unlocking Criteria

Main Drivers

Criterion
Daisy	Win 150cc Special Cup or 2,850 races
Birdo	Complete Time Trials on 16 different courses, receive 250 WFC wins, or 1,350 races
Diddy Kong	Win 50cc Lightning Cup or 450 races
Bowser Jr.	Receive at least 1 Star Rank for all 100cc Retro Grand Prix Cups or 3,450 races
Baby Luigi	Unlock 8 Expert Staff Ghost Data in Time Trials, win 100 WFC Ghost races, or play 3,150 races
Baby Daisy	Receive at least 1 Star Rank for all 50cc Wii Grand Prix Cups or 1,950 races
Toadette	Complete Time Trials on all 32 courses, receive 1,000 WFC wins, or 3,150 races
Dry Bones	Win 100cc Leaf Cup or 1,050 races
King Boo	Win 50cc Star Cup or 750 races
Rosalina	Win 50 races with a Super Mario Galaxy save file, receive at least 1 Star Rank for all 150cc Mirror Grand Prix cups, or 4,950 races
Funky Kong	Unlock 4 Expert Staff Ghost Data in Time Trials, win 25 WFC Ghost Races, or 2,250 races
Dry Bowser	Receive at least 1 Star Rank for all 150cc Wii Grand Prix Cups or 4,350 races

Mii Outfits

Criterion
Mii Outfit A (Racing Suit, blue Mii logo)	Win the 100cc Special Cup or 1,650 races
Mii Outfit B (Overalls/Dress, red Mii logo)	Unlock all Expert Staff Ghost Data in Time Trials, win 5,000 WFC Races or Ghost Races, or 5,100 combined races/battles

Bonuses

All of the characters in the game have their own set of bonuses that boost certain stats for their vehicles. Units are out of 80, so a stat bonus of 3 would make a stat three points better than normal.

Character Bonuses
Character	Speed	Weight	Acceleration	Handling	Drift	Off-Road	Mini-Turbo
Mario	-	6	2	2	3	-	-
Luigi	2	6	-	-	-	-	-
Peach	2	-	5	-	6	-	-
Daisy	4	-	-	2	-	-	3
Yoshi	-	3	-	-	3	5	-
Birdo	-	3	-	-	-	3	5
Diddy Kong	-	-	3	-	3	-	5
Bowser Jr.	-	-	-	-	-	3	3
Baby Mario	-	8	-	6	-	-	-
Baby Luigi	5	8	-	-	-	-	-
Baby Peach	3	6	3	3	-	-	-
Baby Daisy	5	6	-	-	-	-	3
Toad	-	-	6	-	6	-	-
Toadette	3	-	-	-	-	6	-
Koopa Troopa	-	-	-	3	-	-	6
Dry Bones	-	-	3	-	3	-	6
Wario	-	3	-	-	-	3	6
Waluigi	-	-	6	-	5	3	-
Donkey Kong	-	3	2	2	-	-	3
Bowser	2	5	-	-	3	-	-
King Boo	-	-	-	5	-	3	-
Rosalina	3	-	-	3	-	-	3
Funky Kong	4	-	-	-	-	3	-
Dry Bowser	-	-	-	-	-	6	6
Small Mii	3	3	-	-	3	-	3
Medium Mii	3	3	-	-	-	3	3
Large Mii	3	-	3	3	3	-	3

Vehicles

There are thirty-six total vehicles in the Wii installment (all of them can be seen here: [3]). 18 karts, 18 bikes, each divided into the 3 weight classes, making 6 and 6 available to each character, 3 and 3 to begin (thus making half of the vehicles unlockables). Each has 7 stats which are shown during character selection:

• Speed: How high the top speed of the vehicle is. This does not affect off-road travel.
• Weight: How heavy a vehicle is. With a higher weight, the player can knock lighter characters away by ramming them. Bikes are usually lighter than karts, but there are some exceptions, especially when size classes are applied.
• Acceleration: How quickly the vehicle's top speed is achieved from a non-moving position.
• Handling: How tight the vehicles can normally turn. Usually opposes the drift rating.
• Drift: How tight the vehicle turns while using the drifting maneuver. Usually opposes the handling rating.
• Off-Road: How much speed the vehicle retains when off of the track. A low rating of this can cause a near-standstill for the vehicle.
• Mini-Turbo: When using the manual drift option, how effective a mini-boost will be. While all vehicles can perform a blue spark mini-turbo, only karts can execute a yellow spark mini-turbo.

The following table includes vehicles in order of class primarily. The last half of each of these six sub-sections is the way the vehicle drifts (whether it's an internal drift or an external drift) and the unlockables; the right-hand column describes the requirement to unlock it: if it is a single cup, it must be simply won. The stats are displayed with number values, with the units being out of 80.

Vehicle Stats
Small Karts	Speed	Weight	Acceleration	Handling	Drift	Off-Road	Mini-Turbo	Drift-Type	How to Unlock
Standard Kart S	41	29	48	48	51	40	45	Out	-
Booster Seat / Baby Booster	27	27	56	64	37	54	59	Out	-
Mini Beast / Concerto	55	32	29	32	64	27	64	Out	-
Cheep Charger	34	24	64	56	59	45	54	Out	Rank * or more on all 50cc Retro GP Cups
Tiny Titan / Rally Romper	46	35	43	43	29	64	40	Out	1 expert staff ghost / win 50 WFC races
Blue Falcon	60	29	35	29	43	24	29	Out	Win Mirror Lightning Cup
Small Bikes	Speed	Weight	Acceleration	Handling	Drift	Off-Road	Mini-Turbo	Drift-Type	How to Unlock
Standard Bike S	39	21	51	51	54	43	48	Out	-
Bullet Bike	53	24	32	35	67	29	67	In	-
Bit Bike / Nano Bike	25	18	59	67	40	56	62	Out	-
Quacker	32	17	67	60	62	48	57	In	Win 150cc Star Cup
Magikruiser	43	24	45	45	32	67	43	In	8 recorded times in Time Trials
Jet Bubble / Bubble Bike	48	27	40	40	45	35	37	In	Mirror Leaf Cup
Medium Karts	Speed	Weight	Acceleration	Handling	Drift	Off-Road	Mini-Turbo	Drift-Type	How to Unlock
Standard Kart M	46	45	40	43	45	35	40	Out	-
Classic Dragster / Nostalgia 1	37	43	59	54	54	40	51	Out	-
Wild Wing	57	51	21	29	59	24	59	Out	-
Super Blooper / Turbo Blooper	50	40	35	37	21	54	35	Out	Win 50cc Leaf Cup
Daytripper / Royal Racer	34	45	51	59	32	48	54	Out	Win 150cc Leaf Cup
Sprinter / B Dasher Mk. 2	64	48	27	24	37	21	24	Out	24 expert staff ghosts or Win 3000 WFC races
Medium Bikes	Speed	Weight	Acceleration	Handling	Drift	Off-Road	Mini-Turbo	Drift-Type	How to Unlock
Standard Bike M	43	37	43	45	48	37	43	Out	-
Mach Bike	55	37	24	32	62	27	62	In	-
Sugarscoot / Bon Bon	32	32	54	62	35	51	56	Out	-
Zip Zip / Rapide	41	35	45	51	29	62	45	Out	Win 100cc Lightning Cup
Sneakster / Nitrocycle	62	40	29	27	40	24	27	In	Rank * or more on all 100cc Wii GP cups
Dolphin Dasher	48	43	37	40	24	56	37	In	Mirror Star Cup
Large Karts	Speed	Weight	Acceleration	Handling	Drift	Off-Road	Mini-Turbo	Drift-Type	How to Unlock
Standard Kart L	48	59	37	40	40	35	35	Out	-
Offroader	39	64	48	54	18	43	45	Out	-
Flame Flyer	62	59	16	21	48	18	48	Out	-
Piranha Prowler	55	67	29	35	35	29	27	Out	Win 50cc Special Cup
Jetsetter / Aero Glider	69	56	21	17	27	16	16	Out	Rank * or more on all 150cc Retro GP cups
Honeycoupe / Dragonetti	53	62	27	29	56	24	56	Out	150cc Lightning Cup
Large Bikes	Speed	Weight	Acceleration	Handling	Drift	Off-Road	Mini-Turbo	Drift-Type	How to Unlock
Standard Bike L	46	54	40	43	43	37	37	Out	-
Flame Runner / Bowser Bike	60	54	18	24	51	21	51	In	-
Wario Bike	37	59	51	56	21	45	48	Out	-
Shooting Star / Twinkle Star	50	48	29	32	59	27	59	Out	Win 100cc Star Cup
Spear / Torpedo	67	56	24	18	29	18	18	In	12 expert staff ghosts
Phantom	43	51	43	48	17	56	40	Out	Win Mirror Special Cup

Tracks

File:Wgm.PNG

Wario races towards a steep downhill portion of Wario's Gold Mine.

Race courses are divided into various Cups again: Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup and Special Cup for new courses and Shell Cup, Banana Cup, Leaf Cup and Lightning Cup for old courses. Notably, these are the same as Mario Kart DS.

All thirty-two tracks have three laps, regardless of length and difficulty.

New Courses

There are sixteen new courses in Mario Kart Wii.

Mushroom Cup	Flower Cup	Star Cup	Special Cup
File:LuigiCircuit MKWii.jpg Luigi Circuit	Mario Circuit	File:Daisy circuit1.PNG Daisy Circuit	File:Dry Dry Ruins.PNG Dry Dry Ruins
File:Mkwii MooMeadows.jpg Moo Moo Meadows	File:CoconutMall MKWii.jpg Coconut Mall	File:Koopa Cape.jpg Koopa Cape	Moonview Highway
File:Mkwii-shroomgorge.jpg Mushroom Gorge	File:MKwii DKsummit.jpg DK Summit DK's Snowboard Cross	File:Mkwmapletreeway.jpg Maple Treeway	Bowser's Castle
File:Mktrack7.jpg Toad's Factory	File:WariosGoldMine MKWii.jpg Wario's Gold Mine	File:Grumble Volcano.PNG Grumble Volcano	File:RainbowRoadwiiview.png Rainbow Road

Retro Courses

These courses appeared in previous Mario Kart installments, much like in Mario Kart DS. This includes two courses from the SNES installment, four from the N64 installment, two from the GBA installment, four from the GCN installment, and four from the DS installment. All of these have been graphically updated and have some new details such as extra trees and ramps, new features such as jumps, pipe tricks, and even added shortcuts. These retro courses appear in the Shell, Banana, Leaf or Lightning cups.

Shell Cup	Banana Cup	Leaf Cup	Lightning Cup
File:Mkw peachbeach.jpg GCN Peach Beach	File:SherbetWii.jpg N64 Sherbet Land	File:Desert Hills.PNG DS Desert Hills	File:SNESMarioCircuit3-MKWii.png SNES Mario Circuit 3
File:MKwii Yoshifalls.jpg DS Yoshi Falls	File:ShyGuyBeach MKWii.jpg GBA Shy Guy Beach	File:GBABowserCastle3-MKWii.png GBA Bowser Castle 3	DS Peach Gardens
File:GhostValleyWii.jpg SNES Ghost Valley 2	File:MKWii DelfinoSquare.jpg DS Delfino Square	File:D.K.'s Jungle Parkway.PNG N64 DK's Jungle Parkway	File:DK Mountain.PNG GCN DK Mountain
File:MarioRacewayWii.jpg N64 Mario Raceway	File:WaluigiStadium MKWii.jpg GCN Waluigi Stadium	File:GCNMarioCircuit-MKWii.png GCN Mario Circuit	N64 Bowser's Castle

Battle Stages

New Courses	Retro Courses
File:Block Plaza.PNG Block Plaza	File:Battle Course 4 (SNES).PNG SNES Battle Course 4
File:Delfino Pier.PNG Delfino Pier	File:Battle Course 3 (GBA).PNG GBA Battle Course 3
File:FunkyStadium-MKWii.png Funky Stadium	N64 Skyscraper
File:Chain Chomp Roulette.PNG Chain Chomp Wheel	File:Cookie Land.PNG GCN Cookie Land
File:Thwomp Desert.PNG Thwomp Desert	File:Twilight House.PNG DS Twilight House

Other Stages

These are only found in the Competitions.

• Galaxy Coliseum (Galaxy Arena in the PAL Version)

Ghosts

In Mario Kart Wii, there are Normal Staff ghosts and Expert Staff ghosts. Beating the normal staff ghosts by a certain amount of time unlocks the Expert Staff ghosts. Unlocking Expert Staff ghosts can help unlock certain characters and vehicles in the game. Below are two tables: the first shows the Normal Staff ghosts, while the second shows the Expert Staff ghosts, and also shows the character and vehicle the ghost used.

Normal Staff Ghosts

Course	Staff Name	Time	Character	Vehicle	Wheel	Drift
Luigi Circuit	Nin★sato	01:29.670	Luigi	B Dasher Mk. 2	Yes	Manual
Moo Moo Meadows	Nin★YuNya	01:37.856	Baby Daisy	Baby Booster	Yes	Auto
Mushroom Gorge	Nin★Murak	02:16.110	Toadette	Quacker	Yes	Manual
Toad's Factory	Nin★Misa	02:22.480	Toad	Bubble Bike	Yes	Manual
Mario Circuit	Nin★==Kony	01:44.777	Mario	Rapide	Yes	Manual
Coconut Mall	Nin★♪SiMO	02:30.764	Daisy	Bon Bon	No	Manual
DK Summit	Nin★mokke	02:34.693	Donkey Kong	Standard Bike L	Yes	Manual
Wario's Gold Mine	Nin★morimo	02:19.585	Wario	Wario Bike	Yes	Manual
Daisy Circuit	Nin★Toki	01:56.822	Daisy	Royal Racer	No	Manual
Koopa Cape	Nin★Rose	03:03.022	Koopa Troopa	Cheep Charger	No	Manual
Maple Treeway	Nin★pico	02:58.633	Diddy Kong	Nostalgia 1	Yes	Manual
Grumble Volcano	Nin★Gorin	02:28.237	Dry Bowser	Offroader	Yes	Manual
Dry Dry Ruins	Nin★Kei	02:30.949	Yoshi	Nostalgia 1	Yes	Manual
Moonview Highway	Nin★KOZ★	02:16.802	Peach	Standard Kart M	Yes	Manual
Bowser's Castle	Nin★YABUKI	03:04.836	Bowser	Piranha Prowler	No	Manual
Rainbow Road	Nin★Konno	03:05.895	Rosalina	Twinkle Star	No	Manual
Peach Beach GCN	Nin★HIRO	01:34.233	Peach	Royal Racer	No	Manual
Yoshi Falls DS	Nin★DoTak	01:16.461	Yoshi	Rapide	No	Manual
Ghost Valley 2 SNES	Nin★YOKO	01:06.595	King Boo	Standard Kart L	Yes	Manual
Mario Raceway N64	Nin★Ichiro	02:14.799	Baby Mario	Bit Bike	Yes	Manual
Sherbet Land N64	Nin★Sakat	02:48.651	Baby Luigi	Quacker	Yes	Auto
Shy Guy Beach GBA	Nin★Kato	01:45.568	Koopa Troopa	Cheep Charger	Yes	Manual
Delfino Square DS	Nin★iwaco	02:41.807	Wario	Wario Bike	Yes	Manual
Waluigi Stadium GCN	Nin★NAR★★	02:32.882	Waluigi	Standard Bike L	No	Manual
Desert Hills DS	Nin★Sako	02:10.233	Dry Bones	Standard Bike S	No	Manual
Bowser Castle 3 GBA	Nin★Fukuda	02:58.304	Dry Bowser	Standard Kart L	Yes	Manual
DK's Jungle Parkway N64	Nin★Matt	02:58.264	Donkey Kong	Phantom	Yes	Auto
Mario Circuit GCN	Nin★♪Miz	01:59.771	Mario	Standard Bike M	Yes	Manual
Mario Circuit 3 SNES	Nin★iwaco	01:38.880	Baby Mario	Standard Kart S	Yes	Manual
Peach Gardens DS	Nin★Ito.y	02:34.894	Baby Peach	Magikruiser	Yes	Manual
DK Mountain GCN	Nin★♪msk	02:57.744	Funky Kong	Wario Bike	Yes	Manual
Bowser's Castle N64	Nin★GASK2	03:19.323	Bowser Jr.	Standard Kart M	Yes	Manual

Expert Staff Ghosts

Course	Staff Name	Unlock Time	Time	Character	Vehicle	Wheel	Drift
Luigi Circuit	Nin★Uta♪	01:26.394	01:19.419	Luigi	Mach Bike	Yes	Manual
Moo Moo Meadows	Nin★Tkym	01:34.160	01:25.909	Baby Daisy	Bullet Bike	No	Auto
Mushroom Gorge	Nin★Miki	02:10.875	02:01.011	Toadette	Concerto	No	Manual
Toad's Factory	Nin★GQO	02:17.653	02:05.593	Toad	Blue Falcon	No	Manual
Mario Circuit	Nin★fuyu	01:40.528	01:33.702	Mario	B Dasher Mk. 2	No	Manual
Coconut Mall	Nin★MUGI★	02:25.620	02:13.333	Daisy	Wild Wing	Yes	Manual
DK Summit	Nin★KOZ★	02:29.076	02:17.546	Donkey Kong	Flame Flyer	Yes	Manual
Wario's Gold Mine	Nin★♪Ryo	02:15.323	02:04.800	Wario	Flame Flyer	No	Manual
Daisy Circuit	Nin★Taeko	01:51.786	01:41.362	Daisy	Mach Bike	No	Manual
Koopa Cape	Nin★morimo	02:56.867	02:41.370	Koopa Troopa	Bubble Bike	No	Manual
Maple Treeway	Nin★MUGI★	02:51.684	02:37.812	Diddy Kong	Nitrocycle	No	Manual
Grumble Volcano	Nin★aki	02:22.856	02:11.852	Dry Bowser	Torpedo	No	Manual
Dry Dry Ruins	Nin★Akito	02:26.064	02:14.286	Yoshi	Nitrocycle	Yes	Manual
Moonview Highway	Nin★Koh	02:10.509	02:04.163	Peach	Mach Bike	Yes	Manual
Bowser's Castle	Nin★Masa	02:57.382	02:42.098	Bowser	Bowser Bike	No	Manual
Rainbow Road	Nin★Syun1	03:00.007	02:44.734	Rosalina	Aero Glider	No	Manual
Peach Beach GCN	Nin★Taeko	01:30.909	01:23.140	Peach	Dolphin Dasher	Yes	Manual
Yoshi Falls DS	Nin★FJ	01:14.072	01:09.175	Yoshi	Super Blooper	Yes	Manual
Ghost Valley 2 SNES	Nin★sira〉	01:04.261	00:58.907	King Boo	Torpedo	No	Manual
Mario Raceway N64	Nin★Yuuki	02:10.069	01:59.053	Baby Mario	Concerto	No	Manual
Sherbet Land N64	Nin★FJ	02:42.536	02:28.356	Baby Luigi	Blue Falcon	No	Manual
Shy Guy Beach GBA	Nin★Matt	01:41.174	01:32.867	Koopa Troopa	Magikruiser	No	Manual
Delfino Square DS	Nin★TARO	02:36.630	02:24.169	Wario	Dragonetti	No	Manual
Waluigi Stadium GCN	Nin★♪Ryo	02:26.335	02:12.367	Waluigi	Piranha Prowler	No	Manual
Desert Hills DS	Nin★solami	02:02.358	01:52.686	Dry Bones	Rally Romper	Yes	Manual
Bowser Castle 3 GBA	Nin★A24	02:53.651	02:39.391	Dry Bowser	Bowser Bike	No	Manual
DK's Jungle Parkway N64	Nin★Syun1	02:51.693	02:37.782	Donkey Kong	Flame Flyer	Yes	Manual
Mario Circuit GCN	Nin★Dai8	01:55.907	01:49.939	Mario	Wild Wing	No	Manual
Mario Circuit 3 SNES	Nin★Shige	01:35.213	01:26.659	Baby Mario	Bullet Bike	No	Manual
Peach Gardens DS	Nin★==Kony	02:29.793	02:16.777	Baby Peach	Concerto	Yes	Manual
DK Mountain GCN	Nin★Miyam	02:52.100	02:38.130	Funky Kong	Flame Flyer	Yes	Manual
Bowser's Castle N64	Nin★Kentan	03:09.228	02:55.933	Bowser Jr.	Nitrocycle	Yes	Manual

Quotes

For a full list of quotes, see here.

References to Other Games

• All past Mario Kart games: Half of the stages are taken from those games in the Retro Grand Prix, while half of the Battle courses are taken from those games under Retro Battle Course.
• Super Mario Bros.: Various items from said game appear in the background of the Battle course Block Plaza, Super Mario Bros.-style. Additionally, the first seconds of the course Bowser's Castle theme resemble the music played in that game by its instruments. Also, the tune that plays in the award ceromony is a remix of the tune that plays when Mario/Luigi beats a castle.
• Super Mario Bros. 3: The license plates on some of the trucks read SMB3, the abbreviation of Super Mario Bros. 3.
• Super Mario 64: Unagis appear in the background of Koopa Cape.
• Mario Kart 64: The course Moo Moo Meadows is based on Moo Moo Farm. Block Plaza has parts of Block Fort. Also, part of the music that plays during the Award Ceremony (if drivers win a Trophy) is the same as in the same scenario in Mario Kart 64.
• Yoshi's Story: An Egyptian-style remix of the main theme plays on the course Dry Dry Ruins.
• Paper Mario: Parts of Dry Dry Ruins are based off the area of the same name from this game.
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit: The Yoshi Sphinx from the background of Yoshi Desert returns as a part of the race course Dry Dry Ruins.
• Super Mario Sunshine: The battle stage Delfino Pier is based on Delfino Plaza. Also, the course Coconut Mall is seemingly located on Isle Delfino.
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: The Daisy Cruiser cameos in the background of Daisy Circuit. Also, Block Plaza has parts of Block City. Also, the course Dry Dry Ruins has the same starting point as Dry Dry Desert. Finally, the Grand Prix race start jingle was also recycled from that game for the Grand Prix and VS races in this game. Some of the animations seen for the driver selection process (excluding the new drivers introduced for this game) are ported character models from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, with only a few characters receiving noticeable changes.
• Mario Kart DS: The course DK Summit has derived many elements from DK Pass. Also, the course Dry Dry Ruins has similar music to that of Desert Hills.
• New Super Mario Bros.: Various features in the game are derived from their New Super Mario Bros.-look. The Mega Mushroom is an item in the game. The mushroom platforms in Mushroom Gorge is based on the mushroom platforms in said game, with the red ones being "bouncy", and the green ones more like solid platforms. Grumble Volcano is similar to World 8 of New Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Galaxy: Rainbow Road has several elements from said game, such as Star Bits or a section based on Launch Stars. Also, portions of the Good Egg Galaxy's music is heard for the course's music. Additionally, Spiked Topmen are the enemies in the June 2008 1st Competition. The battle course Galaxy Coliseum is also heavily based on the game. Maple Treeway resembles the Gold Leaf Galaxy.

References in Later Games

• Mario Sports Mix: In Toad Park, the Standard Kart design is used from this game.
• Mario Kart 7: This game's retro selection reuses some courses. Tricks, which are first introduced here, are reused in this game.

Awards

• Fastest Selling Kart Game - Guinness Book of World Records Gamer's Edition 2009 - 2013
• Best Selling Racing Game - Guinness Book of World Records Gamer's Edition 2009 - 2013

Beta Elements

Main article: List of Mario Kart Wii beta elements

Glitches

Main article: List of glitches in Mario Kart Wii

Staff

Main article: List of Mario Kart Wii staff

Trading Cards

Main article: Mario Kart Wii Trading Cards

Trivia

• For the marketing of Mario Kart Wii in the United States only, Nintendo of America did a series of three commercials starring Cowboy Jed, primarily to promote their slogan for this game: "Get Behind The Wheel!". The slogan focuses on the Wii Wheel, Nintendo's targeted gameplay control, as stated earlier in this article.
• In Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario's Kart from this game can be obtained at Tom Nook's shop for 10,000 shopping points.
• In Nintendogs + Cats, karts with Mario, Peach and Yoshi from this game can be bought from a certain shop. The player can control these karts, and can even go into first-person view with them. When racing as Mario, the music from Luigi Circuit/Mario Circuit (from this game) will play, when racing as Peach, the music from Peach Gardens (from Mario Kart DS) will play, and when racing as Yoshi, the music from Yoshi Falls (also from Mario Kart DS) will play.
• Peach wears her hair tied into a ponytail for most of the game; however, in her profile artwork and on the Congratulations screens after the ending credits, she wears her hair loose.
• The Expert Staff Ghost for Moo Moo Meadows is the only Expert that has the automatic drift.
• All 'Nin★==Kony' staff ghosts have '777' milliseconds on the end. (02:16.777 in DS Peach Gardens and 01:44.777 in Mario Circuit).

External Links

• Japanese Official Site
• European Official Site
• North American Official Site
• Australian Official Site