Mario Kart Wii

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 is, however, 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 others around the world. This channel uses seventy-four to eighty-eight blocks (depending on from which region the game came 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.

Changes
While every previous Mario Kart game allowed for a maximum of eight racers on each course, up to twelve are on course at one 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.

Also, a new feature named "Tricks" is now 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, 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 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 six games:

Controlling
The main feature is the use of the motion sensing of the Wii Remote. 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 Wheel. 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

 * Rocket Start: Drivers can perform a speed boost when a race begins. If drivers hold down the corresponding acceleration button right after the 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 ride Bikes. Drivers can 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

 * 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.
 * 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.

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
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
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. There are 5 people on each row, with 6 rows. So, 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.

Drivers
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 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.

Unlockable Drivers

 * 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.

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.

Vehicles
There are thirty-six total vehicles in the Wii installment (all of them can be seen here: ). 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.

Tracks
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.

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.

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.

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 inhabited by Piantas.
 * 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.
 * 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.

Trivia

 * Part of the title screen music is a remix from a part of the title screen of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The same part was also used in the title screen of Mario Kart DS.
 * It should also be noted that the animations seen for the driver selection process (excluding the new drivers introduced for this game) are how they were seen in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, with only a few characters receiving noticeable changes.
 * For the marketing of Mario Kart Wii in the United States, 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 wore 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 wore her hair loose.
 * The Expert Staff Ghost for Moo Moo Meadows is the only Expert that has the automatic drift.