Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii is the latest installment of the Mario Kart series. Designed from the ground up for the Wii, a Wii Wheel will be packed into the North American release to allow for a more realistic steering experience. Announced at Nintendo’s E3 2007 conference by Reggie Fils-Aime, little information has been released about the game. Its current title is tentative and may change as its release nears.

Game Play
Mario Kart Wii is based off of its predecessors. A number of players race to the finish in a multi-lap race around a given circuit. Along the way, players may employ items, horseplay, and shortcuts to earn first place.

The interface of the game has been changed only visually. At this point in production, the game screen may change drastically. No map or method of showing who is in first, second, third, or forth place has been revealed.

Controlling the Kart
The main feature that sets this incarnation apart from the other games in the series is its use of the Wii Remote's motion sensing capabilities rather than the control pad or control stick for steering. Nintendo hopes to address some of the issues game critics faced with Excitetruck, the first racing game Nintendo published for the Wii, by making Mario Kart Wii compatible with the Wii Wheel. Presumably, players can also play without the Wheel, but this is not confirmed.

Modes of Play
Nintendo has explicitly confirmed the presence of a Battle Mode in this game. Additionally, both normal races and battles are playable online through the use of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. This is the second game in the series to utilize the WFC and the first to allow for online battles.

As of yet, no other modes have been confirmed. However, the Mission Mode first made available in Mario Kart DS received very high marks from game critics, so it is very likely that a similar mode will be present. It is also highly unlikely that the single and two-player tournament mode will be discontinued, as it has been a series staple since Super Mario Kart.

No further details are known about the online functions of the game at this point.

Major Changes
While every previous Mario Kart game allowed for a maximum of eight racers on each course, up to twelve have been seen in video footage of Mario Kart Wii. Reggie promised that Nintendo would release more information about this in the future. As such, it is possible more than twelve may be on a track at one time. No information is available as to the number of players that can participate in the Battle Mode or the online modes.

The title continues the tradition of using personalized Karts, a concept first seen in the DS incarnation of the series. It is unconfirmed as to the number of Karts that will be available to each character. On a side note, the two-person Karts from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! have not appeared, but the possibility has neither been confirmed nor denied.

Characters
Nintendo has not released a full cast list for the game, nor has it remarked on how characters will be divided into weight classes or what individual statistics will affect each racer. So far, the only characters that are confirmed are those that have been viewed in screenshots and videos.


 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Princess Peach
 * Toad
 * Yoshi
 * Baby Mario
 * Baby Luigi
 * Koopa Troopa
 * Wario
 * Waluigi
 * Bowser
 * Boo

Courses
Several racetracks have been revealed in the media put out by Nintendo. Both new tracks and famous old ones from previous games have been seen. It is unconfirmed if the old stages will be in the final version as they were in Mario Kart DS. The DS version’s first video and demo used an old track, Yoshi Circuit, that later appeared in the game.

New Courses
Several distinct courses have been identified from the media. Others may have been missed due to the montage nature of the video released to the public.

Village Course (Mario Circuit)
This course features Princess Peach's Castle and other stone buildings to the side of a very wide track. Lush lawns and trees can be seen at the sides. The backdrop of the stage is inspired by the backdrops of New Super Mario Bros. In the presentation of the game is shown in one of the videos that the course is named Mario Circuit. Toad Town also may be the inspiration for this course.

Unnamed Wario Canyon Course
A course with wide roads set in a canyon has been revealed. A sign with Wario’s face decorates the course along with Warp Pipes and cabins out of reach of the racers. This course features steep declines and sharp turns and may lend itself to the frantic, roller coaster game play of Wario Colosseum from Double Dash. Segments of the track lack siding to prevent players from falling off. Additionally, this course employs Boost Pads.

Unnamed Mushroom Course
A course that appears to take place in a subterranean area has also surfaced. Racers can traverse across Mushroom platforms by bouncing across them.

Unnamed Moo Moo Farm Course
A course resembling Moo Moo Farm from Mario Kart 64 will also appear in-game. This course is distinctly different from the version featured in 64 as players must dodge the cows.

Reappearing Courses

 * Yoshi Falls
 * Peach Beach

Items
Nintendo has declined to comment on items or their uses at this point. No new items have been spotted in the media released to the public. Those that have been seen have not been seen in action, so it is possible that their uses have changed. Items can be earned by driving through Item Boxes on the courses. Once a player has done so, an item will be selected via the Item Roulette. It is unknown if players will be allowed to stop the Roulette.


 * Mushroom
 * Banana
 * Red Shell

Videos

 * Mario Kart Wii E3 07 Presentation
 * Mario Kart Wii - Video, Images and Analysis