Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    Mario Kart Wii

    Game » consists of 6 releases. Released Apr 09, 2008

    Get online and race in this Wii update of the long-running Mario Kart series. Mario Kart Wii is one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Wii. It is the eighth installment of the series.

    Short summary describing this game.

    No recent wiki edits to this page.

    Overview

    The game's official logo.
    The game's official logo.

    The latest installment of the classic Mario racing franchise, Mario Kart Wii pits players against each other as well as computer opponents in a fast-paced, cartoon-style of kart racing, making judicious use of the Wii's accelerometer-based technology.

    As of March 31 2016, it has sold 36.75 million copies worldwide.

    New Features

    One of the new features, supporting up to 12 racers at a time instead of the usual 8.
    One of the new features, supporting up to 12 racers at a time instead of the usual 8.

    Mario Kart Wii Introduces several new features to the franchise, including motorbikes, support for up to 12 racers at a time, and Internet-based racing over the Wii's Wi-Fi connection. Mario Kart Wii ships with the Wii Wheel, a plastic shell designed to hold the Wii Remote and act as a unique gimmick control for the game, which went through at least 30 different iterations before a final design was decided upon. Another "new feature" is the removal of a feature previously added in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, which was the addition of unique items for each character; since these weapons are now gone, all the characters in the same weight category play identically, creating a less dynamic, more homogeneous race experience.

    Game Modes

    In Mario Kart Wii, there are four standard mode of gameplay. With the exception of Time Trials and Grand Prix which only holds one person, all modes can be played in local multiplayer with up to four people at once.

    Grand Prix

    Toadette is ready to go as the countdown to the GP race is about to begin.
    Toadette is ready to go as the countdown to the GP race is about to begin.

    The standard single-player Mario Kart mode. Here, players compete in races facing 11 CPU opponents at once, a step up of four from previous Mario Kart games which maxed out at seven opponents per race. There are four modes of competition: 50cc (Karts only), 100cc (Bikes only), 150cc, and Mirror Mode - the last of which only opens up when a player completes all circuits of all previous classes. Players can also switch the first two classes to Karts and Bikes once they beat all the circuits. As always in every GP mode, players start the first race of the cup at the back of the grid and just like in Mario Kart DS, players can rocket start by pressing the gas button during the countdown before the green light on Lakitu's signal goes off. The key to winning the mode is to use items and claim first place after all three laps are played. With more racers, the point system has increased. First place gives the player fifteen points, twelve for second place, ten for third, and so forth. After all four races are played, an award ceremony is being held for the three best drivers and players are given a ranking from E to 3 Stars in addition to the trophy for winning the cup.

    Time Trials

    A Time Trial run at Rainbow Road with Mario.
    A Time Trial run at Rainbow Road with Mario.

    Here players compete for the fastest time possible in each course. Players are given a Triple Mushroom to start each Trial. Players can watch their fastest replay and unlock a Staff Ghost replay to compete against if their times are fast enough.

    Vs

    Players can make up their own rules here and face off against the computer by themselves or compete in a team race. Custom rules include the ability to change the speed class, how tough the CPU can be, what type of vehicles the CPU can drive, whether courses raced are chosen, random or in a specific order, how often items appear, and how many races appear in a set.

    Battle Mode

    Coin Runners
    Coin Runners

    There are two sub-modes for Battle Mode.

    • Balloon Battle - Players compete against another team to try and pop the most bubbles before time expires. Balloons are popped by hitting opponents with items. Balloons can also be stolen from opponents if the player turbo charges them.
    • Coin Runners - Players compete against another team to collect the most coins before time expires.

    Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

    Mario Kart Wii features online play for up to 12 players. Players have 12-digit friend codes, but can also add friends from their Wii console friends list, a rarity for NWFC games. Players can compete in either Team Battle mode for Coin or Balloon Battles or individual Vs races where players compete in three-lap races around the tracks. Players cannot customize rules in this mode, even if they setup a room for the friends to play in.

    Characters

    The entire cast of characters in Mario Kart Wii.
    The entire cast of characters in Mario Kart Wii.

    Like in earlier iterations in the franchise, all characters in Mario Kart Wii are separated into three weight classes: Light, Medium and Heavy (formerly Lightweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight). Light characters have good handling, faster acceleration times, but lower maximum driving speeds, whereas Heavy racers have poor handling, slow acceleration times and higher maximum speeds. Medium characters are evenly balanced between the two extremes.

    A total of 25 characters are available throughout the game. After starting out with 12 characters, and an additional 13 characters can be unlocked.

    Starting Characters

    Light

    Toad driving one of the character-themed karts
    Toad driving one of the character-themed karts

    Medium

    Heavy

    Unlockable Characters

    Light

    Bowser wielding the game-changing Blue Shell
    Bowser wielding the game-changing Blue Shell

    Medium

    Heavy

    In addition, the playable Miis are automatically sorted into one of the three categories by their height; a very tall Mii goes into the Heavyweight category, and a very short Mii goes into the Lightweight category. Miis are also given special bodies (in racing suits the color of the Mii's default color) and voiceover, differing between male and female. A second Mii character wearing Mario-esque overalls can be unlocked by unlocking all the Expert Staff Ghost replays in Time Trial mode. It has also been said that all racers can be unlocked by racing a set number of races that reach into the thousands.

    Selectable Karts and Bikes

    Karts

    Small

    • Booster Seat
    • Mini Beast
    • Cheep Charger
    • Tiny Titan
    • Blue Falcon

    Medium

    • Classic Dragster
    • Wild Wing
    • Super Blooper
    • Daytripper
    • Sprinter

    Large

    • Offroader
    • Flame Flyer
    • Piranha Prowler
    • Jetsetter
    • Honey Coupe

    Bikes

    Small

    • Bullet Bike
    • Bit Bike
    • Quacker
    • Magikruiser
    • Jet Bubble

    Medium

    • Mach Bike
    • Sugarscoot
    • Zip Zip
    • Sneakster
    • Dolphin Dasher

    Large

    • Flame Runner
    • Wario Bike
    • Shooting Star
    • Spear
    • Phantom

    Tracks

    Like Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Wii introduces sixteen new tracks, and revisits a further sixteen courses from previous iterations in the Mario Kart series for a grand total of 32 playable tracks. These are separated into two different tiers, and then further broken up into four cups apiece. The third and fourth cups for each tier can only be unlocked by beating the previous two cups, a process which must be repeated for each speed class.

    New Tracks

    Mushroom Cup

    Luigi Circuit
    Luigi Circuit

    Flower Cup

    Star Cup

    Special Cup

    Koopa Cape
    Koopa Cape

    Retro Tracks

    Shell Cup

    Banana Cup

    GBA Shy Guy Beach
    GBA Shy Guy Beach

    Leaf Cup

    • DS Desert Hills
    • GBA Bowser Castle 3
    • N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
    • GCN Mario Circuit

    Lightning Cup

    Battle Mode and Arenas

    In addition to the 32 tracks, Mario Kart Wii has 10 battle mode arenas (five new and five retro) to compete in during Balloon Battle and the all new Coin Runners. These two battle games last three minutes per match and the best part... it is in teams.

    New Arenas

    Funky Stadium
    Funky Stadium

    Retro Arenas

    GCN Cookie Land
    GCN Cookie Land

    In-Game Competitions

    Since its release, Mario Kart Wii has provided players with several in-game competitions or Tournaments to keep them coming back to the game. There have been 2 competitions per month since May 2008. Sometimes players are forced to use Karts or only the Wii Wheel. Competitions sometimes take place on Battle Courses and maps are altered slightly. All the competitions have been timed based. While competitive, players compete by themselves and not against others directly.

    • May 2008 #1: A standard race along Mario Circuit, but Chain Chomps were roaming the course freely
    • May 2008 #2: Players were forced to use the Wii Wheel to drive through 10 games on GBA Battle Course 3
    • June 2008 #1: Players were given 3 Mushrooms to knock Spiky Topmen out of Galaxy Arena.
    • June 2008 #2: Players were forced to use Karts only while driving through Mushroom Gorge backwards; Mushroom Platforms were also placed differently.
    • July 2008 #1: Players had to quickly collect 50 coins in Coconut Mall.
    • July 2008 #2: Players, forced to use the Wii Wheel, had to beat the CPU in a 5 lap race on DS Twilight House.
    • August 2008 #1: On N64 DK's Jungle Parkway, players raced Donkey and Diddy Kong who constantly threw banana peels onto the track, while only Green Shells, Triple Green Shells and a rare Star were available for them to pickup.
    • August 2008 #2: Players had to drive through 25 gates on Koopa Cape.
    • September 2008 #1: Players were forced to use the Wii Wheel while racing on N64 Skyscraper. Colliding with Bob-omb Karts lost players time.
    • September 2008 #2: Players had to collect all coins in the shortest time possible on Mario Circuit 3 while using a Kart.
    • October 2008 #1: On Thwomp Desert, players had to use Bob-ombs to defeat a giant Pokey.
    • October 2008 #2: Wii Wheel and Karts only. Players had to race 3 CPU's while using no items.
    • November 2008 #1: Maple Treeway. Players had to collect 15 coins that were hidden in the fastest time possible.
    • November 2008 #2: N64 Mario Raceway. Only Golden Mushrooms appeared while players had to finish quickly.
    • December 2008 #1: Wario's Gold Mine. Players had to get past a Wiggler within 3 laps with only Triple Mushrooms and Stars as items.
    • December 2008 #2: DK's Snowboard Cross. Players had to quickly go through 25 gates.
    • January 2009 #1: Toad's Factory. Players had to drive the course backwards with only Mushrooms available as pickups.
    • January 2009 #2: Funky Stadium. Players had to collect all 60 coins on the track.
    • February 2009 #1: Block Plaza. This was a time trial around the edge of the course. Players were given Mushrooms.
    • February 2009 #2: GBA Bowser's Castle 3, Karts only. Players had to drive through all 30 gates around the course. Players were given inaccurate information for this competition.
    • March 2009 #1: SNES Battle Course 4. Players had to collect 50 coins while avoiding hazards.
    • March 2009 #2: N64 Bowser's Castle, Karts only. Players had to race Dry Bowser, who spit out fireballs during the race.
    • April 2009 #1: GCN Waluigi Stadium. Players had to race through all 25 gates.
    • April 2009 #2: DS Peach Gardens. A standard time trial which had extra Chain Chomps and Monty Moles placed around the track.
    • May 2009 #1: Luigi Circuit (with a sunset). Players had to avoid Bob-omb Karts while racing.
    • May 2009 #2: Chain Chomp Roulette, Wii Wheel only. Players had to collect 100 coins while avoiding the Chain Chomp.
    • June 2009 #1: Grumble Volcano, Karts only. Players had to drive the course backwards.
    • June 2009 #2: Galaxy Arena. Players had to push all six Spiky Topmen off while portions of the Arena fell off.
    • July 2009 #1: GCN Peach Beach. Players had to collect all 70 coins as fast as possible.
    • July 2009 #2: DS Yoshi Falls, Wii Wheel only. This was a standard Vs race, but Mushrooms appeared from Mushroom's Gorge.
    • August 2009 #1: GBA Shy Guy Beach. Players had to defeat all 30 Sidesteppers as fast as possible.
    • August 2009 #2: Wii Bowser's Castle. This was a standard Time Trial with extra hazards around the course.
    • September 2009 #1: GCN Cookie Land, Bikes only. Players faced 4 baby characters in a 5-lap race with branching paths.
    • September 2009 #2: This competition was the exact same as October 2008's first competition.
    • October 2009 #1: GCN Mario Circuit. This was a standard time trial race with extra hazards around the course.
    • October 2009 #2: Daisy Circuit. Players had to go through all 22 gates on a figure 8 course.
    • November 2009 #1: Dry Dry Ruins. This was a standard Vs race with all the item blocks containing a form of Mushroom.
    • November 2009 #2: Rainbow Road, Karts only. Players had to finish 3 laps while avoiding Chain Chomps.
    • December 2009 #1: DS Desert Hills. Players had to defeat 10 Pokeys with pickups from item boxes.
    • December 2009 #2: This competition was the exact same as August 2008's first competition.
    • January 2010 #1: Delfino Pier. This was a time trial where more paths opened up as time went on.
    • January 2010 #2: GCN DK Moutain, Karts only. Players had to pass through all 20 gates.
    • February 2010 #1: N64 Sherbet Land. This was a 3 lap GP race with additional penguins that get in the way.
    • February 2010 #2: Mario Circuit, Karts only. Players had to defeat 16 Goombas.
    • March 2010 #1: Luigi Circuit, Bikes only, Wii Wheel only. This was the same as October 2008's second competition but with Bikes instead.
    • March 2010 #2: Galaxy Arena. Players had to knock off six Spiky Topmen that occasionally ran away.
    • April 2010 #1: GCN Peach Beach. Part of the course was blocked off so crossing the ocean on Mushroom Platforms was required.
    • April 2010 #2: Moonview Highway. All the vehicles went in the opposite direction in this time trial race.
    • May 2010 #1: Same as May 2008's first competition except players were restricted to using only karts and the Wii Wheel.
    • May 2010 #2: Exact same as May 2008's second competition.
    • June 2010 #1: Same as June 2008's second competition with the added restriction of using karts only.
    • June 2010 #2: Same as March 2009's second competition but without vehicle restrictions.
    • July 2010 #1: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of July 2008.
    • July 2010 #2: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of July 2008.
    • August 2010 #1: DS Delfino Square. Time trial with the addition of Goombas, crates, and dead end routes.
    • August 2010 #2: This competition was the exact same as that of the second competition of August 2008.
    • September 2010 #1: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of September 2008.
    • September 2010 #2: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of December 2008.
    • October 2010 #1: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of September 2008.
    • October 2010 #2: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of October 2008.
    • November 2010 #1: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of November 2008.
    • November 2010 #2: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of November 2008.
    • December 2010 #1: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of November 2009
    • December 2010 #2: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of December 2008
    • January 2011 #1: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of January 2009.
    • January 2011 #2: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of January 2009.
    • February 2011 #1: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of February 2009.
    • February 2011 #2: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of February 2009.
    • March 2011 #1: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of March 2009.
    • March 2011 #2: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of March 2009.
    • April 2011 #1: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of April 2009.
    • April 2011 #2: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of April 2009.
    • May 2011 #1: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of May 2009.
    • May 2011 #2: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of June 2009.
    • June 2011 #1: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of July 2009.
    • June 2011 #2: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of August 2009.
    • July 2011 #1: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of August 2009.
    • July 2011 #2: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of October 2009.
    • August 2011 #1: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of October 2009.
    • August 2011 #2: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of November 2009 & the first competition of December 2010.
    • September 2011 #1: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of January 2010.
    • September 2011 #2: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of January 2010.
    • October 2011 #1: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of February 2010.
    • October 2011 #2: This competition was the exact same as the first competition of April 2010.
    • November 2011 #1: This competition was the exact same as the second competition of April 2010.
    • November 2011 #2: Same as the second competition in May 2008 & May 2010.

    Mario Kart Channel

    The Mario Kart Channel allows players to check their rankings, and more!
    The Mario Kart Channel allows players to check their rankings, and more!

    In addition to the main game, there's the Mario Kart Channel. This channel also comes with the game. The player can access the channel on the Wii Menu immediately or during the game (if they have a Mario Kart Wii game disc). In this channel, they can check their ranking from the Time Trials, make new friends by sending Friend Codes, race against ghosts in a ghost race and have 2 Tournaments each month.

    sizepositionchange
    sizepositionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    bordersheaderpositiontable
    positionchange

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.