Mario Kart Wii

The 2008 Wii entry that added bikes, the Wii Wheel and 12-player online races.

Mario Kart Wii is the 2008 kart racing game from Nintendo and the sixth main entry in the Mario Kart series. Players pick from 24 Mario characters and race across 32 tracks drawn from the franchise's worlds, using items to slow rivals or speed themselves up. Every copy came packed with the Wii Wheel, a plastic shell that turns the Wii Remote into a motion-controlled steering wheel. It sold more than 8.9 million copies in 2008, the top seller of that year, and over 37 million in total, ranking as the second best-selling game in the series after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Quick Facts

Developer

Nintendo EAD Software Development Group No. 1

Publisher

Nintendo

Producer

Hideki Konno

Director

Yasuyuki Oyagi

Composer

Asuka Hayazaki, Ryō Nagamatsu

Series

Mario Kart

Platforms

Wii

Released

April 10, 2008 (JP)
April 11, 2008 (EU)
April 24, 2008 (AUS)
April 27, 2008 (NA)

Facts from the source article.

Background

Work on the game started soon after 2005's Mario Kart DS shipped. Hideki Konno, who had produced the earlier entries, returned as producer within Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development division, while Shigeru Miyamoto served as general producer and offered advice. Ideas that had been dropped from the DS game for lack of time were revived, and the team reworked online matchmaking so players could drop into the next race rather than waiting in empty lobbies. Ryō Nagamatsu made his composing debut alongside Asuka Hayazaki, remixing familiar melodies and adding new pieces. The game launched worldwide in April 2008.

Did You Know?

Its roster of 24 drivers was the largest in the series until Mario Kart 8 in 2014.
There are thirty-six vehicles, each with its own handling traits.
Online Versus and Battle supported up to 12 players.
Critics praised the online mode and tracks but faulted item balance and rubberband AI.