Mario Kart Wii
Kart and bike racing with motion controls and online play.
Mario Kart Wii, a 2008 kart racer from Nintendo for the Wii, is the sixth series installment. It launched worldwide in April 2008. With over 37 million copies sold, it ranks as the second best-selling Mario Kart game and among the best-selling video games ever.
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.
Gameplay
Mario Kart Wii is a kart and bike racing game with single-player and multiplayer modes. Players select from 24 Mario franchise characters and race or battle on courses themed after Mario locations, viewing the action from a third-person perspective. The game supports four control schemes: the Wii Remote (optionally with the Wii Wheel accessory), the Wii Remote with Nunchuk, the Classic Controller, and the GameCube controller. Motion controls simulate steering a wheel, while analog sticks are used with other controllers. Players collect power-ups from item boxes to attack opponents, defend against attacks, or gain speed boosts. The roster of 24 characters is the largest in the series up to that point, introducing Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Rosalina, Funky Kong, and Dry Bowser. Characters are assigned to three weight classes that affect vehicle selection. Vehicles include Karts and Bikes, with Bikes subdivided into regular and sports bikes; sports bikes feature inside drifting. Mii characters from the console's Mii Channel are also playable. Thirty-six vehicles are available, each with different handling properties. Half the characters, vehicles, and courses must be unlocked by completing objectives. The game has eight cups of four tracks each, totaling 32 tracks: 16 new courses and 16 from prior Mario Kart games.
Development
Mario Kart Wii is the sixth installment in the Mario Kart series, coming after Mario Kart DS. Hideki Konno, a producer from Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development division who had worked on the first two Mario Kart games and Mario Kart DS, oversaw the project. Shigeru Miyamoto served as General Producer, offering general guidance. The game brought back features that were left out of Mario Kart DS because of time limits, and it also made online play better. To keep races from becoming empty as they went on, the matchmaking system was changed so players could jump into a race once the current one ended and take part in the next. For the first time in the series, motocross bikes were added as drivable vehicles. Konno had suggested this idea since Double Dash, but it was turned down because the thought of Mario on a bike seemed too strange. The game was temporarily called Mario Kart X internally, with the X standing for "extreme." Mario Kart Wii was first shown at E3 2007, where a trailer introduced new characters, tracks, and the ability for up to 12 racers at once. At the Nintendo Fall 2007 Conference, bikes and the Wii Wheel were revealed, and a spring 2008 release was announced. The game came out on April 10, 2008 in Japan, April 11 in Europe, April 24 in Australia, and April 27 in North America.
Reception
Mario Kart Wii received generally favorable reviews according to Metacritic. Reviewers found the gameplay familiar and more safe and predictable than Mario Kart: Double Dash. The character roster was praised for its variety, though some unlockable characters were considered bland. New tracks were acknowledged as inventive by some critics, but the overall track roster was deemed weaker and less creative than in previous entries. The game was praised for being easy for players of any skill level, and motorcycles were seen as a great alternative to go-karts. The additions of motorcycles and online multiplayer were welcomed. Criticism focused on unbalanced items and rubberband AI, which were said to make gameplay chance-influenced, as well as the truncation of battle mode. Graphics were described as crisp and colorful in single-player but lower quality in split-screen; some found them unimpressive and simple. The music was considered unremarkable, and the voice acting was derided as repetitive and annoying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed Mario Kart Wii?
Mario Kart Wii was developed by Nintendo EAD Software Development Group No. 1.
Who directed Mario Kart Wii?
Mario Kart Wii was directed by Yasuyuki Oyagi.
Who designed Mario Kart Wii?
Mario Kart Wii was designed by Hirotake Ohtsubo and Yoshihisa Morimoto.
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