Mario Kart Wii (Video Game 2008) Poster

(2008 Video Game)

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8/10
Mario Kart Wii = Even more challenging than earlier MK games.
chribren19 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
"Mario Kart Wii" is a racing game released on Nintendo Wii year 2008.

As the title implies, this game is a part of the Mario Kart-franchise, and has of course Mario and friends racing and compete with each other in order to get the first place. This time in eight cups which all together include new but many challenging tracks, and retro tracks from previous games which have to be unlocked.

As always, items are presented well. The problem is, the better place you get (let's say from 1st to 4th place), the bigger chance you get to become attacked with great items like a Blue Shell, a POW Block and Red Shells, just so other characters can get a chance to get 1st place. Which can be somewhat frustrating sometimes. Otherwise, 1st place characters only get items like Green Shells and Bananas.

Many of the tracks presented here are pretty challenging as well. In Moonview Highway you can easily get run over by any cars and trucks, while in Rainbow Road you can easily fall of the tracks if you're not careful due to this track lacking fences to protect the players from falling. DK Summit has skiing Shy Guys as well.

Unlike "Mario Kart 64" which was the only MK game I've played before this, this game has many characters to be unlocked, including Diddy Kong, King Boo, Princess Daisy and Rosalina. Especially unlocking Dry Bowser and the lovely Daisy was pretty hard because of several tasks I had to do, like winning Special Cup in 150cc just to name an example. You can also unlock several other karts and bikes as well.

Overall, you'll not only need skills and chance, but you will also need a good amount of luck to win in any cups you're playing.

As usual, there is a Time Trial, as well as other modes like VS Race, Battle and Ghost Race. Battle Mode is pretty funny as well, but challenging sometimes as the option on how many characters you'll fight against doesn't exist. But it should in my opinion. I actually find the Time Trial to be a good way to start the game, because this is how I got to know most of the tracks, before going ahead on the Grand Prix and race against other characters.

This game is pretty funny in general, but as I told you earlier, this game can be frustrating sometimes because of the challenging elements I've mentioned. The characters I've been using the most in the game are, in random order: Mario, Bowser, Daisy and Rosalina.

This is one of the first two games I've got for my Wii, together with "Mario Party 8" I've reviewed about earlier here on IMDb. The edition I got for this game included a Wii Wheel in the box, letting you get the feeling as if you really were driving a car. Only using the Wii controller itself in regular way is optional.

Because of many things to be unlocked, some of the challenges I've mentioned earlier and the game's fun itself, I give this game an overall rating of 8/10.
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9/10
One of the best Mario Kart games (if not THE best)
Dr_Death6663 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
NOTE: I don't really think this contains spoilers, but I checked the spoiler box just in case, so be cautious anyway.

I really enjoyed this game. It is fun, fresh, and cool. The tracks are fun to race on, except for Moonview Highway, where you constantly get run over by a ton of cars and trucks and whatnot. You also can use the new Wii wheel to control your drivers, which is very fun. It holds that genuine arcade feel. The songs that are playing on the tracks are good but not really memorable. The unlock-able characters like Diddy Kong and that girl from Super Mario Galaxy are fun to unlock, and the game is good overall. I suggest you buy this game if you like the other Mario Kart games or if you wanted more from the experience.

9/10
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9/10
My Favourite Of The Series
distinctur1 November 2019
Mario Kart Wii was the 5th installment of the Mario Kart Franchise, and did not fail to impress. Firstly, the game looks phenomonal, second best in the series in my opinion, of course Mario Kart 8 being its better (Visual wise). Also, Mario Kart Wii has some of my favourite tracks of all time! One of them being Coconut Mall, which is my personal favourite track of all time. Coconut mall has you drive around... Well, a mall! The track is very fast paced, and there are multiple routes you can take to make the replayability factor on this track even better! The music is awesome, and this track really shows off the trick mechanic where you can trick off a fountain in the mall, ramps in the car park and off the edges of the escalators. Mario Kart Wii also introduced us to some of the greatest characters of all time like Funky Kong and Dry Bowser, Funky Kong definitely being the most used character in the whole roster. I also really like how you have to play well in order to unlock these incredible characters. However, there are some cons to Mario Kart Wii which prevented me from giving it a perfect score. The grand prix mode can be way to chaotic with all the unnecessary items. Items like the blue shell, the pow block, the giant mushroom, and the infamous thunder cloud are completely uneccessary items. The blue shell is acquired by people at the middle of the race so like 6th and 7th. It doesn't benefit them or help them at all, the only person it helps is second place! The pow block is stupid because you can trick when the pow block sends you in the air, the giant mushroom is just a star that lasts not as long as the star and the thundercloud is the first item that doesn't help you. You get a thundercloud over your head and you must pass it on to another player before the timer runs out and strikes you and turns you... Little. Also, people downgrade their socre on mario kart wii because of motion controls. In all honesty, motion controls was a cool idea, and after all, the wii is a family friendly console, so the majority wont be caring as much about world records. Also, you can use nunchucks, the gamecube controller and the classic wii controller. Now, I will admit that the Wii didn't explain the alternatives to play the game as well as they shouldv'e, as I was using tilt controls until just a few weeks ago as I was having a sencond look at the game, but regardless of this, Mario Kart Wii was a really solid game and no one can change my mind. Also, sorry for not talking about any of the other modes like battle mode, I'm just regarding the mode that everyone plays, grand prix, sorry all you hardcore fans!
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10/10
Mario Kart Wii!
griffolyon1220 May 2008
Mario Kart Wii is by far one of the best, if not the best game out there for Wii. The game is standard Mario Kart fare, you pick a kart (or in this one a bike) and you take that kart or bike on a crazy course, and while racing a three lap race, you fight with the other eleven racers by using stuff like turtle shells and banana peels. This sounds like the basic Mario Kart formula that you have played a million times before, but let me tell you, there is enough fresh, new things in this game that makes it worth the $50 price tag.

The first thing that should be noted about this game is the motion controls using the Wii Wheel to control your car, rather than a joystick. Let me tell you, the motion controls work perfectly with amazing accuracy, they are very tight and you never feel like you are losing control of your vehicle while using the Wheel. Yes, there is a slight learning curve to the Wheel, which is why majority of die hards will skip it from the get go, but once you get used to the Wheel there is really no better way to play it. Still if you aren't sold on the Wii Wheel yet, there are still plenty other control schemes you can try, and all of them work very well; they include: the Wiimote without the Wheel, the Wiimote and Nunchuck combo, the Classic Controller, and the Gamecube Controller.

Now, as for the actual racing part, there isn't much different this time around, Nintendo following the classic saying of, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!", which is so very true. The weapons are the same, and many old tracks return with just a few slight tweaks to them to suit the new trick system, which besides the inclusion of bikes and motion control (and one other tiny thing I'll mention later) to the Mario Kart world, it is the only real new thing around this time. The trick system can be activated by just simply jolting the Wii Wheel up in the air when you go off a ramp, by doing this you will be granted a speed boost. Now onto the new tracks in the game, which where specifically designed for the new trick system, and let me say these are some of the most creative, and fun Mario kart tracks I've ever played, in particular ones such as: Toad's Factory, Mushroom Gorge, Maple Treeway, and Wario's Goldmine, steal the show. The new tracks are so much fun, that when you have to race one of the returning tracks from previous games in a circuit, it kind of feels like you are just going through the motions so you can get the cup, and you aren't truly enjoying yourself because the new tracks just blow the old ones out of the water. Of course, the biggest new inclusion to Mario Kart Wii is the online play via Wi-Fi.

Online play is where this game will have all of its longevity. The online play is smooth and fun, it is always real easy to find a match, with or without friend codes. The only downside to the online in this game is there is no voice chat, and that when you play with two players online the frame rate chugs a bit, but besides those two problems the online is almost perfect, and is Nintendo's best effort at online play thus far.

Overall, Mario Kart Wii is another solid entry into the classic racing franchise. With the motion controls and the online play, it is easily the most fun racing game I have probably ever played.

I give Mario Kart Wii a superb 10 out of 10!
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10/10
Race To The Finish
jonjonat26 December 2009
For a Mario kart game this is the best one i've played you use not only karts but also super mega motor bikes which is epic and use all new characters like Baby Peach, Baby Luigi and Baby Mario which is pretty cute yet so sweet. I've played a lot of Mario Kart Games and this one is the number 1 of all time yet it can get very difficult especially playing as a team which is as always annoying and frustrating as. In the future Mario should be the best ranked series of all time and leaves Zelda crying for more which means I am always trying to be the biggest Zelda fan I could possibly be but for now Mario Number 1!! If you like Mario Kart it's awesome for Wii and you get to use a wheel to drive.
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10/10
Damn you Blue Shell
ThunderKing616 February 2021
I had so much fun with this game.

My ride was the bullet bill car with the Baby Peach. I dominated the league with that infant.

The graphics were fine. The challenge was fine. It was such a fun game.

Mario Kart was pure fun. MKW was the perfect Wii game.

Verdict: 1st for 99% of a race finish 8th at the end.
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10/10
OH YEAH!!!
BustedBlock16 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This epic game right here is easily one of my favorite games ever created! I have so many memories of playing this game while I was growing up. This game had awesome characters that you could play as (my favorites being wario, yoshi, koppa troopa, daisy, and king boo), it had cool karts and bikes, a great soundtrack, it also had some really cool tracks (my favorites being "Koppa Kape" and "Coconut Mall"). I also love how this Mario kart's controls are so different than the other games is this series. Overall this is a game that I definitely recommend, it's challenging but at the same time doable.
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10/10
An Awesome Time!
SMIBBProductions7 December 2021
This was the MarioKart my generation will grow up to love and always cherish! Motion Control and Tricking changed the game for all the MarioKarts that came after. It is fun, has an amazing track selection, probably the best character rooster ever, and still visually holds up! The Wii was a revolutionary counsel, but this was a game that anyone can pick up and enjoy! 10/10 hands down!
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9/10
One of the best in the MK series
mitsubishizero29 September 2020
Having grown up with this game, I can honestly say this's the best MK game made by Nintendo. It's fun, creative and has a lot of variety. The controls are simple yet effective, the tricks are fun to do and the power-ups are fun to use on your rivals. It's even possible to throw a banana at the blue shell if timed right. You can also look behind you by pressing the "A" button.

The graphics are pretty good too. Sometimes the renders look strange but they still look good for the most part. My only gripe with the game is if you unlocked characters or karts from your wii, you can't transfer them to another whenever you bring it over to a friend's house. That's annoying. Otherwise, it's a very solid game. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes the MK series.
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8/10
Great game for the newcomers, for the veterans, kinda disappointing...
cheezdontgowitm35 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Now let me just break it down for you.

Graphics: Kinda disappointing, looks just like the Gamecube version but with a washed out look and less vibrant colors, although the N64 courses look very pretty.

Soundtrack: The new Rainbow Road sounds very nice, but overall, the new songs are kinda mediocre, nothing special, nothing that stands out, yeah there's some catchy songs, but it's nothing memorable. However, the retro songs are pretty much why the soundtrack is good. Most of the retro songs were brought back, maybe fixed and better balanced, but besides one SNES song, one DS song, all the GBA songs, the rest of the songs are direct rips, yes, even the N64 ones, and since they have Mario Raceway in there, you're gonna be hearing the same Raceway song you heard in Mario Kart 64, just a bit clearer and fixed.

Gameplay: Now there's all these cool features, but this is where Mario Kart Wii is kinda disappointing. The game is too much luck based, so it's hard to get "good" at this game. The new items in this game really don't help either. But other than that, it's still the same old Mario Kart, tweaked quite a bit not so much better, but it's still fun.

Alright, now let's go into detail with some stuff about some features in the game. Battle mode sucks now. You're forced to play in teams, so there's no more "last man standing" thing, which really sucks. It's online, yeah, but if it's butchered, who cares? And the retro course selection is mediocre, they have some really good ones like DK Mountain from the Gamecube, Bowser's Castle 3 from the GBA, Bowser's Castle and DK's Jungle Parkway from the N64, but you've got some really just..OK courses, like Peach Beach from the Gamecube, and all the DS courses. This is just obvious that Nintendo's getting all the old ones out of the way and they're thinking ahead to future games so they can save the best ones for last, I mean seriously, Desert Hills??? PEACH GARDENS?? where's Waluigi Pinball??? or Wario Stadium??

The online works very very well. It's just about lag-free, you don't have adjust everything to get it to work like in Brawl, so that's a huge plus for this game, and the Mario Kart Channel and the tournaments, yeah there's no missions, the tournaments are basically the missions...it's so well done.

Alright overall, Mario Kart Wii is another solid addition to the Mario Kart series, I think it's a good game, but I think they could've done a lot better. It's great that Nintendo wants to attract all the newcomers and casual gamers...but that doesn't mean you have to forget about us hardcore gamers. But it's still a great game, easily my second favorite game on the Wii, even though it couldn't beat Super Mario Galaxy, but it's still great, but could be better.

8/10
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4/10
So Frustrating
T-ZER010 July 2020
This is my least favorite Mario Kart game. I played it a lot when we got a Wii. But I could never beat it. Whenever I get in first place, all hell breaks loose. Every time within three seconds I get hit with a spiny shell, hit with a POW block, then hit with a regular shell. EVERY TIME! The game does not play fair. At least it's successor Mario Kart 8 was better in that aspect but I still prefer Double Dash.
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8/10
Stay Away From First!
Fields20110 September 2010
The SNES Mario Kart was an instant favorite as me and one other friend would face each other on battle mode. I used to record these events and we would watch and even that was fun. The vs. mode on that one... well it was fun but the controls suck. It's best recommended to use Toad or Koopa, which is weird, because Mario should be the main man to use... hence MARIO Kart.

When the N64 Mario Kart arrived and the use of four players, I was ecstatic! Mario Kart 64 was a lot of fun even with me whining about getting rid of that Kamek guy (the little sorcerer dude from Yoshi's Island) in favor for the generic Donkey Kong who was already in the SNES on anyway! But it was still fun.

I skipped out on the portable ones and went right for the Gamecube incarnation called Mario Kart: Double Dash. I didn't like it at first with two players in one kart that had to be selected but it grew on me and there were parties. In fact, I was hoping for the Wii one to combine Double Dash and 64 for a superior game.

They didn't.

Instead, they really botched on the power-ups. That's the Wii versions greatest downfall. Like I'm sorry I'm so good and hanging out in first place. You will have bombshells, weapons that hurt everyone and believe me there are plenty, and whatever else they have in store for you to get to first place. It sucks.

But the biggest delight was the online play. I must admit I had a ball with the online connectivity. However, I just wish they had it for Double Dash more than this game. I give it credit because it does have a bunch of throwback courses, especially love for the SNES ones, so it isn't all bad.

I hope Nintendo learned from this and fixes it for the next installment, otherwise people will jump ship from this franchise.
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8/10
A Really Fun Game
zaynmaliksgirlbecca23 May 2021
I love the new karts dirt bikes. Those are so cool. And I love that you an do a wheely to gain more speed and that's another cool feature. The Wii steering option wheel made it more realistic. It felt like you were actually driving. I'm so glad that they put in the baby versions of Princess Peach, Daisy, Mario, Luigi as playable characters. I love that they put in older tracks in the from other Mario Kart games.
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9/10
My favourite Mario Kart game!
christypddunne15 March 2021
Yeah that may not be an original opinion but can you blame me? Mario Kart Wii introduced so many new gameplay features such as bikes, 12 racers, tricks and coin runners, what more could you ask for? Better graphics maybe but it never bothered me that much when the track selection is PHENOMENAL. Coconut Mall, Koopa Cape, Wario's Gold Mine, Maple Treeway, Mushroom Gorge, DK Summit, Toad's Factory, Grumble Volcano, Bowser's Castle, Rainbow Road, all of these are just amazing! It has plenty of ways to contrrol to. The Wii remote which you steer left and right to turn you vehicle, the pro-controller which I don't have to explain but the third is my favourite Mario Kart control scheme, the Wii remote and nunchuck. This works so well and I even use to separate Joy-Cons sometimes when I'm playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but it doesn't work as well. And while I admit that game is technically better I will always prefer Mario Kart Wii over any game in the series!
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